A Case of Mistaken Identity in Aberdeen
Former city marshal William H. Pearson clears his name after a newspaper report falsely linked him to an embezzlement scandal.
William H. Pearson, until recently the city marshal of Aberdeen, is upset over a report in the Post-Intelligencer stating that an 'H. Pearson,' treasurer of the Gray's Harbor Fishermen's Union, was in jail for embezzlement. The report was mistaken; the man arrested was actually B. P. Shepherd. Pearson was never connected to the union or the crime, and he is demanding a correction to clear his reputation, which he feels has been prejudiced by the error.
“The item was sadly mixed. Mr. Pearson was not in any way connected with any fishermen's union.”
This incident highlights the dangers of 'fake news' and the lack of fact-checking in 19th-century journalism, where a simple name mix-up could ruin a man's reputation in a small town.
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