No preview available
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 Issue 3 - Death Took The Witnesses.pdfALL NEW THINGS! MUSEUM REPORT When Black carpenter Thomas Day Jr. arrived in Franklin, it was a new company town, with housing built by the Oregon Improvement Co. for the miners who already worked there.1 That same year 700 Black miners were recruited as strike breakers from southern states, arriving on trains. These transplants brought both sustaining relationships and, in some cases, old grievances with them to the Pacific Northwest. The murder of Thomas Day Jr. sheds light on the ways in which these new residents made mining towns their own. Born in Milton, North Carolina, Thomas Day Jr. (ca. 1835 – 1895) was the son of a free Black master cabinetmaker who operated his own shop with up to fourteen Also In This Issue... Continued on page 5 2 FUN WITH MAPS11UPDATE: THE LOOP113 RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM Summer July 2024 Volume 55 Number 6QUARTERLY DEATH TOOK THE WITNESSESDEATH TOOK THE WITNESSES by Elizabeth P. Stewart 2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM LOUISE GEORGE (1918 – 2024) Lodovica “Louise” Delaurenti George was born in Newcastle, but she was Renton through and through. A woman of extraordinary energy, goodwill, and dedication, she worked for the United Mine Workers union and then during WWII she joined the Women Marine Reserves. She attained the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Marines and after her honorable discharge she applied her discipline and skills to at the King County Elections Board for 25 years. Louise was also a volunteer for the Museum for many years, and she made a difference in the lives of everyone who knew her. ALL THE NEW THINGS! The Renton History Museum has special summer hours during this transition period. We are open Weds. – Fri., 10 am – 4 pm, and the first Saturday of July and August, so that we can be part of the Environmental Science Center’s Family Nature Kit program. If you’re not sure if we’re open, call us on our new phone number; 425-430-6440. More change is coming! ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM GOING STRONG! Along with Museum Office Aide, Stephanie Snyder, volunteers in our Oral History program—Eleanor Boba, Nancy Nishimura, Marcia Heath, Jennifer Davis Hayes, Don Hunsaker III, and Katie Leifer— have already conducted eight interviews this year, with more coming. Topics have included Longacres Race Track, the Renton Loop, the Renton Planning Commission, and the Beil family, among others. The use of Artificial intelligence has considerably speeded up the transcription process, but every interview is reviewed by a human for spelling and specialized information. Louise George with her sister Gloria Duffy at the Museum, 2011. MUSEUM REPORT QUARTERLYSUMMER 2024 It’s been a whirlwind of change since my last communication with you in March, as the Renton History Museum and the Renton Historical Society untangle our operations to create two stronger organizations ready for new futures. I know you have many questions, because I’ve been speaking with many of you about how things like donations, grants, and staffing will work going forward. To be frank, we haven’t yet worked out answers to all these questions. But I can tell you that our core mission— preserving, documenting, and educating about Renton history—continues, and here’s how: Our feature this month takes a topic much in the news lately—high-profile court cases—and uses historical research to look back at what they tell us about any given community. In this case, David Banister was singled out early on as a suspect in the murder of Thomas Day Jr. In 1895 sheriffs and their deputies applied the few tools they had to investigate. They called upon amateurs on the scene whose efforts were informed by their own ideas and biases about the people involved. Suspect, victim, and witnesses were Black, and yet the jury did not rush to judgment; Banister was acquitted. Who else but the Renton History Museum could bring you these hyperlocal stories about how justice works? Meanwhile, we continue to document and preserve firsthand accounts about Renton through our oral history program and other research initiatives. This year, our mighty team of seven volunteers has already collected interviews about the rise and fall of Longacres Race Track, the Beil family, the Renton medical community, and The Loop. We’re especially excited about The Loop project, which we hope will be a road show this fall and an exhibit in the future. Museum Office Aide Stephanie Snyder is turning her Longacres research into an online