The Hoodlums of Snohomish: A Night of Guerilla Warfare
In August 1877, a 'protective force' and the police clashed with gangs of young men in downtown Snohomish, destroying saloons and quelling what officials called 'riotous conduct.'
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 Holy Hand Procession—the work of humanity.
"Fifty meetings appointing a Committee of Safety, a full report of which will be found in another column, and the subsequent enrollment of a large protective force, was sufficiently adequate yesterday, and a repetition of the riotous conduct indulged in by the hoodlum elements Monday evening, was sufficiently ample against. Gangs of young ruffians carried on a sort of guerilla warfare for a few hours during the evening, several saloon-houses being destroyed. The police were vigilant and in increased force, and managed to keep the gangs separate, and in many instances to dispel them before material damage was done. What was witnessed last night is confirmatory of the conclusion that idle and unruly lads are at the bottom of the mischief, and that workingmen, employed or unemployed, have nothing to do with the depredations.
The Executive Section of the Workingmen's party met last evening—James T. D'Arcy in the chair, and Eric Weating Secretary pro tem. Speeches were made insisting on the preservation of law and order, and the members say that they are as anxious as any class of men can be to maintain the peace of the community and will labor for this end. A resolution was passed to the effect that as a certain newspaper saw fit to publish such a strange account of the Workingmen's meeting held at the New City Hall, and a still more remarkable editorial on the same subject, the members of the party be requested to ignore that paper in the future. In answer to questions put to him by a reporter, Mr. D'Arcy stated that the organization with which he is connected is not a labor union, although the members have strong views on the Chinese question. The members have families, and many own property, and have everything to lose in the event of a disturbance."
The above is taken from the Daily Call of July 25th, from which it will be seen that the real American Workingmen of that place are trying to secure a redress of their grievances in an honest, manly way, and are not at all responsible for the troubles that have taken place there. A vigilant police organization with the committee of safety have the hoodlums in check so they are powerless to do harm.
James F. D'Arcy, the leader of the workingmen there, is a former resident of this county, and son-in-law of Henry Oliver of Cenreville.
This 1877 account reveals how quickly 'public safety' committees could morph into vigilante justice, targeting 'hoodlums' while claiming to protect property. It mirrors modern tensions where civic groups or police actions in Snohomish are often scrutinized for who they protect versus who they criminalize, particularly when class and labor dynamics are at play.
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