The Price of Litigation in 1878 Snohomish
A look at the Snohomish District Court's docket reveals a frontier society focused on land, debt, and the legal machinery of settlement.
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.
On Thursday of last week, the District Court for this county adjourned after a three-day session. The following is an account of the principal entries on the civil docket: On Tuesday, March 19, D. McDougall vs. H. McClurg saw the confirmation of the sale of real estate. McNaught & Leary vs. M. H. Frost resulted in a judgment by stipulation for costs. Cases involving Frost & Fowler, such as those brought by Crawford Harrington and the Schwabacher Bros., saw similar stipulations. Alonzo Low vs. W. Hawkins was dismissed at the plaintiff's cost. R. Hughes, having made the proper proof, was naturalized as a citizen of the U.S. Benj. Stretch and C. H. Low, owners of the steamer Nellie, were awarded a judgment of $107 plus costs against Bennett & Pluteau. On Wednesday, James Masterson vs. Howard & Eddy came up on exceptions to an award of arbitrators; upon the plaintiff’s counsel producing a valid lease, judgment was entered against the defendant for $225 in gold coin. In J. F. Jones vs. Stephan Hogan, a dispute over money from the sale of logs, the court ruled that the Jones judgment from 1877 be paid first, with the balance applied to the Crawford & Harrington judgment. Finally, George E. Tompkins won a jury trial against the Union Presbyterian Church of Snohomish City for $150.
“The court decided that Jones’s judgment, awarded March 21, 1877, be first paid, and the balance then applied on Crawford & Harrington’s judgment.”
The legal battles of 1878 Snohomish—centered on real estate, log sales, and debts—mirror the foundational economic anxieties of the region today. While we now use digital filings, the court’s role in mediating the friction between local businesses and property owners remains a persistent feature of Snohomish life.
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