The Editor and the Chief
The editor of the Seattle Telegraph is charged with criminal libel after publishing a scathing exposé on the police chief's alleged protection of gambling dens.
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.
Charles H. Lugrin, editor of the Seattle Telegraph, was arrested by Detective Wells on a charge of criminal libel preferred by Chief of Police Bolton Rogers. The arrest follows an editorial titled 'The Police Abomination,' which accused Rogers of protecting the Clancy dance house and profiting from gambling operations. The piece openly questioned Mayor Phelps's integrity for appointing a man of Rogers's reputation. Lugrin surrendered to authorities without resistance and was released on personal recognizance to appear for trial.
“There is coming a day when you cannot look an honest man in the face.”
Conflicts between the press and the police department have been a staple of Seattle civic life for over a century. The tension between an aggressive, muckraking press and city officials remains a hallmark of local politics.
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