Logging Camp Dispute Leaves Man Near Death
A violent confrontation at a Kapowsin logging camp results in a shooting that hospitalizes one worker and lands another in jail.
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.
Taolido Panelli and Bruno Nodini, two Italians employed in a logging camp near Kapowsin, on the Tacoma Eastern railway, 26 miles from Tacoma, while under the influence of liquor attempted to settle a dispute of long standing by resort to weapons. When in the heat of the quarrel Nodini attacked Panelli, the latter drew a revolver and fired three shots into his assailant. The physicians have serious doubts as to Nodini's recovery. Nodini is lying in St. Joseph's hospital in this city, and Panelli is in the county jail awaiting the outcome. Nodini was on the operating table for three hours this morning. It was discovered that only two bullets entered the body, the third just peeling the skin. One caused a slight flesh wound in the breast. One bullet entered the abdomen, piercing the intestines in four places. The doctors in attendance could not locate this bullet, and on account of the critical condition of the patient they were compelled to give up the search. While they entertain some hope for the victim's recovery, the chances are that he will die within the next 24 hours.
“Nodini is lying in St. Joseph's hospital in this city, and Panelli is in the county jail awaiting the outcome.”
Conflicts in remote labor camps were common in the early 20th century, often fueled by isolation, poor living conditions, and alcohol. Today, industrial safety and labor regulations have largely replaced such volatile, private-sector dispute resolutions.
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