The Violent Eviction at the Medical Offices
A landlord's dispute over unpaid rent turned into a street brawl in downtown Tacoma, with professional men resorting to brute force to secure the premises.
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.
Sensational proceedings occurred this morning at rooms formerly occupied by Drs. Powell Reeves & Co. The members of this firm are now in San Francisco, Reeves' license having been revoked for advertising his business. Mrs. Reeves is still here and this morning had possession of the offices. Drs. Merrill & Reese claim the lease of the premises and ejected the agents of Reeves Co. Mrs. Reeves and her counsel rallied a force of strong men and threw Merrill and Reese out bodily, and they in turn marshaled ten men who, under the command of their attorney, tumbled Mrs. Reeves' backers into the street and held possession. The landlord had trouble about collecting the rent of Reeves and it is inferred leased the premises to Merrill & Reese.
“Mrs. Reeves and her counsel rallied a force of strong men and throw Merrill and Reese out bodily, and they in turn marshaled ten men who... tumbled Mrs. Reeves' backers into the street and held possession.”
This 1893 brawl over medical office leases highlights the volatility of commercial real estate in early Tacoma. Much like the current era of commercial displacement in Washington's urban cores, the struggle between tenants and landlords—and the use of 'strong men' to enforce possession—echoes the desperation of high-stakes leasing.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.