Fugitive Arrested While Applying for Marriage License
A man wanted for his involvement in an illegal prize fight was captured by the sheriff in the auditor's office on his wedding day.
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.
Jack Lawrence, a participant in an illegal prize fight held near Black Diamond, evaded arrest for months until he went to Olympia to obtain a marriage license. Acting on a tip, local authorities were waiting at the Thurston County auditor's office and apprehended him just as he applied for the license. He was wanted on charges of aiding and abetting a prize fight and resisting an officer.
“The peculiar circumstances under which the arrest was made also tend to make Lawrence regret his arrest the more keenly.”
This story highlights the intense historical crackdown on 'prizefighting' in Washington, which was frequently prosecuted as a public nuisance and a threat to morality, much like other 'vice' crimes of the era.
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