Phil Dawe's Killing at Copper Chief Goes to Trial
A witness takes the stand to describe the fatal shooting of Phil Dawe on Washington Street.
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.
The trial of James Murphy for the murder of Phil J. Dawe on July 28 began yesterday before Judge Humes. Dawe was one of the proprietors of the Copper Chief saloon, on Washington Street, between Second and Third. George E. Gordon, the solitary eye-witness, testified that he was working at the saloon when Murphy entered. Murphy had been in the habit of getting free drinks, and he and Dawe had previous words about it. On the day of the shooting, Murphy came in the back door, ordered whisky, and put down a 10-cent piece. Dawe turned to get glasses and the liquor bottle, then stooped to fill a glass with cracked ice from under the bar. As he did so, Murphy pulled a pistol and fired one shot. Dawe reeled backward and fell to the floor. Murphy then poured himself a drink, swallowed it, picked up his 10-cent piece, and left the saloon.
“Murphy pulled a pistol and as quick as lightning fired one shot. Dawe reeled backward and fell over to the left upon the floor.”
The Copper Chief Saloon stood in the heart of the Pioneer Square district, a neighborhood that has survived fires, regrades, and decades of transformation. The violence of 1892 echoes the historic struggle for control of this area, which remains a focal point for debates over public safety and urban development in Seattle today.
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