The Housemates' Courtroom Feud
A domestic dispute between two families sharing a roof spills into the courtroom.
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 time in Justice Vrooman’s court yesterday afternoon was taken up in learning the facts of a nice little squabble which took place earlier in the day on Eighth Street. It seems that Mr. and Mrs. Al. Plummer and Mr. and Mrs. Lang occupy rooms in the same house, the Langs renting from the Plummers. It seems further that the relations of these families were not characterized by that neighborliness which should have been apparent. In fact they were on very bad terms, and the ill feeling culminated in an explosion yesterday afternoon. Immediately afterward Mrs. Lang posted off to Justice Vrooman, and had the Plummers arrested on a charge of assault and battery. After hearing the evidence in the case, the Judge dismissed the charge, advising the couple to separate, presumably to settle their divided house.
“The relations of these families were not characterized by that neighborliness which should have been apparent.”
Housing pressure in 1884 Seattle led to boarding house tensions that sound eerily similar to contemporary roommate disputes. While today's eviction laws are more codified, the core conflict of families forced into close quarters remains a central stressor in our city’s history.
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