exhibit. Although we’re down to a staff of one this summer, the Museum also continues to be a center for learning and community-building. In the past few months, we have hosted Sartori School third graders during their citywide walking tour; participants in Renton Downtown Partnership’s history walking tour; users of the Environmental Science Center’s Family Nature Kits program; and the Harding Legacy Project family reunion. These partnerships help us get out the word that Renton history is fun, fascinating, and fundamental. Please make a note of our summer hours, Weds. – Fri., 10 am – 4 pm, and our new phone number: 425-430- 6440. We’ll do our best to keep you updated as next steps become clearer, and, as always, we couldn’t do what we do without your love and support. Thank you. by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Ph.D. Museum Director RENTON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Pritchard Design Graphic Design & Layout Karl Hurst City of Renton Print & Mail Services MUSEUM STAFF Elizabeth P. Stewart Museum Director Stephanie Snyder Museum Office Aide RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 MILL AVENUE S RENTON, WA 98057 P (425) 255-2330 F (425) 255-1570 E rentonhistorymuseum rentonwa.gov HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm ADMISSION: $5 (Adult) $2 (Child) Members always FREE Elizabeth P. Stewart Director Cover photo: The Franklin Mine fan house, scene of Thomas Day Jr.’s murder in 1895. When he was ambushed, Day was monitoring the fans that provided fresh air to the miners. (#1983.074.1784) SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 3 4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY MESSAGEValued Members of the Renton Historical Society: We appreciate that many of you have understandable questions and concerns about the recent news of the separation between the Renton Historical Society and the City of Renton. We hear those concerns and take them most seriously. We apologize for the delay in communication. The Board of Directors of Renton Historical Society has been working diligently to obtain the clarity needed to provide you with a meaningful update. Below is a brief review of the historical arrangement between the City of Renton (hereafter City), the Renton History Museum (hereafter Museum) and the Renton Historical Society (hereafter RHS). The City and RHS have been partners in the development of the Museum since it first opened in an old fire station in the Renton Highlands in the early 1970’s. Historically, the City provided two salaries for a Museum Director and a part-time Museum Assistant, as well as a floor of basic operating support. This included computer hardware and software, building and yard maintenance, basic printing, and mail services. RHS funded mission-related expenses. This included costs associated with exhibits, programs, publications, events, care for the collections and more. RHS also funded two positions, the Curator and the Volunteer and Education Coordinator (or sometimes Public Engagement Coordinator). As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Society has received grants in the past that served to support the Museum which were otherwise not available to the City. In 2005, the City and RHS signed a Museum Management Agreement (MMA) memorializing that arrangement. It expired in 2015, but continued to guide the relationship until 2022, when discussions resumed regarding the next version of the MMA. The City has grown significantly throughout the course of the aforementioned relationship, and in that time has developed more clearly defined rules surrounding its ability to collaborate with third party organizations. Most noteworthy is the fact that the City cannot provide financial or logistical support to any outside organization. This includes nonprofits like RHS. As a result of this change of City policy, RHS is now expected to manage its own administrative, financial and fundraising efforts. This transition is expected to take time, as RHS volunteer Board members must develop infrastructure and systems to manage RHS nonprofit efforts in a way that aligns with RHS bylaws and applicable City, State, and Federal law. No official deadline was set The Renton The Renton History Museum History Museum acknowledges we acknowledges we are on the unceded are on the unceded traditional land traditional land of the Duwamish of the Duwamish people. A people people. A people forced to relocate, forced to relocate, but who have but who have persevered.persevered. The Museum views the history of Renton to include since time immemorial to today and is committed to exploring that