Violence at the Leland House
A jealous waiter attempts to murder a waitress at a Seattle boarding house.
C. M. King, a waiter, attempted to murder Mrs. Lulu Deen, a waitress with whom he was infatuated, in her rooms in the Leland House at 312 First Avenue South in Seattle. He fired four shots at the woman at close range, one of which entered her neck and another inflicted a flesh wound on her left wrist. Before he could escape from the house he was arrested by Patrolmen Huff and Cameron. Jealousy is said to be the cause of the shooting. A few minutes before, King had burst into the room and demanded the return of his picture, opening fire as Mrs. Deen turned her back. Mrs. Deen, when asked for a statement, said: 'He has been jealous of me for some time. I refused to have anything to do with him and this seemed to craze him. I had no idea when he entered the room he was going to shoot. I don't see why he wanted to shoot me. I have a mother and two children to support.'
“I don't see why he wanted to shoot me. I have a mother and two children to support.”
Domestic violence and 'crimes of passion' were frequent, tragic fixtures of early newspaper reporting. This account captures the vulnerability of working women in the boarding house culture of the era, where privacy was scarce and dangerous men could easily force their way into living spaces.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.