Tragedy on the Curtis Hop Farm
A domestic dispute among workers turns deadly on a Skagit County prairie.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Dr. M. B. Mattice of Sedro reports the murder of 'Oyster Bob' by his cousin 'Johnny Bob' last Saturday evening on Jarman prairie. Both men were employed on the Curtis hop farm, about seven miles from Sedro. On Saturday evening, both men were intoxicated. Johnny Bob went home and assaulted his partner; Oyster Bob’s wife intervened, and Johnny assaulted her as well. When Oyster Bob took part in the conflict, Johnny stabbed him in the groin with a dirk, inflicting a fatal wound. The assailant fled, and despite a search by authorities, his capture remains unlikely. Dr. Mattice was called fifteen hours after the incident, but the injury proved mortal, and Oyster Bob died on Monday morning.
“Johnny made a wicked lunge at him with a dirk, stabbing him in the groin, making a terrible wound.”
This account reflects the dangerous working and living conditions for seasonal laborers during the era's hop-harvesting boom in Skagit County, often marked by a lack of social safety nets and high levels of alcohol-related violence. While the industry has shifted, contemporary concerns regarding the treatment of agricultural workers in the region remain a significant civic issue.
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