The Mysterious Death of Peter Stanup
Speculation and suspicion swirl in Tulalip after the discovery of a body with a fractured neck.
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.
While Captain Carpenter reported upon returning from Seattle that, pending the argument of the injunction restraining the troops from interfering with the reservation railroad graders, no work was to be done, those in charge of the graders report that work is progressing. Excitement remains high due to the search, finding, and burial of Peter Stanup. It is reported that the injunction is continued in force pending the arguments on June 12. Mrs. Annie Stanup, wife of Peter, seems to realize now more than before that her husband is dead. An anonymous note, stating that her husband was killed by 'two strong men' and then placed into the water, has been received by her. Beyond the fact stated by the physicians employed to perform the autopsy, that the neck was fractured or broken, facts are scarce. Some of Agent Kelts' friends have stated that the verdict of the jury was a 'put up' job, and that it was secured for the purpose of injuring him. In the meantime, a search is being made by the dead man's friends to find out who were the unknown fishermen and other strangers alleged to have been seen in the vicinity of Peter's house on the night he was missing.
“An anonymous note, stating that her husband was killed by 'two strong men' and then placed into the water, has been received by her.”
The death of Peter Stanup highlights the historical and ongoing tensions regarding Indigenous sovereignty and federal oversight on the Tulalip Reservation. The suspicion surrounding the coroner's verdict echoes a long history of community distrust in legal systems when Indigenous deaths are handled by colonial authorities.
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