The Skunk of the Press
A bitter 1877 public feud erupts in the Seattle Weekly Dispatch between an editor and a physician accused of editing a scandalous rival paper.
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 December 7, 1877, Dr. H. C. Willison of Port Townsend wrote to Boriah Brown, editor of the Seattle Weekly Dispatch, requesting the discontinuation of his subscription. Willison took offense at Brown’s public accusations that he was the secret editor of a rival paper, The Press. Brown, in a scathing rebuttal, refused to walk back his charge. He characterized the rival publication as a refuge for 'the vilest slanders' and 'den of infamy' that catered to the lowest elements of society. Brown further attacked the character of the rival publication’s staff, labeling the rival editor a 'skunk' who had 'stolen the hole' and was 'attempting to assume the character of more reputable animals.' Brown maintained that as an editor, one must hold to the standards of a gentleman, and by publishing scandalous hearsay provided by 'discharged convicts,' Willison had forfeited any claim to social standing or respect among the reputable citizens of the territory.
“The most worthless vagabond that crawls has access to its columns to give currency to the vilest slanders upon the most reputable citizens.”
This 1877 brawl over 'fake news' and personal attacks in local media echoes today's hyper-polarized digital landscape. It captures a moment when Seattle’s press was transitioning from high-minded civic oratory to the sensationalist, muckraking tabloid culture that would define the era.
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