Legal Briefs and Bare Knuckles in Tacoma
Two prominent attorneys resolve a heated professional disagreement with a fight on the office floor.
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.
W. C. Sharpstein and R. S. Holt, two prominent lawyers, came to blows a few days ago. The encounter followed a business transaction involving a disputed appeal case. Mr. Sharpstein called Mr. Holt a liar over the telephone regarding an agreement on exceptions. Both irate lawyers started on a run, Mr. Sharpstein for the superior court and Mr. Holt for Mr. Sharpstein's office. Mr. Holt confronted him, inquiring if he was the gentleman he called a liar, whereupon Mr. Holt struck at Mr. Sharpstein. Both lawyers are lightweights, physically. Finally, after a clinch, Mr. Sharpstein floored Mr. Holt and sat on his stomach. Mr. Holt eventually acknowledged his mistake. Mr. Sharpstein later acknowledged he should not have used the language he did. They agreed to hereafter do business at arm’s length.
“Finally, after a clinch, Mr. Sharpstein floored Mr. Holt and sat on his stomach.”
While modern bar associations would likely pursue disciplinary action, this violent 'fisticuffs' incident highlights the intense professional feuds common in the competitive, rapidly growing legal circles of late 1890s Washington.
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