The Tragedy at the Smith Home
A domestic accident in 1885 leads to the sudden, accidental death of a young mother in her bedroom.
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.
About 11 o'clock yesterday, Mrs. Laura K. Smith, wife of Preston C. Smith, was shot and instantly killed by the accidental discharge of a revolver in the hands of her servant girl, Miss Mattie Banes. Mrs. Smith was sitting in her bedroom, holding her ten-months-old daughter, while the girl was making the bed. In reaching for the revolvers from beneath the pillow, she struck the trigger, causing it to be discharged, sending the ball through her left hand and into Mrs. Smith's head, piercing the left temple and exiting behind the right ear. She did not fall from the chair, and the child remained on her lap until help arrived. As soon as the shooting occurred, Miss Banes ran for help, but without knowing the fatal effect of the shot. Mrs. Smith had been in the Territory for a long time and was exceedingly well liked. The accident, while deplorable, was purely one of those unfortunate events that happen, and the victim will not be buried until relatives arrive from the East. Mrs. Smith was aged 26 years, 10 months and 7 days. Her child was 9 years, 10 months and 7 days old. Mr. Smith is the son of the late Henry Smith, of Standard.
“The accident, while deplorable, was purely one of those unfortunate events that happen.”
This 1885 account of a tragic household accident reflects the period's frequent and often casual reporting of gun-related fatalities. Even in the late 19th century, Seattle papers grappled with the same human-interest tragedies and private household crises that still populate the local news cycle today.
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