A Tenant, a Beam, and a Broken Window: Seattle's Rent Fight Turns Into a Siege
When a landlord tried to move a renter out on Chestnut Street, the dispute ended with a warrant read through a window and a defiant Joyce holding the fort.
R. J. Joyce, who occupied a house owned by Charles W. Kelley on Chestnut street, near Madison, was arrested yesterday morning by Constable Fitzgerald of Judge Caldwell's court, charged by Kelley with forcible detention, as the result of a lively landlord-and-tenant fight. The case will be heard before Judge Caldwell at [—] o'clock this afternoon.
Kelley alleges that he found a renter for his house and wanted Joyce to vacate, offering to pay him $12, the only amount Kelley claimed was due to Joyce. The latter, however, brought his claim up to $100 and put the premises in a state of siege. Kelley went there yesterday morning and the discussion ended in a fight, resulting in a broken window and a victory for Joyce, who continued to hold the fort.
Kelley came down town and swore out a warrant for Joyce's arrest. Constable Fitzgerald went to the seat of war and demanded admittance. Joyce refused to open. Fitzgerald parleyed with him, but Joyce was obdurate. Fitz secured a large beam and came back, threatening to demolish the door if Joyce did not open. Joyce compromised by opening a window and having the warrant read to him in Romeo and Juliet style. Juliet agreed to come down peaceably and did so, opening the door and coming to Justice of the Peace Caldwell's office, where she gave bonds for her appearance this afternoon.
“Joyce compromised by opening a window and having the warrant read to him in Romeo and Juliet style.”
Rent standoffs in Seattle are rarely this theatrical, but the underlying fight—how much a tenant owes, when a landlord can force them out, and who gets to stay—is as current as this month's eviction docket. The 1895 case also shows how quickly a housing dispute could become a police matter.
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