The Lawyer, the Judge, and the Rowdy Courtroom
A Seattle attorney’s refusal to follow a justice’s order leads to a standoff, a dramatic arrest, and a courtroom clash that captivated the city.
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.
At half-past seven o'clock last evening, Judge T.J. Cann was walking with friends on the Yesler Way corner when Constable Thornton touched him on the shoulder and said, 'Excuse me for stopping you, but I want you, Mr. Cann. I've been itching to get you into my clutches for some time, but the opportunity hasn't been given. I have a warrant for your arrest. I hope you will come along quietly.' Cann and Thornton, joined by a crowd, went to Justice Soderberg's office. Justice Soderberg had charged Mr. Cann with contempt of court. 'All right, let's go,' said Cann. 'You appear for me,' he said to his friends, 'and see that I get a fair show.' Upon arrival, Justice Soderberg sat behind his desk. Soderberg stated, 'I am not mad because I would not acquit that woman, Nellie Wallace, who made so much noise on Third street the other night. I thought she deserved punishment and fined her $10. Cann was very wrathy and threatened me ten or fifteen times. He shook his fist at me and said he would see me outside of the court and settle with me when I could not punish him for contempt of court, and warned me that I might make any preparations I should. I ordered Thornton to arrest him, for I must have protection, and when he refused, I issued a warrant for Cann's arrest.' Judge Cann denies that he used threatening language or gave Soderberg any cause for ordering his arrest.
“I've been itching to get you into my clutches for some time, but the opportunity hasn't been given.”
This 1888 confrontation over judicial conduct and courtroom decorum highlights the long-standing, often volatile relationship between Seattle's legal establishment and its local attorneys. It mirrors modern debates about judicial bias and professional conduct in a growing city where the line between legal authority and personal grievance has always been thin.
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