The Editor Who Killed a Man: James Connell’s Return to Everett
After being acquitted of murder in Seattle for killing his rival Nelson Lee in a street fight, former Star editor James Connell has returned to his hometown of Everett—despite death threats and a formal warning from the community to stay away.
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.
A persistent rumor was afloat this morning that James Connell, the Star editor who killed Nelson Lee last fall, had been shot. Another report stated he had not been shot, but had been attacked by an angry mob of his foes. It is now known that neither of these reports is true; he is in good health and has returned to his old home at Everett.
The following appeared in the Everett Times:
Everett, March 7.—I am just back from Seattle and look happy. I am James Connell.
How the affair started is unknown, but it is a fact that last fall some men were using the matter on the street. At the time of this writing there was no chance of a change of venue, and the trial took place at Kirkland County.
After the acquittal, which was rendered on the plea of self-defense, the friends of Nelson decided that if Connell turned to Everett they would hunt him down. A meeting was held and a resolution passed cautioning the editor not to return to the town. Connell left last Saturday, and as far as he knows no formal warning has been given against him. At all events, it is certain over at least one man has been committed.
This 1906 account of a journalist returning to his hometown after a fatal street altercation highlights the volatile nature of local press rivalries in the early 20th century. While modern media disputes are settled in courtrooms or via social media, this era saw editors physically defending their reputations with deadly consequences, blurring the lines between civic duty and personal vendetta.
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