The Cabin Feud in West Seattle
Two brothers living in a cramped cabin find themselves in a legal battle over their sleeping arrangements.
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.
Within a few days, Justice Humphrey's court will be the scene of a novel case, one in which two brothers are opponents. What is still more peculiar is the fact that they live and sleep together in a small cabin and work in the same establishment. If they did not live together, the case would never have come up. Ed Phinney, who is the complaining witness, says he built the cabin at West Seattle and owns it, but his brother William has lived with him and occupied half his bunk. He told William to get out, but William paid no attention to the demand, and as often as night comes, crawls into bed. Some people would settle the matter by force of arms, but Ed Phinney believes in having the law settle it.
“He told William to get out, but William paid no attention to the demand, and as often as night comes, crawls into bed.”
Housing density and interpersonal conflict remain a persistent theme in Seattle, though today’s disputes over 'beds' usually involve roommates or high rents rather than cabin-sharing brothers. This story captures the precarious nature of early pioneer living, where survival sometimes meant enduring the presence of someone you could no longer stand.
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