A Violent Street Confrontation on Second Avenue
A bitter public dispute between two prominent local property owners erupts into threats and legal action.
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.
A violent altercation between D. H. Steele, of 1420 Fourth street, and James Dugan, who lives in a fine residence at the corner of Pike and Seventh streets, occurred on Second between Columbia and Marion streets yesterday afternoon about 1 o'clock. Steele, a middle-aged man worth between $60,000 and $80,000 in real estate, is not living with his wife at present, as she has filed papers in the superior court asking for a divorce. Mr. Dugan, an old-timer in this city, had acted as agent for the Steele family in collecting rents. For some reason, Mr. Steele has taken a violent dislike to Mr. Dugan. When they met on Second street yesterday, Steele approached Mr. Dugan in a furious manner. Steele reportedly hurled oaths at Dugan and stated, 'G— d you, I'll fix you; yes, I will kill you.' Dugan, believing Steele was armed, sought the protection of an officer and filed a complaint with the prosecuting attorney, alleging that Steele had threatened his life. Constable Terry King arrested Steele, but he was released on bond pending a hearing.
“Steele asserted that Dugan had broken up his home, and, if the latter gentleman heard aright, said: 'G— d you, I'll fix you; yes, I will kill you.'”
The intersection of Second and Columbia is at the heart of modern downtown Seattle, a space long defined by the tension between private property, legal battles, and the city's shifting social fabric. Conflicts over rent collection and marital assets, like the one between Steele and Dugan, mirror the high-stakes personal and financial friction that still characterizes property disputes in a rapidly growing city.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.