The Fugitive 'Dude'
A local Indigenous man is pursued by the sheriff for an alleged land fraud scheme involving Puyallup tribal property.
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 warrant has been issued by the sheriff's office for the arrest of Harry Taylor, an Indian known in this city as 'The Dude,' upon the charge of obtaining money under false pretenses. Taylor allegedly sold a piece of land belonging to another Indigenous individual at Puyallup to A. F. Phidden, a white man, for $750, and has since fled to Yakima or Toppenish. The sheriff of Yakima county has been notified to apprehend Taylor.
“A warrant has been issued by the sheriff's office for the arrest of Harry Taylor, an Indian known in this city as 'The Dude,' upon the charge of obtaining money under false pretenses.”
This item illustrates the precarious legal environment for Indigenous land ownership in the early 20th century, where tribal members were frequently caught in the crossfire of complex real estate transactions and external legal systems. The use of a derogatory nickname in the press highlights the era's casual dehumanization of people of color.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.