The City Hall Gambling Den
When police raided the local underworld, the city’s courtroom was transformed into an impromptu warehouse for illicit gaming gear.
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.
The district court room yesterday had the appearance of a gambling den. On the judge's stand was set up a grandly painted wheel of fortune, and to the right and in front of his stand were piled up wheels of fortune, faro tables, poker tables, roulette tables, faro layouts, casekeepers, checks and other gambling paraphernalia galore. All these implements were captured by Sheriff Cochrane in his raids of January 14 and 15 and were introduced in evidence in the cases of the indicted gamblers.
When court convened in the afternoon, the gambling tools were still in the courtroom. Judge Burke called the attention of Sheriff Cochrane to them by remarking that there were a lot of utensils in the room that were of no particular use to the court, and he would like to be informed where they came from and what use they had been put to. Sheriff Cochrane intimated that he did not know a wheel-of-fortune from a bicycle or the peaceful spinning-wheel, but he had a deputy present who could explain all about them. The deputy came forward and explained that one wheel of fortune had been found at the M. & X. saloon and two at the Orpheum. An attorney then called the attention of the court to the fact that one of the wheels seized at the Orpheum was still in its box and had never been set up, so the court ordered it set aside. The deputy then explained where each of the tables and layouts was secured, and when he concluded, Judge Burke directed Sheriff Cochrane to destroy the whole lot forthwith. The implements included in the order are valued by their owners at $1,000, and it is understood that suit will be brought to recover that amount from Sheriff Cochrane if he carries out the order of the court.
“Sheriff Cochrane intimated that he did not know a wheel-of-fortune from a bicycle or the peaceful spinning-wheel.”
In 1889, Seattle's civic leaders were struggling to balance the city’s rapid, rough-hewn growth with a desire for 'dignity.' Today’s debates over urban order and the police power reflect that same historical anxiety: how much of our city's wild character do we keep, and what must be cleaned up to prove we are a civilized, 'modern' metropolis?
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