through its partnerships, exhibits and programs. SPRING QUARTERLY, 2024 | 5 originally, however, there is now the expectation that RHS immediately transition all such operations. In the interest of full transparency, it should be acknowledged that in recent years there have been a number of significant communication issues and conflicts between the City and RHS. Tension and confusion over responsibilities, direction and the strategies behind the restructuring of the relationship culminated into a need for a more expedited separation. The process of separating administrative tasks has just begun, and the details are still being worked out. The RHS Board of Directors has been in active communication with the recently appointed Parks and Recreation Administrator, Maryjane Van Cleave, who holds the authority to make decisions that relate to the relationship between the City and RHS. In an effort to honor the City’s stated goal of separation of administrative and logistical operations, the Board of Directors has taken the following steps. 1. Made significant effort to build and strengthen positive and productive lines of communication with the City. 2. Secured office space at the Renton ReadySpaces. a. Office Number 7 at 801 SW 16th Ave Suite 115, Renton, WA 98057 3. Ensured RHS leadership can be reached at a new phone number. a. (425) 473-0411 4. Ensured RHS leadership can be reached at a new email address. a. rentonhistoricalsocietyboard@gmail.com 5. Taken action on the development of a new logo and more functional website where Board minutes, financial disclosures, artifact information and upcoming events will be made public. a. www.rentonhistory.org RHS remains a 501(c)(3) non-profit and therefore donations will continue to be tax-deductible. Thanks to the faithful and generous support of RHS members and others, RHS’s current financial condition is sound. We will be able to fund the creation of infrastructure and systems required to execute this separation. Your membership with RHS will continue to grant you access to the Museum for the duration of that membership, as agreed on by the City. It has been repeatedly communicated to the Board of RHS that the City is willing and open to resuming a partnership with the Society in the future once this separation is finalized. Over the course of the next year, the City plans to renovate portions of the Museum, and during this time RHS will complete the transition. It is expected at this time that the relationship between the Museum and RHS will resume as a mutually beneficial partnership in 2025. We will strive to keep our members updated with significant developments. We invite you to connect with us via email at rentonhistoricalsocietyboard@gmail.com if you would like to work with us on a volunteer basis as we develop Renton Historical Society over the next year. 6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM Banister had immediately moved in with her, leading to speculation about the nature of their relationship. Sarah had been Day’s third wife, twenty years younger. They had nine-year-old Eliza together, but he also had three grown children in Durham, NC, with his first wife.8 Some of Day’s Franklin neighbors believed that after their separation he had taken out a life insurance policy to benefit his youngest daughter.9 A letter from Franklin deputy constable G. A. Whitney to Day’s adult daughter, Annie Robinson, in North Carolina provided insight into her father’s death. “It is the supposition of every body [sic] here in the Camp,” Whitney wrote, “that David Bannister [sic] did kill him,” whether for the insurance money or to get his supposed girlfriend’s husband out of the way.10 Whitney blamed Sarah for instigating the crime; he cautioned Annie, “if I was you I would look after this matter and not let her get her hands on a cent of his money.”11 Romulus Gibson’s family ties drew him into the murder investigation. The seemingly shameful conduct of his wife’s sister, Sarah Day—taking up with another man so openly while still married—must have shaken the entire family, and perhaps the entire community, for months before the murder. After the killing, Gibson took charge of Day’s personal effects, presumably including the insurance policy. He also played an active role in evidence-gathering, along with several other Franklin men.12 Foreman George Smalley secured footprints on the path to the fan house by laying sheets of metal over them, and Deputy Sheriff McCorey compared them to David Banister’s shoes, finding them to be a perfect match.13 Several witnesses also claimed to have seen Banister on the path to the fan house late at night