The Manhattan Saloon Knife Fight
A dispute over marked cards leads to a violent confrontation on Second 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.
James Higgins, known in sporting circles as 'Long Jim,' was arrested yesterday by Detective Cudhee on the charge of assaulting W. K. Melville, commonly called 'Cold Iron Bill,' with a knife. The trouble arose over a rumor that someone had 'run in' a pack of marked cards at the Manhattan saloon on Second Street. Higgins was standing in front of the saloon talking with friends when Melville walked up and accused him of spreading the rumor. Higgins replied, 'If you or any man else says that I said you put cards in the house, he is a liar.' A moment later, Melville struck Higgins a blow on the eye, and Higgins drew his pocket knife and slashed at Melville. The wound, while not serious due to a rib deflecting the blade, was deep enough to saturate Melville's clothing with blood. Higgins was locked up but released later that evening by order of Justice Caldwell.
“If you or any man else says that I said you put cards in the house, he is a liar.”
This street-level violence over gambling accusations at a local saloon reflects the rough-and-tumble nature of early downtown Seattle, long before the area was polished into the modern commercial district of 2nd Avenue.
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