The Kangaroo Court’s Cruel Joke
J.J. Sander, acquitted by insanity, was mocked by jailhouse 'kangaroo court' with forged love letters.
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.
J. J. Sander, a King County boy, was acquitted of grand larceny by reason of insanity. During his time in the county jail awaiting trial, he fell victim to the 'kangaroo court'—a system of prisoner-run discipline. The inmates, led by one Frank Wilson, forged love letters from a young woman Sander admired in his hometown near Port Madison. Sander, believing the letters were genuine, responded with earnest, sentimental poetry. The scheme lasted for weeks, with the 'court' mocking him and circulating his private letters until they were stolen by a visitor. The judge recommended Sander be sent to an insane asylum.
“The rose is red, The violet's blue, The lily flower's sweet, And so are you.”
This reflects the brutal, unchecked environment of 19th-century county jails, where 'kangaroo courts' acted as informal, often sadistic governing bodies. It serves as a grim reminder of how mental illness was treated with mockery rather than medical intervention in the local criminal justice system.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.