and others identified the broken club found on the path—the supposed murder weapon—as Banister’s.14 Based on this evidence, two days after the discovery of Day’s body, a coroner’s jury ruled that he “came to his death from blows willfully and feloniously inflicted by a blunt instrument in the hands of David Banister.”15 Thomas Day was buried in Franklin Cemetery after the inquest. Banister’s attorneys drew attention to a second possible suspect, George Manns, and his story sheds light on Day’s life in Franklin. Manns had been Thomas Day’s roommate after his separation, and he knew a lot about Day’s habits. On pay day, Day drew “quite a sum,” employees. Despite racism against people of color, Day Sr.’s artistry made him a sought-after craftsman for furniture and architectural details before the Civil War. An economic downturn in 1857 and the approach of war destroyed his business, and he died in 1861.2 After the Civil War, Thomas Jr. worked as a carpenter in the South for many years. Sometime in 1890 or 1891, he relocated to Seattle with his family and several other Black men. They fled the discrimination and violence of the Jim Crow South for greater opportunity in the Northwest.3 Day was part of the leading edge of a stream of African Americans leaving the South, sometimes called “the Great Migration.” Day’s situation was slightly different from the Black men recruited as mine strike-breakers—he was an independent craftsman—but his wife’s brother-in- law, Romulus Monroe Gibson, was one of those Southern mine workers who initially settled in Franklin.4 In his first few years in Seattle, Day was so successful as a Seattle carpenter that he was able to save enough money to buy a ranch in Kitsap County. By mid-1893, however, work was slow enough that Day, his wife Sarah Day (1850 - ?), and their little daughter Eliza followed Gibson to Franklin, moving into a house on a hill just 250 feet below his.5 Approaching age 60, Day was not only a skilled craftsman, he had also been a business-owner. “On account of his steady, reliable character,” a newspaper reported, “he was appointed fireman at the [mine] fan station.”6 Later it emerged that Thomas and Sarah did not have an easy time in Franklin, but, still, when Thomas Day Jr.’s lifeless body was discovered in the Franklin mine fan house on September 22, 1895, it was a shocking development. His relief man, Alexander Crombie, “found him lying dead in front of the boilers, his head being mashed in as with a club.”7 David Banister (1855 - 1903), fireman at the Green River pumping station, was an immediate suspect. Thomas and Sarah had separated in spring 1895, and rumor had it that Continued from page 1 The Lime Kiln Club’s Paradise Hall in Newcastle provided a safe place for Black miners to support one another. Because the names of the men in the photo are lost to us, any of the miners in this story could be pictured here. (#1984.075.1787) SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2024 | 7 while Manns, an alcoholic and only occasional mine worker, had little.16 After the murder, Manns was flush with cash that he admitted to the sheriff was Day’s; first he said he won it gambling, then claimed Day loaned it to him.17 But the coroner’s jury had already named Banister as the prime suspect and he was in custody. Two mine accidents that fall eliminated witnesses in the case. On October 6 a boiler explosion at the Green River slope killed two men: mine fireman Philip Early and Sarah Day’s brother-in-law, Romulus Monroe Gibson, prime witness against David Banister. The Franklin mine as operated by the Oregon Improvement Co. was a notoriously unsafe mine.18 Despite the fact that both Gibson and Early were “sober, industrious men,” the worst had happened: somehow the boilers had run almost dry and exploded.19 Less than two weeks later, a fire inside the mine killed four more Franklin miners, one of whom would also have testified in the Day murder case. George Smalley and three other men had volunteered to head back into the mine after fire broke out, to stop fire from spreading; all four were overcome by smoke and asphyxiated.20 Smalley’s death eliminated another witness in the trial, in addition to Gibson. Even as these numerous other smaller disasters resulted in miners’ deaths, lawsuits from the August 1894 Franklin Mine Disaster, which had killed 37 miners, continued.21 Oregon Improvement Co. attorneys defended the company by blaming the miners’ negligence for their deaths, but the accidents, legal actions, and the resulting downtime and repairs hurt the company’s bottom line in Franklin. In late October, the company decided to close the