The Army Occupies the Armory
When the Coxey's Army movement reached Seattle in 1894, federal troops were brought in to prevent a rescue of imprisoned protesters.
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.
The quiet of Seattle was broken yesterday by the arrival of five companies of the Fourteenth Regiment of United States infantry. They were summoned by Judge Hanford to aid in enforcing the decrees of his court regarding the imprisoned Coxeyites and ward off any attempt at rescue. For over half an hour before the special Northern Pacific train bearing the troops rolled into the depot, men began assembling. When the soldiers arrived, they marched up Marion street to the Armory, fully ready for service with fifty cartridges in every man's belt. Their white slouch hats gave them a grimly picturesque aspect, and they marched in such perfect time that the sound of their tramp was heard above all others. While in the city, the soldiers were hospitably entertained by the National Guard, who put everything at the Armory at their service. The soldiers were not slow to get ready for the field, including setting up an impressive mobile hospital and dispensary.
“The crowd eagerly waited on each side of the street, watching the march in silent admiration, awed by the sight of this miniature of Uncle Sam's fighting machine.”
This 1894 incident highlights the intense anxiety Seattle's ruling class felt during the nationwide 'Coxey's Army' labor protests. Today, the site of the former Armory and the streets where these soldiers marched represent the heart of a city that continues to grapple with the tension between public dissent and state-enforced order.
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