The Tragedy at Mrs. Story’s Boarding House
A jealous suitor infiltrates a Seattle residence to commit a double murder, leaving the city in shock over the death of a prominent socialite.
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.
Mrs. Leila Story, a woman of strong character and artistic attainments, was found murdered in her home along with a man identified as her suitor, Moulton. Moulton, who had been frequently seen loitering around Dr. Purdy's office and using the phone to contact Mrs. Story, appeared to have premeditated the crime, as he was seen wearing an olive-colored flannel shirt and rubbers over his shoes. Col. F. F. Hilder, a boarder at the house, reported hearing the crash of glass followed by gunshots around 11:00 p.m. after Mrs. Story returned from the opera. Mrs. Story, a Canadian-born divorcee with two children, was well-connected in the city's social circles and was a friend of notable figures like Emma Eames Story. Moulton was a businessman and vice president of the Huntoon Land and Investment Company who had recently fallen on hard times.
“I heard a noise that sounded through the closed doors like the crashing of glass. It was followed immediately by two others.”
This incident captures the precarious nature of boarding house life in 1890s Seattle, where lack of privacy often led to domestic tragedies. Today, the location of such private disputes would likely be debated through the lens of modern digital security and the persistent crisis of domestic violence in urban centers.
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