mine, with the latest fire still burning inside the shafts. Mine superintendent T. B. Corey, who had personally walked Black miners into town when they arrived, resigned.22 The company’s problems put even more pressure on the community, and some of the Black miners moved to the Roslyn mine or left the state altogether.23 With Day, Gibson, and Smalley all dead and the Banister trial approaching, Franklin people took sides for and against Sarah Day and the accused murderer. After Banister’s arrest, other lodgers deserted Day’s boardinghouse, and barber S. G. Smith moved Franklin mine was a notoriously unsafe mine in the 1890s and the company was still dealing with the lawsuits from the 1894 Franklin Mine Disaster in 1895. Thirty-seven men and boys died in that accident. (#1966.999.0529) When Black miners arrived in Franklin, it was a very new town, built by the Oregon Improvement Co. (#41.0511) Continued on page 8 8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM in, because company policy barred renting houses to women alone. Smith was immediately threatened by an anonymous note to “vacate this camp as soon as possible or you must bear the consequences.”24 He asserted his right to live wherever he wanted, explaining that “these people have made up their minds that Banister caused the separation of Day and his wife, and for that reason they believe that he killed Day.”25 Banister ’s trial opened on Monday, December 2, 1895, Judge Humes presiding. Despite the fact that 84 witnesses were on the state’s and defense’s witness lists, the trial was expected to take only four days.26 The Seattle P-I reporter observed that Banister appeared almost nonchalant, “as if he was watching the trial from a spectator’s standpoint,” which may have been because the state’s case was entirely circumstantial.27 Given that victim, defendant, and most of the witnesses were Black, Banister’s lawyers examined the jurors on “race prejudice” and found them acceptable. Having empaneled a jury, the state launched immediately into the basics of the case: the relief man’s finding of the body, the mine physician’s and coroner’s examination of the wounds, and Joe Horton’s and Gus Whitney’s discovery of the footprints and the club.28 Other witnesses testified to Banister’s movements that night. On day two, “a throng of negroes [sic]” crowded the courthouse, “in such an animated buzz of conversation that Judge Humes shortly made a ringing call for ‘order in the corridor.’”29 Deputy Sheriff McCorey testified that he arrived the night after the crime with the shoes that had been confiscated from Banister in jail. He had identified the tracks as Banister’s, but could not show them to the jury, no plaster having been available to preserve them at the time.30 The afternoon was given over to the presumed murder weapon, a club, as well as witnesses who testified to Banister’s proximity to the crime scene late that night. Frederick Jenkins, his story “told with many odd idioms and many dialect bits of unconscious humor,” saw Banister at 11 p.m., breathing heavily as he came from the direction of the fan house; Banister failed to respond to his greeting.31 He ignored Mary Plummer, too. A series of other witnesses, including Gideon Bailey, Franklin’s justice of the peace, testified to Banister’s living arrangements with the victim’s wife, laying the foundation for a motive. And then the state rested its case. The defense put on witnesses to refute all the circumstantial evidence: time of death as measured by the state of the air inside the mine, since the victim’s job was to run the fans that provided fresh air; the footprint measurements; and witnesses as to Banister’s movements that night, including eleven-year-old newspaper delivery boy Tommy Jones, who broke down on the stand when confronted about what time he delivered the paper to Banister at Mrs. Day’s house that night.32 On the third day of the trial, the woman at the center of the case, Sarah Day, testified, as did her friend Hannah In a rare gesture of confidence, David Banister testified in his own defense against the charge he murdered Thomas Day, and convinced the jury of his innocence. (Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5.) Franklin mine entrance, 1890. The mine was so steep that cars had to be completely covered to keep the coal from falling out. (#1983.074.1787) SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2024 | 9 Hines, who had shared a bed with Sarah on the night of the murder. Testimony about the goings-on at the Sarah Day boardinghouse on the night of her estranged husband’s death points to a lively and crowded household. Banister arrived