The Constable Who Wouldn't Quit
A Franklin constable survives a gunshot wound to the head and returns to the beat, only to find the man who escaped his custody.
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.
George Washington Smalley, the colored constable of Franklin, who was shot through the back of the head by Jack McKeever a few weeks ago, has recovered and was in the city yesterday to place some prisoners in the county jail. Smalley said the bullet entered on one side of his head and passed through. It is such a short time since the shooting that Smalley's appearance attracted considerable attention. Once in a while he loses his eyesight for a short time, but he has not lost any of his determination to discharge his duties. Yesterday, he came face to face with 'Ginger' Abel Townsend, who had escaped from the guard house, and Smalley placed him under arrest and took him back to Franklin.
“He has not lost any of his determination to discharge his duties.”
This story highlights the dangerous, often ignored work of Black law enforcement officers in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest. Smalley's resilience serves as a powerful reminder of the hidden histories of Black civic engagement in Washington during an era of intense social friction.
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