Old-Timer Assaulted by Land-Grant Lobbyist
A pioneer settler is attacked on Main Street by a man hired to lobby against land reform, fueling local outrage against corporate influence.
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.
On Thursday evening, a little after dark, as Mr. Joseph Bowzer was walking peacefully along Main street, and just after he had passed Mr. Adkins' saloon, he was brutally assaulted and struck twice in the face by Captain J. H. May, the hireling who was recently sent here to circulate a petition against the forfeiture of the unearned land grant. A bystander rushed between the assailant and Mr. Bowzer, and prevented further conflict. May was arrested and brought before Justice Parker, where he was fined $20 and costs. The assault was entirely unexpected by Mr. Bowzer, and was in every sense a mean and cowardly act. Mr. Bowzer is an elderly gentleman, having been one of the first settlers in this county. By frugality and good management he has become a man of considerable wealth, all of which he has invested in this vicinity. Like an overwhelming majority of our citizens, he has been strongly in favor of the forfeiture of the land grant. This seems to have made him obnoxious to Captain May, who doubtless feels sore and ugly over the fact that he has been thwarted at every turn in his efforts to misrepresent the wishes of the people of this section.
“The assault was entirely unexpected by Mr. Bowzer, and was in every sense a mean and cowardly act.”
This incident highlights the long-standing tension in Seattle between individual property owners and powerful corporations vying for land control. The use of 'hirelings' to intimidate citizens over land rights mirrors the modern civic anxieties regarding corporate lobbying and the erosion of local agency.
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