home about 3 p.m. after work and went out again after dinner for a glass of beer. He returned early in the evening, and he played with Day’s daughter Eliza for a while. Hiram Campbell, another Black miner, also chatted with Banister, who was barefoot and relaxing in Day’s doorway. At one point, Hines went outside to get a drink of water; when she passed by Banister, he put his arm around her and accidentally broke her watch chain. After that he went out for 10-15 minutes to shut up the chicken coop.33 Day and Hines both testified that they had all climbed the stairs to their respective bedrooms around 11 p.m. They agreed that Banister snored so loudly that he had to be admonished to stop so others could sleep; he had worked a double shift and “slept soundly.”34 Night jailer Terry King, who was also boarding there, affirmed Banister’s noisy snoring. Witnesses insisted that Banister had never left Mrs. Day’s house from 7:30 pm until early the next morning, when he went into the yard to get a pail of water for washing. He was chatting with Cornelia Gibson, sister-in-law of the murdered man, about purchasing clothes for her son in Seattle, when Romulus Gibson came up to give them the shocking news about Day’s murder.35 Day’s testimony eventually got around to the heart of the matter: the trouble between her and her husband, and Banister’s part in it. She said that their marital separation was “not caused by any great trouble.”36 She painted a picture of a discontented husband. Day “did not give her any great share of his earnings” before their split, and she had to support herself and Eliza. Perhaps homesick for the South, Day had said that if not for Sarah and Eliza, he could go to live with his daughter in North Carolina. When they separated in April “so far as she knew Banister was not the cause.”37 Under cross-examination, Prosecutor A. W. Hastie tried to leave the jury with the inference that she and Banister had been intimate, although she insisted that he was just a boarder like any other. David Banister surprised the courtroom by taking the stand in his own defense. He made a good witness, “earnest in manner, apparently sincere in everything he said, and stood the cross-examination without being shaken.”38 When questioned by the prosecuting attorney for over two hours, Banister denied leaving the house between 11 p.m. and the morning and insisted he had nothing to do with Day’s death. He expressed himself surprised at his arrest, saying he believed “the people of Franklin had known him long enough to believe that he would be incapable of a foul murder.”39 David Banister’s belief that the community knew him to be an honorable man was justified; the next day the jury quickly acquitted him of murder. A reporter described the moment: “At the sound of the words ‘not guilty,’ there was a sudden burst of applause and the crowd arose from the seats almost in a body.”40 After addressing a few words of thanks to the judge, the jury, his attorneys, and the people who had supported him, Banister was swept out of the courthouse by a crowd of well-wishers, including some who had testified for the prosecution. Like any crime in a small community, Thomas Day Jr.’s murder exposed private relationships among people in Franklin to public scrutiny and broke some ties of family and friendship. Just as the possibility of a relationship between Day’s wife Sarah and David Banister pointed the finger of guilt at him, the tension between roommates Day and George Manns cast doubt on Banister’s guilt. Despite his acquittal, one newspaper claimed that “both Bannister [sic] and Mrs. Day were driven out of the village by the indignant colored [sic] men of the town.”41 By early 1896, Sarah Day had moved to Portland, Oregon, and one newspaper even hinted that David Banister had followed her.42 Thomas Day Jr. managed to make himself a financial success in the few years he lived in the Pacific Northwest, leaving his family 10 acres in Zillah and insurance money. (Seattle P-I, 20 December 1895, p.5.) The mine fire in mid-October 1895 killed four miners, included murder witness George Smalley. Their bodies could not be recovered until late December. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 23 October 1895, p.1.) 10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 1 Ernest Moore, The Coal Miner Who Came West (N. p.: Northwest Advertising, 1982), 9. 