A Killing With No Witnesses on the Yakima River
J. E. Hendricks shot and killed Richard Sea on July 15, 1892. The paper notes Sea's criminal record and reports that only the two men were present.
J. E. Hendricks, who has a claim on the east side of the Yakima River opposite Easton, shot and killed an Indian named Richard Sea on the 15th inst. Sea had a hard reputation, and in addition to having been in the penitentiary had been on trial in one or two instances for murder and murderous assault. There were no witnesses of the shooting other than the principals, and Hendricks claims his action was taken in self-defense.
“There were no witnesses of the shooting other than the principals, and Hendricks claims his action was taken in self-defense.”
The killing of an Indigenous man by a settler, with the victim's character immediately put on trial in the press, is a familiar pattern in the Northwest. The lack of witnesses left the official story to Hendricks alone—a reminder of how unevenly self-defense claims were applied.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.