The Midnight Debauch at Mahogany Hall
A night of champagne, revolvers, and brawls in Seattle's waterfront dives leads to a questionable arrest.
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 man calling himself Guy Short, said to be a Tacoma professional, and Richard Foley, a seaman on the steamer Mexico, were registered at the police station as witnesses against E. W. Hanna, whom they claim took a revolver and a gold watch from Short early yesterday morning. Short and Foley started out to see the city Friday night with plenty of money. About 12:15 a.m. Saturday, they called for a carriage from the Silver Dollar saloon on Jackson Street. Hanna, who drives for the Seattle Transfer Co., says he took them to several houses of ill-fame on Washington Street, ending at Mahogany Hall, a 'colored dive' on Washington Alley. He left them at the Horseshoe saloon about 3:00 a.m. drinking wine, with champagne flowing freely. About 5:00 a.m. he was called again. This time he drove them to a saloon opposite the Bay View brewery where Short got angry at the bartender, threw beer glasses, and drew a revolver on Foley. Hanna managed to get the men out of the saloon, but was later arrested on the charge of taking Short's watch and chain. Hanna was released on $250 bond, and police suspect the witnesses will not appear for the hearing.
“They called for a carriage from the Silver Dollar saloon on Jackson street. Hanna, who drives for the Seattle Transfer Co., says he took them to several houses of ill-fame.”
The 'Washington Alley' district, once the center of Seattle's red-light and vice district, was paved over and transformed by the city's regrades and urban development. Today, the area near Pioneer Square remains a historic district, though the 'Mahogany Hall' dives have long since been replaced by office buildings and boutiques.
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