Tragedy in a Seattle Boarding House
A teamster takes his own life after a heated dispute with his family.
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.
George A. Malone, a teamster, committed suicide in the rooms of Jerry Allen, 620 West University St., last night by drinking carbolic acid. Malone had quarreled with members of his family in the afternoon and then left the house to make some purchases for his wife. He met Allen on First Ave. and accompanied him to his rooms. After the two men had talked a while, Allen went for Mrs. Malone, and when the two returned, they found Malone dead, with a glass that had contained carbolic acid standing nearby.
“Malone had quarreled with members of his family in the afternoon and then left the house to make some purchases for his wife.”
This incident highlights the precariousness of working-class domestic life in the early 20th century, where private disputes often ended in tragedy within the city's dense boarding-house districts. Modern Seattle continues to struggle with the intersections of mental health, housing instability, and family stress.
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