Ballard Watchman Charged with Murder
A night watchman is held on a $2,500 bond after shooting an unarmed laborer in Ballard.
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.
Thomas Henry, a night watchman at Ballard who shot and killed H. Hendrackson, a laborer, yesterday morning at 3 o'clock, has been placed under bonds in the sum of $2,500 to await a hearing upon a charge of murder in the second degree. Hendrackson and John Johnson had been drinking on Monday night; Tuesday morning, watchmen Henry and Beck told them to go home. The two men demurred, and Beck seized Johnson, while Henry grabbed Hendrackson. Henry was thrown down, and when he arose to his feet, he drew his revolver and shot Hendrackson, who stood about six feet distant. The coroner's jury found the act was not justified by the circumstances.
“The evidence as shown and brought forward before us do find the act was not justified by the circumstances.”
This incident highlights the historically tenuous relationship between private security (or vigilante policing) and the public, an issue that continues to spark debate regarding the use of force in Seattle neighborhoods.
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