The Tragedy at Twelfth and Main
A jealous act of violence disrupts a social outing in Seattle as a young man wounds his companion.
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.
Last evening, William Davidson, aged 20, a son of State Senator Davidson, shot and seriously wounded Lillie Griffin, aged 18. On Saturday night, young Davidson had been greatly annoyed and became very jealous at a sleighing party. He called her from the sleigh at the corner of Twelfth and Main streets and, drawing a revolver, shot her in the side, severely, though not fatally, wounding her in the confusion following the shooting. Davidson escaped.
“On Saturday night, young Davidson had been greatly annoyed and became very jealous at a sleighing party.”
Violence against women in public spaces was treated with a mix of scandal and tabloid sensation in 1887, often highlighting the social standing of the perpetrator. Today, we view these acts of intimate partner violence through a public health and legal lens, recognizing the danger behind such 'jealousy' stories that were once common fodder for the front page.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.