The Town That Shed Its Violent Name
Citizens of Slaughter petition the legislature to rebrand their town to something more inviting.
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.
To the Editor: The Seattle papers have had something to say about the bill before the legislature to change the name of this town from Slaughter to Auburn. The Press-Times seems to have taken particular pains to misrepresent the whole matter. A committee, of which Mr. John Wooding was chairman, was appointed to propose a name to be submitted to the citizens of Slaughter at an adjourned meeting. This meeting unanimously agreed upon the name of Auburn, and a petition signed by over 80 percent of the voters of the town was sent to the legislature. Among the signers of this petition is the mayor and council, John Wooding, James Hart and every business and professional man in the town. In fact, it is doubtful if there are five persons in the entire town opposed to the change. What opposition has manifested itself is from those who live outside and have no personal or financial interest in the town. It is not intended to change the name of the precinct, which will still be Slaughter, but only the name of the town and postoffice. The letter published by Mr. Wickersham in the Press-Times is grossly unfair, as he seeks to convey the idea that it is proposed to name it after Lieut. Slaughter's murderer.
“The meeting unanimously agreed upon the name of Auburn, and a petition signed by over 80 percent of the voters of the town was sent to the legislature.”
Auburn, once known as Slaughter, was named after Lieutenant William Slaughter, who was killed during the 1855 conflict. The residents' 1893 desire to soften their town's image for economic growth reflects a long history of Washington communities attempting to pivot their identities to attract settlement and investment.
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