Mercer Island Exhumation Identifies George Richards
After a body is recovered from the lake, investigators suspect two Italian laborers in the brutal murder of a lumberman.
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.
The remains of a man found on Mercer Island were exhumed and identified as George Richards. Witnesses suggest Richards had been living with two Italian laborers, whom he had planned to fire due to 'strained relations.' Investigators believe Richards fought for his life, as a red boat belonging to the suspects was seen near his cabin. The suspects have since fled, leaving behind a trail of suspicion. Local residents recall Richards as a man who had moved from Minnesota to work in Tacoma sawmills before settling on the island.
“The boys had a dog which was running along the shore and sniffing about in a strange manner. This was evidently observed by the inmate of the house.”
The reporting reflects the era's tendency to immediately center ethnic identity when discussing crime, a common and harmful trope in 19th-century Seattle reporting that often incited suspicion against immigrant populations.
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