The Battle for Walla Walla’s Poundmaster
A deposed city official fights to regain his post, challenging the legality of his successor's appointment in Superior Court.
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.
Harding, the deposed poundmaster, has made good his threat to test the legality of the election of H. A. Crowell to the position, filing suit in the superior court this morning to regain possession of the office. The suit is directed against Crowell. T. P. and C. C. Gose are attorneys for Mr. Harding, who asks that Crowell be ousted from the position, that he be awarded damages in the sum of $100, and costs of the action. The complaint recites that at the regular meeting of the council on October 20, Mr. Harding was duly elected to the office of poundmaster, and within five days thereafter, he had qualified for the position by taking the oath of office and filing his bond; that on November 6, the said Crowell usurped the office and since has had unlawful possession of the same.
“Harding... has made good his threat that he would test the legality of the election of H. A. Crowell.”
Local political squabbles over municipal appointments remain a staple of Walla Walla civic life. While the 'poundmaster'—responsible for stray animals—is an antique title, the legal challenge mirrors modern tensions over how city officials are hired and fired.
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