Street Brawl Leaves Laborer Wounded
A late-night argument outside a Tacoma saloon results in a shooting that police only learned of after the assailant had fled.
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.
During a drunken row Saturday night, Otto Cravan, a laborer, was shot through the arm by one of his companions, named J. Chestney. Although the latter is said to have fired five shots on Pacific Avenue near the Rhein saloon during the fracas, the police did not learn of the affair until yesterday afternoon, and by then the alleged assailant had left the city. Cravan, Chestney, and an unknown companion were together Saturday night in the Rhein saloon. All three were partially drunk and about 11 o'clock they began quarreling. The saloon man ordered them out and the belligerents continued the scrap on the sidewalk. Finally, Cravan and Chestney came to blows, whereupon the latter is alleged to have drawn his gun and fired at Cravan, the ball passing through the latter's arm. This ended the fight, but Chestney fired four more shots into the air to convince the bystanders that he was a dangerous man. As no policeman was in sight, Cravan hastened to his room and did not think it worthwhile to notify the police.
“Chestney fired four more shots into the air, just to convince the bystanders that he was a dangerous man.”
The 'Rhein saloon' was part of the dense nightlife corridor along Pacific Avenue, which has shifted from an industrial/entertainment hub to a central business district. The casual nature of the shooting, and the victim's decision to avoid police, speaks to the 'Wild West' reputation of the city's waterfront era.
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