Tragedy in a Young Block Bedroom
A young transfer driver ended his life while his twin brother slept just inches away.
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.
Bert Ennis, a truck driver in the employ of the Seattle Transfer Company, committed suicide this morning, at 10 o'clock, by shooting himself through the heart while in bed at the Young block, corner of Washington and South Fifth street. His twin brother, Fred, says he went to bed early and did not know Bert was in the room until he was awakened by a shot and found his brother lying by his side dead. J. C. Hawkins, who rooms underneath, heard the noise upstairs and rushed up to find out what was the trouble. He saw the dead man and immediately notified the police. Capt. Williard and Officer Schan came at once and took possession of the room. Ennis lay as natural as life with the revolver six inches from his right hand. The bullet entered near the nipple and only one drop of blood is visible. The coroner has the remains in charge at present. No cause is assigned by the brother, or can be obtained from an examination of the room.
“Ennis lay as natural as life with the revolver six inches from his right hand.”
The Young Block, formerly located at the intersection of Washington and 5th (now 5th Avenue South), was a prominent downtown structure. This incident reflects the somber, private struggles that often occurred within the city's boarding houses during Seattle's rapid expansion.
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