A Dispute Over a Cleaned Dress Ends in a Brawl
A woman allegedly strikes a dyer with a brass lamp after a heated disagreement over a laundry bill.
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.
Laura Cassia, a woman living at the Windsor Hotel, was arrested yesterday on a complaint from John C. Shelton, a dyer on John Street. Shelton claims Cassia broke a brass lamp over his head during an argument regarding the cleaning of a dress. While Shelton says the dispute was over the quality of his work and a refused payment, Cassia told police that Shelton spoiled the dress and tried to extort more money from her. Friends of Cassia reportedly raised the funds for her release.
“She found fault with the work done and refused to pay him a cent. He remonstrated and Laura immediately demonstrated her pugilistic ability by hitting him with the lamp.”
This altercation highlights the rough-and-tumble street life of 1890s Seattle, where disputes over service and payment were frequently settled through immediate, often violent, confrontation. It also offers a rare look at a woman challenging an establishment owner and managing to organize her own bail through social networks.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.