The Lobby Shootout: A Political Brawl in Tacoma
When an ex-mayor and a police chief faced off in a hotel lobby, tensions over local politics and public reputation turned into a chaotic, pistol-waving standoff.
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.
Quite a commotion occurred in the lobby of the Tacoma hotel last night. A story from days ago, as told by the chief of police, A.V. Baaker, stated that ex-mayor Maas had faced an opponent recently, and not knowing it to be Maas, had pointed a gun at him. Mr. Maas' absolute denial of the statement that he had pointed the revolver at Baaker was published on the following day. Both parties were present in the lobby of the hotel. Chief Baaker and Councilman Horsefall entered. Mr. Tyler called to the room and said, 'Which side of you was taken there, Baaker?' 'I have no objection to be told,' said Mr. Baaker. 'You had a pretty slow mill, hadn't you?' 'I don't know what you mean,' replied Baaker. At this, ex-Mayor Maas came toward Baaker with his fist, at which Baaker only laughed. 'You are a scoundrel, I say,' shouted Maas, hotly. 'You are a confirmed liar,' said Baaker, turning to the lobby. 'I don't care to quarrel with you here, but if you will come outside I will talk to you.' 'Very well,' said Maas, and the two walked out. Baaker caught hold of Maas' shoulder. 'You took hold of me,' said the latter, 'you are an insolent scoundrel.' 'You know that when I drew that revolver you ducked away.' 'That is a mistake,' said Baaker. 'The story as published was true.' 'You are a liar,' said Maas. Baaker reached to head toward the doorway. At this time, Maas went for his hip, and a bystander grabbed his arm before he could draw his weapon. The crowd in the lobby surged around them as the argument grew heated.
“You are a scoundrel, I say. You are a confirmed liar.”
Public political theater in hotel lobbies has largely moved to social media, but the core frustration—that local figures are 'confirmed liars' or 'insolent scoundrels'—remains a fixture of civic discourse in Puget Sound. The struggle between municipal power brokers still shapes the atmosphere of our city centers.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.