Manacled to the Courthouse
Two murder suspects arrive in Judge Snell's court in shackles to face capital charges as the city watches.
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.
Frank Pasquale and Bob Taylor, charged separately with committing two of the most brutal murders in the history of Tacoma, were arraigned before Judge Snell in the superior court today. The suspects were brought into the court room manacled together, and were only released when each stepped forward to plead. Pasquale, the Italian charged with murdering Charles S. Gray, an insurance solicitor, in the Northern Pacific freight yards, pleaded not guilty. Bob Taylor, the diminutive slayer of W. W. Haines, also pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder in the first degree. In a high-pitched tone, Taylor insisted on explaining that he shot Haines in self-defense. Taylor appeared sullen and defiant during the entire proceeding, while Pasquale maintained an unconcerned demeanor. The two men were at once led back to their cells in the county jail.
“The suspects were brought into the court room manacled together, and were only released when each stepped forward to plead.”
Court reporting of this era was obsessed with physiognomy and ethnic stereotyping, used here to build a narrative of 'criminal types' for the public. It serves as a reminder of how the justice system has historically utilized the press to influence public perception of defendants before a trial concludes.
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