In 1875 FRANCIS PANCOAST, a soldier with family living in Port Townsend, Jefferson Co, Washington Territory, was charged with raping his wife's 10 year old niece, MINNIE EDGILL. The original court file was supposedly microfilmed and transferred to the NW Regional Archives in Olympia, WA in the 1980's, however it is one of 15 consecutive files now missing from that collection and not available in Jefferson county either.

Case # JEF-1721. Original case # 809.

I'd be very curious to know if there are archived inmate files anywhere for the prison at Walla Walla, as it seems Francis would have been sent there if convicted of this crime. An online search has so far turned up nothing. Minnie Edgill's mother MARTHA PERRY EDGILL and her sister JENNIE PERRY CONLIN PANCOAST apparently remained close despite this incident; they took an 8,000 mile round-trip by train in 1891 to visit their parents in Fredericksburg, VA. Martha died in 1900 and that same year Jennie married for the third time. Nothing is known of what became of FRANCIS L. PANCOAST or his supposed victim, MINNIE EDGILL. Any help finding out more would be greatly appreciated.