The Jailhouse Scuffle
A drunken brawl in a jail cell turns into a messy confrontation between a prisoner and 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.
Jonas, who was arrested for being drunk and disorderly on Tuesday evening, attempted to break jail. Having been locked in the door of the jail, he managed to reach through the bars and grab the arm of the jailer, Scott, who was there in response to a complaint made by Jonas's wife for highway robbery. It appears that on Tuesday night, after the two had a drink at the Golden Lion, they got into a fight and in the struggle, Jonas attempted to rifle his companion's pockets. Shortly after being taken to the jail for being drunk and disorderly, and while being placed in the cell, he attempted to strike the jailer, Scott. The case is being held to await the findings of the grand jury at the next term of the court.
“Having been locked in the door of the jail, he managed to reach through the bars and grab the arm of the jailer.”
Public intoxication, domestic grievances, and strained conditions at local lockups remain recurring themes in the policing of Seattle's downtown core, echoing the same cycle of incarceration and grand jury wait-times seen in the 1870s.
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