The Day Snohomish Became a Ghost Town: A Fatal Accident and the Paper That Got It Wrong

A few weeks since the following news item appeared in the STANWOOD HERALD:

FATAL ACCIDENT AT HOLMES HARBOR.—Christian Zimmerman, of Holmes Harbor, called at our office on Tuesday last. He informs us that a fatal accident took place there on Tuesday, June 1st. The accident happening as follows: A George Font, a band logger at that place, being greatly annoyed by a lot of Siahah dogs, rushed into his camp to get his gun, and seized it in haste by the barrel. In attempting to pull it from behind his trunk where it was placed, the cock was caught on the trunk, and was pulled back sufficiently to discharge the gun; the contents being lodged in his abdomen. He lived until the next day, when he died at about 2 o'clock P.M. Dr. Hill, of Coupeville, was sent for, who arrived after death had taken place. No inquest was held. He was hurried by his friends, near the camp.

The next issue of the Olympia Herald published this item from the Stanwood, without crediting it. Altering it, as to locate Holmes Harbor in Snohomish County, in plain of Whidbey's Island, Island County as follows:

George Font, a fatal logger, Holmes Harbor, Snohomish County, being greatly annoyed by a lot of Siwah dogs, rushed into a camp to get his gun, and seized it in haste by the barrel. In attempting to pull it from behind his trunk where it was placed, the cock was caught on the trunk, and was pulled back sufficiently to discharge the gun; the contents being lodged in his abdomen. He lived until the next day, when he died at 2 o'clock P.M. Dr. Hill, of Coupeville, was sent for, who arrived after death had taken place. No inquest was held. He was hurried by his friends, near the camp.

The Pacific Tribune copied this article in this form, crediting it to the Herald, and we presume others have done likewise. Mistake and all.

We should not have noticed this matter, were it not that we probably spend more time and money in collecting information in regard to the country, and in writing up original matter than any other Sound journal. We try very hard to write accurately, our articles are widely copied, a portion duly credited, many more altered about like this one, not credited.

Now we do not believe these two papers had any wish to appropriate or credit anything wrongly. They have quoted much, and generally credited everything they took from the firm, but we think others have in some instances failed in giving to us credit justly due in such matters, and we only refer to this matter for the purpose of requesting all who appropriate such matter to themselves, to be careful to condense so that it shall become something like their own composition, and be sufficiently accurate, so that nearly all condensations made shall not consist in blunders, as we have so frequently observed in the rehash of our articles relating to the geographical features of the country.