Gunfire in the Streets of Bellingham
A local marshal engaged in a dangerous foot chase and shootout near a boiler works to apprehend a pair of counterfeiters passing bogus bills.
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.
Whatcom—Marshal Miller arrested two men for passing counterfeit money, but not until after he had fired twice with his revolver. He was notified by Bartender Jackson, of the Capital saloon, that a bogus $2 bill had been changed there. The marshal and Jackson started after the men, finally catching up with them in front of the Reil boiler works, near Dead Man's Point. When accosted, one of the men ran through the boiler works in an effort to escape, but the marshal went after him. The fellow would not stop when requested and the marshal fired at him. He then stopped and went with the marshal. In the meantime, the other had started to run and kept on, though the marshal commanded him to stop. Miller therefore took a shot at him, bringing him down on his face, but he sprang up and ran on. Owing to the crowd congregating, the marshal was afraid to shoot again, so he let the man go and turned to the others. The two men captured admitted their guilt and were locked in the city jail.
“Miller therefore took a shot at him, bringing him down on his face, but he sprang up and ran on.”
Dead Man's Point was a well-known local landmark in early Bellingham. This chaotic scene highlights how small-town law enforcement operated before modern surveillance and communications.
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