A Deadly Feud Between City Officials
A simmering estrangement between Port Angeles officials culminates in a broad-daylight shooting that leaves a city doctor dying.
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. I. R. Herrick was shot and probably fatally injured at 2 o'clock this afternoon by Judge Samuel P. Carusi. Judge Carusi is police justice and Dr. Herrick was the ex-city physician and health officer. Until quite recently, the two have been inseparable friends, but an estrangement led to today's shooting. It appears that some time ago, a woman of the town appropriated funds not her own and, seeking to hide them, deposited them with Dr. Herrick. When the theft was discovered, the doctor was unable to repay the money. A lady friend of the doctor, Mrs. Blackwood, took her diamond ring to Judge Carusi and requested he procure a loan to help the doctor out of his trouble. The judge obtained the loan, but when the doctor failed to repay it, the friendship soured. After the doctor married Mrs. Blackwood, the tension increased following a cold note exchanged between their wives. Today, the doctor approached Judge Carusi on the street, struck him in the head with a wrench, and the judge drew his revolver and fired. Dr. Herrick is now in the private office of Dr. A. B. Lull, where physicians concede he will not recover.
“Dr. Herrick begged his brother physicians to save his life so he could kill the judge.”
This violent collision of local power dynamics, personal debts, and domestic feuds serves as a stark reminder of how quickly small-town reputations could implode in the late 19th century. Today, similar disputes over professional conduct and housing-related financial stress remain persistent drivers of civic friction in Washington.
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