The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-17
THE STORY OF LUCAS.
He Tells How He Was Treated by In
speetor Baird.

w. T. Lucas, one of the proprietors of
the lSEaqit COMMIT Times, yesterday made
the following statement to a Posr-IyTELLI-
GEscEE reporter regarding the conduct Of
Deputy Inspector of Customs Baird tow ard
him at Wooley on Monday:
II was standing on Metcalf street" said
Mr.. Lucas, talking with Captain G. J.
Noyes. OF Mount Vernon, when a stranger,
whom | afterwards found out was IN
spector Baird, came up TO me and gruffiy
took my valise out of my hand
and began to open 1T in a very
rough manner. mildly requested
him not to damage my property. and then
he began swearing at me, saying: You
- - fool, III take the valise awayp
He then threw it down, saying: 'You -
-, there's nothing in it but an old
pair of shoes, anyhow l told
him / knew there was not,
and he then placed me under ar
rest for resisting an officer. I went along
with him very peaceably, but before We
went far we met Inspector Hopp, who has
recently been appointed at Sumas, and is
editor of the Sumas Ne,cs. Hopp called
Baird aside and began demonstrating with
him. / was allowed TO go.
was and said to him, You heard what he
said to me, did you not?' He replied that
he did Just then Baird came back and
began using the foulest language toward
me in soothing manner. He denied hav-
ing used the language charged him with,
but ]. w. Peak, saloon-keeper; A. b.
Ernst, real estate dealer, and several
others, in addition TO Captain Noyes, were
L
away, and that could have something to
say to- him later.
"a short time afterward he brought
fellow whom had never seen before to
my knowledge. around to where
| was, and asked him in my pres
ence if he had used the
language had charged him with, and the
fellow said he had not. A little later Hopp
came to me and said Baird did not use the
language / charged him with He said he
himself was newspaper man, and knew
that Baird was all right, but that the peo-
pie there were down on him and made
false statements against him.
II do not understand what Baird's mo-
tive was in making the attack on me. |
do not think he knew who | was, although
he could easily have found out by
asking almost any one. have
lived in that country six years
and am well known. / think it
was just an outburst of his natural mean
ness. | never knew him before, and never
took sides in his late difficulty, so he could
have nothing against me on that score.
He did have great many sympathizers
after the shooting, but since his trouble
with the brakeman on the Lake Shore
road, the people are nearly all down
on him. He realizes this, for a
short time ago he said to
0. ;. Poison, of the Sedro Mercantile Com
pany, that the people up there were set
of blank blank blanks, and were trying
to drive him out and that he would have
to leave or shoot another manor before
shooting another man-something to that
effect
As to whether he intended to prosecute
Baird or not, Mr.. Lucas said he had not
made up his mind; that number Of peo-
pie wanted him to do so, but there was no
truth in the report that he was going to
have him brought here. He said he might
have him arrested in Skagit county.