A Woman Takes Port Townsend Police to Court
Elizabeth Scott is suing the city for $5,000, alleging that a police officer broke her wrist for the 'crime' of smiling at the Chief of Police during a parade.
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.
Mrs. Elizabeth Scott has commenced suit in the superior court against the city of Port Townsend to recover damages in the sum of $5,000. She alleges in her complaint that on May 7, the centennial anniversary of the discovery of Puget Sound, one Henry Stone, a police officer, 'did unlawfully, wrongfully and in a rude, insolent and angry manner, without provocation, pushed and threw the plaintiff on the stone floor of a cell in the police station, breaking her wrist and crushing other bones.' For medical services and other expenses incurred she asks an additional compensation of $375. She further says that the only excuse or pretense which said Policeman Stone had to take her into custody was because she smiled at Chief of Police Delaney, who was riding at the head of the procession. The police officers allege that the woman was inebriated and accidentally fell, which is strongly denied by Mrs. Scott and her friends.
“The only excuse or pretense which said Policeman Stone had to take her into custody was because she smiled at Chief of Police Delaney.”
The tension between citizens and police regarding conduct and accountability in Port Townsend echoes contemporary debates surrounding police misconduct and the validity of 'resisting arrest' as a justification for excessive force.
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