A Davenport Damage Suit
A Black woman files a high-stakes civil suit against a prominent town citizen for an alleged assault occurring eighteen months prior.
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.
DAVENPORT, Wash., Dec. 4.—A sensational damage suit for $10,000 has been filed by Mrs. Carrie Ross, formerly of this city but now of Spokane, against M. McInnis, a prominent citizen of Davenport, for an alleged attempt at criminal assault. The incident is alleged to have taken place on the evening of the 28th of May, 1902. No criminal charge has ever been brought against Mr. McInnis, and no civil papers were filed until this week. Mrs. Ross is the wife of Crockett Ross, who was employed at the Vendome hotel. During their time in Davenport, Mrs. Ross gave birth to the first Black child ever born in the town. Mr. McInnis, who has lived in the city for several years, is the proprietor of the O.K. livery stable and a prominent landowner. McInnis denies the allegations, calling the case a blackmail attempt, and states he has previously been approached for hush money, which he refused.
“Mr. McInnis stated that there is nothing to hush. He said that he spurned all such offers and told the messengers to 'go to hell.'”
This case highlights the extreme difficulty victims of sexual assault faced in the legal system at the turn of the century, particularly Black women. The public framing of the accusation as 'blackmail' underscores the racial dynamics and power imbalances present in early 20th-century Washington civic life.
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