The Murder on the Train: A Snohomish Mystery
An Indian man is found dead with his throat cut aboard a local train; suspicion falls on two men from Pratt Point.
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.
As the log-riders were on their way up the train to the inn Monday morning, they found the dead body of an Indian on the train with his throat cut and other knife wounds upon his person. There was no inquest held. The Indians removed the body to Tulalip for burial. Suspicion among the Indians points to two Indians that came up on the hunt from Pratt Point. They are running, and other spies say they are guilty. The Indian killed was dressed, but his murderers stripped him and made off with the plunder. All the parties belonged to the reservation and it is supposed the Indian Agent there will take cognizance of the affair, hunt up and have the guilty parties brought to justice.
This brief report highlights a violent crime in Snohomish that went uninvestigated by local authorities, leaving resolution to tribal jurisdiction. It serves as a stark reminder of the complex legal boundaries between state and tribal sovereignty in the Pacific Northwest during the territorial era, where federal Indian Agents often held exclusive authority over crimes involving Native Americans.
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