A Love Triangle Ends in Gunfire in North Yakima
A jealous husband confronts his wife's suitor over a patch of vegetables; a single shot and a dying man's statement point to murder.
North Yakima, May 18 — Clarence C. Steel was shot and mortally wounded this evening by C. L. Halbert. The trouble arose over Halbert's attentions to Mrs. Steel. Steel had twice charged his wife with infidelity. Tonight he followed her when she went to gather vegetables, and witnessed a meeting between the two. He called Halbert the most offensive of names, and the latter picked up a stone and struck Steel on the hip. Steel stooped for a stone, and while he was in a stooping position Halbert drew his revolver and fired. The bullet took effect in Steel's breast.
Dr. Frank, the attending surgeon, says the wound will be fatal. Prosecuting Attorney Engelhart secured a full statement of the difficulty from the dying man. Halbert is now in jail, but denies that he shot Steel or had a revolver.
“He called Halbert the most offensive of names, and the latter picked up a stone and struck Steel on the hip.”
Crimes of passion still dominate local news, and this 1895 North Yakima killing shows how the era's press framed jealousy as a sudden, almost fated eruption. The reliance on a dying man's statement also reflects a time before modern forensics, when a victim's last words carried the weight of testimony. Then as now, the private quarrel between spouses became a public spectacle in print.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.