The Tribune Editor and the Colonel: A Duel of Paper and Fists
A simmering political grudge in 1878 Seattle boiled over into a public brawl on the street after an editor criticized a local Colonel in print.
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.
An extraordinary alteration took place in this city last evening, the facts of which are about as follows: while paying a bill for advertising in the Tribune, Mr. S.W. White stated to Mr. Thomas Prosch, the publisher, that he would never be a candidate for public office, and if the Tribune should ever slander him again, he would put his head on him. This was Thursday afternoon. That same evening, the Tribune contained the following item: 'Col. White informed us today that he will never be a candidate for public office. Now if the Colonel will live up to this assertion, we think he will be rendering a real service, as he will save in effort what he will save in argument.' After the publication, Mr. White called at the Tribune office looking for Prosch. Later, Deputy Sheriff Balliaster called at Prosch’s residence with a court summons. Prosch started to answer it, but less than sixty feet from his gate, he met Mr. White, who emerged from behind a wood pile with a copy of the Tribune, demanding to know who wrote the paragraph. Prosch admitted he wrote it, and White proceeded to carry out his threat to thrash him. Prosch assumed the defensive, landing a solid lick on his combatant’s forehead and another in the mouth, making the 'claret' flow. They clinched and fell, but Prosch proved the more skillful wrestler. A bystander eventually intervened. Prosch lost a paper collar and a button, but White fared worse, appearing bruised and bloodied—a sight that afforded the town a great deal of merriment.
“Prosch proved the most skillful wrestler, or from some other cause managed to fall on the top of his antagonist, when choking and pulling hair were in order.”
Public figures threatening journalists over unfavorable coverage is a recurring theme in American political life. While today these battles are often fought on social media, in 1878 Seattle, they were decided behind a wood pile with fists and collars.
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