Triple Tragedy at Three Lakes
A night watchman murders his former wife and teenage daughter after she refuses his plea to remarry, then turns the weapon on himself.
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.
J. A. Dawson, night watchman at the ice plant at Three Lakes, a small timber and mill center a few miles from Olympia, killed his divorced wife and 14-year-old daughter and then committed suicide today. Mrs. Hiram Morgan, a neighbor, heard the screams coming from the Dawson cabin and notified the crew of a logging train. The men hurried to the cabin. When they arrived, Dawson appeared in the doorway with a revolver in his hand and warned them away. While the men stood at bay, Dawson placed the revolver against his temple and fired. He fell to the ground and died almost instantly. The triple tragedy has thrown the small community into a fever of excitement. Dawson had been employed at the camp for three years, living alone with his children since his divorce. Mrs. Dawson appeared in the camp yesterday to visit the children, and it is believed Dawson endeavored to induce the woman to remarry him. Her refusal is supposed to have caused the tragedy. In the struggle for the revolver, the daughter was killed; then the man killed his wife and took his own life.
“Mrs. Hiram Morgan, a neighbor, heard the screams coming from the Dawson cabin and notified the crew of a logging train.”
Domestic violence remains a devastating, recurring theme in Pacific Northwest headlines. The tragedy at Three Lakes echoes how little societal safety nets existed for women in abusive situations during the early 20th century.
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