2 Leah Binkovitz, “The Incredible True Story of Master Craftsman, Freedman Thomas Day, Smithsonian Magazine (April 2013), accessed at https://www. smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/the-incredible-true-story-of- master-craftsman-freedman-thomas-day-22569830/, 28 May 2024; “Thomas Day: Master Craftsman and Free Man of Color,” The Forgotten South Blog, accessed at https://theforgottensouth.com/thomas-day-freed-craftsman-north- carolina/, 28 May 2024. Day Jr. briefly tried to revive the business after war ended in 1865, without success. 3 1891 Seattle City Directory; “Clubbed to Death,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 24 September 1895, p.5. The details of his move, why and how, have been lost to history. For more stories about Black miners recruited as strike-breakers, see Elizabeth P. Stewart, “’I’m Going Through’: Black Miners Arrive in King County,” Renton Historical Society & Museum Quarterly (March 2018), 1+. 4 Gibson was married to Cornelia Dunstan or Dunson, Sarah/Sallie Dunstan or Johnson Day’s sister. The four lived with Sarah and Cornelia’s mother Eliza Chavis in Greensboro, NC in 1880, more than a decade before they met up again in Franklin. 1880 Greensboro, NC census. 5 “Clubbed to Death,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 24 September 1895, p.5; Letter, G. A. Whitney to Annie D. Robinson, 13 October 1895, reprinted in “Gibson, Romulus Monroe,” Caswell County Genealogy, accessed at https:// www.caswellcountync.org/getperson.php?personID=I79427&tree=tree1 , 28 May 2024; “Death Took the Witnesses,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 26 October 1895, p.5. The 1880 Federal Census for Greensboro, NC shows his relationship as brother-in-law to Sarah Dunstan or Johnson Day. 6 “Clubbed to Death,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 24 September 1895, p.5. 7 “Clubbed to Death,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 24 September 1895, p.5. 8 1860 Federal Census for Milton, NC; 1880 Federal Census for Asheville, NC; 1886 NC Marriage Records; 1887 Asheville, NC City Directory. 9 “Banister is Accused,” Seattle P-I, 26 September 1895, p.5. 10 Letter, G. A. Whitney, Franklin, WA to Annie D. Robinson, Durham, NC, 13 October 1895, Collection of the Caswell County Genealogical Society, accessed at https://www.caswellcountync.org/getperson. php?personID=I79427&tree=tree1, 4 June 2024. 11 Letter, G. A. Whitney, Franklin, WA to Annie D. Robinson, Durham, NC, 13 October 1895, Collection of the Caswell County Genealogical Society, accessed at https://www.caswellcountync.org/getperson. php?personID=I79427&tree=tree1, 4 June 2024. 12 “Death Took the Witnesses,” Seattle P-I, 26 October 1895, p.5.. 13 “The Murder of Day,” Seattle P-I, 25 September 1895, p.5; “Death Took the Witnesses,” Seattle P-I, 26 October 1895, p.5. 14 “Banister is Accused,” Seattle P-I, 26 September 1895, p.5; “Inquest on the Two Victims—Terrific Force of the Explosion,” Seattle P-I, 87 October 1895, p.8. 15 “Clubbed To Death,” Seattle P-I, 24 September 1895, p.5; “The Murder of Day,” Seattle P-I, 25 September 1895, p.5. 16 “Believe Manns Guilty,” Seattle P-I, 30 September 1895, p.8. 17 “Believe Manns Guilty,” Seattle P-I, 30 September 1895, p.8. 18 John Hanscom outlines the unsafe operations of the Oregon Improvement Company’s Franklin mine in “Franklin and the Oregon Improvement Company,” Black Diamond History, 5 April 2018, accessed at https:// blackdiamondhistory.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/franklin-and-the-oregon- improvement-company/, 14 June 2024. Wrongful death lawsuits relating to the August 1894 Franklin mine disaster, which killed 37 men, continued into 1895. 19 “Inquest on the Two Victims,” Seattle P-II, 7 October 1895, p.8. 20 “Four Lives Are Lost,” Seattle P-I, 18 October 1895, p.5; “They Died Despite Warnings,” Seattle P-I, 27 October 1895, p.5. There was some debate about whether the four acted voluntarily or were ordered by the company to go back in and fight the fire, an important issue in the ongoing damages lawsuit brought by Elizabeth Pugh, wife of one of the 1894 Franklin disaster victims. The Coroner’s jury in this case found in the company’s favor, that the men had acted of their own accord. 21 Lawsuits were brought against the company by wives of the victims— Elizabeth Pugh, Nettie J. Jones, Rachael Morris, and Margaret Secor—and by attorneys on behalf of the miners’ estates, in the cases of Filippo “Phil” Di Martino, Giuseppe “Joe” Bosio, Luigi Ferrari, and Rocco Tetti. Pugh’s award was drastically reduced from what she requested, from $10,000 to $4000— and the others appeared mostly unsuccessful. “The Defense Outlined,” Seattle P-I, 6 April 1895, p.5:1; “Franklin Case with the Jury,” Seattle P-I, 13 September 1895, p.5:1; “Court and County Notes,” Seattle P-I, 27 September 1895, p.5:1; “Court and County Notes,” Seattle P-I, 2 October 1895, p.5:1; “Courts and Public Offices,” Seattle P-I, 11 October 1895, p.5:1; “Jury Disagrees in Franklin Case,” Seattle P-I, 13 October 1895, p.5:1; “The O. I. Co. Wins This Time,” Seattle P-I, 10 November 1895, p.5:2. 