The Acquittal of John Williams
A jury exonerates a man accused of killing William Lockenfritz, accepting a plea of self-defense.
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.
The details of the killing of William Lockenfritz by John Williams require no repetition. The case came to trial yesterday, and at 9 o'clock this morning the jury returned a verdict of acquittal. From noon until 6 o'clock yesterday the time was occupied in taking testimony. After the evening recess, District Attorney Bradshaw ably presented his case to the jury, and lawyers Campbell and Senter made forcible pleas for their client. At 9:30 the jury retired to consider the case, and a verdict was reached at 9:30 this morning acquitting John Williams of wrongdoing in inflicting the mortal wound upon Wm. Lockenfritz. The plea of the defense was self-defense and a strong case was made out. When H. F. McKay, foreman of the jury, presented the verdict to Judge Green, his Honor said that he accepted it as in conformance with the law and the evidence and discharged the jury. When Williams was told of the verdict in the hall of the Court he fairly broke down, and seemed to hardly know what to do with his new-found liberty.
“When Williams was told of the verdict in the hall of the Court he fairly broke down, and seemed to hardly know what to do with his new-found liberty.”
Trial reporting in 1883 focused heavily on the procedural outcome, reflecting a city still finding its legal footing. Today, such high-stakes criminal trials would involve vastly more scrutiny of the evidence presented, though the 'self-defense' plea remains a common feature in Seattle's legal landscape.
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