Jealousy on Pacific Avenue
An aging ex-bailiff draws a gun on a public official in a public street-side confrontation over an alleged affair.
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.
S. W. Sibley, of 1114 South Yakima Avenue, became convinced that his wife had become enamored of Deputy Assessor J. B. McArthur and decided to watch her. The efforts bore fruit this morning, and after following the pair about the city, he accosted them on Pacific Avenue near Tenth Street. A row immediately ensued, in which Sibley drew a gun and attempted to shoot McArthur. As a result, Sibley was taken to police headquarters to await investigation, and McArthur went there to try to patch up the difficulty. Sibley claimed he was an old man, over 60, and carried the weapon only because he felt unable to protect himself physically. McArthur, a married man with a farm on the Puyallup River, denied the allegations, calling Sibley 'insanely jealous.' McArthur refused to file a complaint, and Sibley was released.
“I can't help liking the woman. I love her and I don't think she is to blame. That miserable whelp keeps after her all the time.”
This incident of public domestic strife reflects a era where 'alienation of affection' was a major driver of social and legal conflict. Today, such personal disputes are rarely handled with revolvers on Pacific Avenue, but the intersection of public officials' private lives and civic volatility remains a recurring theme in Tacoma news.
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