22 “The Franklin Mine Closed,” Tacoma Daily Ledger, 23 October 1895; “To Seal Up Franklin Mine,” Seattle P-I, 23 October 1895; “Tendered His Resignation,” Tacoma Daily Ledger, 23 October 1895. It appears that T. B. Corey went out of his way to try to bring Black and white miners together and to mitigate racial tension, even attending one of the Black miners’ dances where he “danced a couple of sets.” 23 “At Franklin Mine,” Seattle P-I, 7 December 1895, p.5:3. 24 “Warned to Move Out,” Seattle P-I, 9 October 1895. 25 “Warned to Move Out,” Seattle P-I, 9 October 1895. 26 “Witnesses in Banister Case,” Seattle P-I, 23 November 1895, p.5. 27 “Bannister on Trial,” Seattle P-I, 3 December 1895, p.5:1. 28 “Bannister on Trial,” Seattle P-I, 3 December 1895, p.5:1. 29 “The Club Was His,” Seattle P-I, 4 December 1895, p.5. 30 “The Club Was His,” Seattle P-I, 4 December 1895, p.5. 31 “The Club Was His,” Seattle P-I, 4 December 1895, p.5. 32 “The Club Was His,” Seattle P-I, 4 December 1895, p.5. 33 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5. 34 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5. 35 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5. 36 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5. 37 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5. 38 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-I, 5 December 1895, p.5. 39 “Case of the Accused,” Seattle P-II, 5 December 1895, p.5. 40 “Joy Over a Verdict,” Seattle P-I, 6 December 1895, p.5. 41 “Sequel of a Franklin Crime,” San Francisco Call, 15 March 1896, p.4. 42 “Sequel of a Franklin Crime,” San Francisco Call, 15 March 1896, p.4. It does appear that David Banister died in Portland in 1903, but there were no marriage records indicating that Banister and Sarah Day had married. Renton History Museum 235 Mill Avenue South Renton, WA 98057 Phone: 425.430.6440 Fax: 425.255.1570 www.rentonwa.gov/rentonhistorymuseum STAY ON OUR MAILING LIST Name: _________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________________________ SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2024 | 11 was blown, and Ivar and his tow truck were pulling up to the scene, originally to tow Corky’s car to the jail, but now to haul the police motorcycle. Upon lifting the cycle with his truck’s cable, the Harley began to swing, banging on the back of the tow truck. Young Corky assessed the situation and told Officer Bart and Ivar, “I will go ahead and drive over to the jail—see you there.” If you have a story or photos or objects relating to the Renton Loop, please contact us at 425-430- 6440 or rentonhistorymuseum@rentonwa.gov. Volunteer Researcher Don Hunsaker III is busily collecting stories about the Renton Loop for a future exhibit, including this one: George Verheul, Renton High School Class of 1960, related a story about his friend Corky. Sometime in the early 1960s, Corky had been doing a little racing on S. 2nd Avenue with his souped-up, two-tone green 1957 Chevy. Officer Bart gave chase on his Harley Davidson, at which time the motor in the Harley blew. Corky and his car were stopped, Officer Bart’s motorcycle’s motor UPDATE: THE LOOP FUN WITH MAPS S harp-eyed researcher Eleanor Boba brought to our attention a small plot that appears on nu-merous Renton maps dated 1919 to 1936 as owned by “Francis X. Cabrini.” If you’ve seen the recent Hollywood film, Cabrini, you will know that Francis Xavier Cabrini (1850 – 1917)—also known as Mother Cabrini— was an Italian immigrant to the U.S. who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Catholic religious order dedicated to poor immigrants, first in New York City and then around the country. Mother Cabrini visited the Seattle area three times, establishing Mount Carmel Mission and Sacred Heart Orphanage on Beacon Hill in 1903, and returning in 1909 to acquire more property and attend the Alaska- Yukon-Pacific Exposition, and finally in 1915 to establish a hospital. She gained her citizenship in Seattle in 1909. This small plot in Renton was probably acquired for the future, because of the large population of Italians living here, but was ultimately never developed by the order. RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 Mill Ave. S Renton, WA 98057 Coming soon! We are working on compiling a history of Longacres Racetrack for an online exhibit. This photo shows the Longacres stables area in 1983, with two racehorses being led past the barns.