Labor Dispute Ends in Street Attack
A local contractor was beaten with a revolver and slungshot by a group of men after he reportedly refused them work.
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.
J. G. Campbell, a contractor, was assaulted this evening by unknown Italians while on his way home in Tacoma. He was knocked down and his head cut open with a revolver. He was also hit on the head with a slungshot. It is thought his assailants were taking revenge because Campbell refused to employ them. They are hiding tonight, but will be run down tomorrow.
“It is thought his assailants were taking revenge because Campbell refused to employ them.”
This incident highlights the volatile labor tensions during the late 19th-century economic contraction, where competition for scarce jobs frequently escalated into ethnic scapegoating and street violence. Similar tensions continue to echo in contemporary debates regarding the vulnerability of day laborers and the policing of immigrant communities in the Pacific Northwest.
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