A Bloody Disagreement Over Press Freedom
A local attorney attempts to thrash a newspaper editor with a loaded cane and finds the editor more than a match for him.
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.
W. J. Canton is at his home in Waterville, sore and bruised and under the care of a doctor. He made an attempt Tuesday morning to thrash one of the editors of the Douglas County Press. Mr. Canton is a practicing attorney here and took exceptions to an article printed in the last issue of the Press. Mr. Canton called at the press office Tuesday morning and assaulted W. S. Trimble, one of the editors, attacking him with a loaded cane. Mr. Trimble defended himself so well that the intruder was taken home and a doctor summoned to attend him. Mr. Trimble resumed his duties. Trimble's partner, Ben Spear, was present at the time, but did not interfere in the mixup. Mr. Spear says he did not mix up in it.
“Mr. Trimble defended himself so well that the intruder was taken home and a doctor summoned to attend him.”
Physical assaults on journalists over unfavorable coverage are a recurring dark chapter in local history. This 1903 incident serves as a reminder of the personal risks local editors faced when challenging powerful members of their own communities.
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