James “Jim” Allen, (?-1868)

Headstone GPS Coordinates: Burial location unknown.

Birth: Unknown

Death: Fall of 1868, near Duckabush River, Jefferson County, Washington

Relatives in Seabeck Cemetery: Unknown.

In the fall of 1868, James “Jim” Allen was killed in a dispute over a bottle of whiskey. He was working in the woods near the Duckabush River in Jefferson County for a man named Tom Pierce. Jim kept a bottle of whiskey hidden behind a stump so he could slip away for a drink when he felt the need. Another worker, Charles Young—also known as “Gassy Charley”—was employed there as well. Gassy Charley was a “lag” from Australia, meaning he had served time in prison.

At some point, Gassy Charley saw Jim hide the bottle. He stole it, but Jim found out. A fight broke out between the two men, and Jim was killed.

Another man, Bill Blair, witnessed the murder and served as the main witness who sent Gassy Charley back to prison for fourteen years. In court, Gassy Charley swore he would go after Bill Blair for testifying against him. When he finished his sentence, he returned to Seabeck looking for Blair, only to learn that Blair had left for British Columbia, Canada.

Seabeck resident Edward Clayson wrote in his historical narratives: “Gassy Charley did not dare set foot in British Columbia, as he was a ‘ticket-of-leave man’ from Australia… A ‘ticket-of-leave man’ from the convict establishments of Australia and New Zealand at this period could go to any part of the world except the British Colonies or the British Islands. So Bill Blair was perfectly safe in British Columbia from the vengeance of Gassy Charley.”

As for James “Jim” Allen, it is believed his body was brought back to Seabeck and buried. He was likely one of the eleven bodies exhumed in 1877 and reinterred in what is now the Seabeck Cemetery. His origins and age remain unknown.