The Beer Garden vs. The Hospital: A Tacoma Land Grab Turns Violent

TACOMA, June 1. The Fannie Paddock Hospital owns about one acre of land on Starr Street which climbs the hill out of old town. There is built a very proper building for a hospital and the people in control of course to keep it in good form for the care of the sick.

John Cropper, a well known saloon keeper owns the acre adjoining. The Fannie Paddock Hospital was built before a careful survey was made of its premises and they got the building exactly on the line of the Cropper land. So not only this, but the posts to the building extended over that line and the fence erected ran over and encroached considerable of it. Cropper remonstrated, and rather than have any trouble the hospital people have paid a small rental to him for such use of the ground for some time.

But John Cropper has had in his mind the purpose of making a beer garden of his land for more than a year, and knowing the hospital people have not been kindly disposed toward him, as they had no use for a beer garden in their vicinity, a row has been imminent.

Cropper, however, finally determined to proceed to the erection of a building for the purpose stated some days ago. He gave the hospital notice that he wanted all of his land. They resisted, and for several nights have kept a guard on duty, anticipating a forcible attempt to remove the fence if not the post. Early this morning, however, the guard caught napping, and a force of men were put to work by Cropper and in a twinkling had not only removed the fence, but cut off the post from the very face of the building.

The hospital people went into court later in the day and got a temporary injunction from Judge Allyn restraining them from not only interfering with the hospital, but putting up the contemplated building on their own grounds. As a further interference with the hospital building is contemplated, only the latter amities of the rule provides against any person erecting on his own ground anything that shall be a nuisance to his neighbor. It under this that the injunction is begun.

Campbell and Powell who are attorneys for Cropper fully expect, however, to have the injunction removed upon a full hearing the case. Judge Allyn has put in the session preparing an opinion on the Pickett vs. Winans case, and an opinion that he will write the same tomorrow.