The Jailer and the Cell: A Brutal Scuffle in 1891
A repeat offender turns the city jail into a ring for a violent, bloody showdown with his longtime adversary, the jailer.
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.
Thomas King, who has served several terms on the chain-gang for vagrancy, was again arrested yesterday. This time, he stole an overcoat from a Washington street clothing store and was arraigned in the police court for petty larceny. Judge Rivers gave him the full benefit of the law—sixty days in jail and a fine of $100. A week ago, King had assaulted jailer Evans at the city jail, and the jailer still lingered under the lash of the bruises from the fight. Yesterday, King was arrested by Officer Cave, and he fought like a tiger. By the time they reached the corner of South Third and Washington, he aimed a blow at Officer Cave’s head. Cave dropped the overcoat, dodged the blow, and whipped out his billy, cracking King over the head. King did not give up until he was covered with blood and almost senseless. Once at headquarters, he freshened up and wanted to fight, but a liberal use of the billy took the fight out of him. When they searched him below, King remembered his previous row with the colored jailer, Evans, and the patch of skin Evans had taken off his body in their last encounter. Once in the cell, he wheeled and attempted to knock the jailer out. Evans was prepared for him, and for a moment there was a sound of whacks on the head and a display of arms and legs. When the officers on reserve arrived, they found Evans calmly closing the cell door, while King lay with torn clothes and a bruised head inside.
“King did not give up until he was covered with blood and almost senseless.”
The volatile relationship between incarcerated individuals and jail staff described here remains a grim, recurring fixture of Seattle's modern criminal justice debates. The brutal, physical nature of this 1891 confrontation highlights the long-standing, often unchecked violence within the walls of the city's detention facilities.
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