The Billy and the Mob: A Tacoma Street Arrest
A thousand-strong crowd gathered on Pacific Avenue to witness the chaotic arrest of a man resisting police.
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.
A mob of over a thousand people gathered on Pacific Avenue this afternoon, attracted by the desperate resistance of James Rhoies, who was being arrested by Capt. Duffield on a charge of disorderly conduct. Rhoies attempted to draw a gun, but on diligent application of a 'billy' by the officers, submitted to arrest. He was followed by an immense crowd to Justice Lawrence's office, where he paid a fine of $10 and costs for disorderly conduct and resisting an officer.
“Rhoies attempted to draw a gun, but on diligent application of a 'billy' by the officers, submitted to arrest.”
The intensity of the response to a simple arrest on a main thoroughfare highlights the volatility of 1880s Tacoma. Much like modern Seattle, where viral videos of police encounters often trigger immediate public mobilization, the 'Pacific Avenue crowd' shows that the spectacle of law enforcement has long been a focal point of urban public life.
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