A Close Call at the Port Townsend Jail
A routine arrest turns into a chaotic scene as a deputy sheriff’s pistol misfires, leaving the officer wounded during a struggle.
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.
At Port Townsend on Monday, a deputy sheriff attempting an arrest tried to pull his pistol from his pocket to use in self-defense.
The pistol went off accidentally, and the shot passed through his hand, inflicting a severe wound.
“Deputy Sheriff Stone, while arresting an armed man, attempted to pull his pistol from his pocket to use in self-defense and accidentally shot himself.”
This 1880 incident highlights the enduring volatility and danger inherent in local law enforcement encounters, a theme that remains a point of intense civic and judicial debate in modern Seattle and surrounding communities.
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