Jury Returns Second-Degree Verdict for Goldendale Murder
John Green, 21, narrowly avoids a first-degree murder conviction for the killing of William Dunn at a local hotel.
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 trial of John Green, charged with the murder of William Dunn, ended today with a verdict of murder in the second degree. The killing occurred on June 25 at the Block House, six miles west of Goldendale. According to testimony, Green and his associates confronted Dunn about rumors concerning cattle theft. After an argument involving insults and the word 'lie,' Dunn struck Green. Green responded by drawing a 41-caliber revolver and firing into Dunn's chest, killing him instantly. W. Lair Hill of Seattle conducted the defense. The case had proved difficult to try, as the details of the incident were well known to almost every intelligent man in the county.
“Dunn raised his hands above his head, took a step toward his antagonist, turned toward the house, and cried, 'Oh, my God! I am shot!'”
This trial highlights the volatile nature of frontier justice and the way social reputation and 'slights' were used to justify extreme violence. It also documents the role of prominent Seattle attorneys in high-profile criminal cases in rural Washington during the 1890s.
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