An Unknown Assailant, a Blow to the Head, and a Cut Throat in Walla Walla
A company agent was attacked at his letter-press and left unconscious for hours; no suspect was named.
Walla Walla — Z. J. Smith, local representative of the Kerr-Gifford Company, is just recovering from an attack upon him in his office last week by an unknown assailant, who struck him on the back of his head with some blunt instrument as he was standing at his letter-press taking an impression of a communication to his company. His throat was cut also. Mr. Smith was unconscious for several hours.
“struck him on the back of his head with some blunt instrument as he was standing at his letter-press”
A violent assault in a working office, with no suspect named, reads like a true-crime item from any era. Workplace safety and unsolved attacks remain live concerns, and the story shows how quickly ordinary business could turn into a mystery in a small Washington town.
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