The Willow Switch Verdict
After a hardware store burglary, an Ellensburg marshal opted for a public whipping over a court trial for the suspects.
The hobo who burglarized a hardware store here on Saturday night was held in $200 bonds. His three pals, whom it was impossible to convict, were ordered out of town last night by Marshal McGrath. They showed fight, and McGrath and his assistant, Wallace, gave all three a terrible thrashing with willow switches until they were glad to go. The action meets with the approval of the citizens, who have grown heartily tired of the tramp nuisance and are determined to abate it.
“They showed fight, and McGrath and his assistant, Wallace, gave all three a terrible thrashing with willow switches until they were glad to go.”
This account of frontier-style vigilante justice by a city marshal highlights the era's brutal attitude toward transients and the 'tramp nuisance.' It serves as a stark reminder of how local law enforcement historically exercised power outside of judicial review to maintain social order.
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