The Saloonkeeper’s Final Exit
W. H. Maquilken died of opium poisoning in a Pike Street rooming house shortly after reporting a major robbery, leaving behind a trail of suspicion and gambling debts.
W. H. Maquilken was found dead in a room at the Abbott House on Pike street, having died from opium poisoning. While friends speculated he was despondent over a recent robbery of $250 to $300 at the Cambridge saloon, others whispered that he was a heavy gambler and had lost the money over the green cloth. Detective work by Officer Spriggs led to the arrest of Max Englehart, though Englehart denied any involvement. The tragedy highlighted the volatile environment of Seattle’s rooming houses and saloons during the era.
“Maquilken loved to gamble and the theory has been advanced that he lost his money over the green cloth instead of being robbed.”
Pike Street remains a central artery of downtown Seattle. The story reflects the transient, high-risk life of men in 1890s Seattle, where disputes over gambling and 'robberies' often ended in violence or suicide.
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