A Bitter Business Rivalry Ends in Court
An accusation of boat theft between former business partners in Whatcom reveals a long-standing feud and allegations of 'cinching'.
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 case of the Territory vs. Leach and Woodford, for stealing a sloop from Commencement Bay, came up for hearing before Judge Campbell Thursday afternoon. After hearing the testimony of J. H. Walters, the alleged owner of the boat, Elwood Evans, counsel for the defendants, moved that the case be dismissed, but the motion was overruled. Leach and Woodward waived examination and were bound over in the sum of $500 each to appear at the next term of the District Court. From what can be learned of the case, Walters is a first-class bilk, and is trying to injure Leach, who was his partner in Whatcom. While they were in trade together, Walters used one of Leach's names for the purpose of cinching people, and is now endeavoring to wind up the matter by cinching Leach.
“Walters is a first-class bilk, and is trying to injure Leach, who was his partner in Whatcom.”
This 1884 dispute highlights how early commercial life in the Pacific Northwest was built on informal, often volatile partnerships. Today, business disputes are handled in corporate courts, but the fundamental struggle of untangling broken professional relationships remains a constant of the Seattle business scene.
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