The Murder Suspect Who Demanded a Fair Shake
William A. Wilcox arrives in Seattle under arrest for a double murder, maintaining his innocence and complaining about the sensationalist press.
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.
William A. Wilcox, charged by warrant with the murder of Mrs. Charlotte Fetting and by implication with the killing of James King, arrived in this city yesterday afternoon at 4:35 o'clock. Wilcox walked out of the car without assistance and was driven to police headquarters. When asked about his height at the desk, he thought it a queer operation but complied. Wilcox stated he is innocent of the murder charges, claiming future developments will prove it. 'I have not had a fair show from the Tacoma newspapers,' he said. 'One would think, to read some of the accounts, that I am a cold-blooded wretch. That does me a wrong. It is true I have gambled, but I am a laborer who has always earned his living by hard work.' He offered an alibi for September 4th, the day of the Fetting murder, and noted he was in Seattle on the 12th, staying at the Southern Hotel, corner of Yesler Avenue and Commercial Street, as verified by the hotel register.
“I have not had a fair show from the Tacoma newspapers, for in instances what I said and what was printed differed materially. One would think... that I am a cold-blooded wretch of low character.”
Wilcox's frustration with the media's framing of his character—before his day in court—is a precursor to the modern debates over trial-by-press and the dehumanization of defendants. His insistence on his status as a working man despite a 'weakness for play' (gambling) highlights the era's rigid moral binary between the 'honest laborer' and the 'criminal element.'
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