Fatal Quarrel in the Coal Mines of Roslyn
A long-standing dispute over a woman ends in a fatal shooting, landing a local miner in jail.
Another murder is recorded against the negro coal miners at Roslyn. It occurred Sunday night and was the outgrowth of an old quarrel over a woman. James Thomas wanted to pick a fight with George Washington. Washington warned Thomas to keep away but the warning being disregarded, Washington drew a revolver and fired, the ball piercing a vital part and resulting in almost immediate death. Washington is in jail.
“Another murder is recorded against the negro coal miners at Roslyn.”
This report highlights the frequent, often under-reported violence within the isolated, labor-strained industrial mining camps of the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, where racial tensions were exacerbated by harsh working conditions and lack of civic infrastructure.
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