The Rowdy Landlords of Ninth and Elph
A morning disturbance at a Tacoma boarding house reveals a volatile scene when a constable attempts to serve an arrest warrant.
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.
TACOMA, May 3.—George Lorner and his wife, Elizabeth Lorner, lessees of a boarding house at the corner of Ninth and Elph streets, were arrested this morning by Constable Sweeney on a warrant sworn to by Charles H. Cady, charging them with keeping a house of ill fame for the purpose of prostitution, and being disorderly, with frequent fighting on the premises. Constable Sweeney went to the house this morning to arrest them, and was informed that Mr. and Mrs. Lorner had already left for the justice’s court. He met them near the building and forced them into a carriage, grabbing the husband by the head to secure him. Mrs. Lorner objected to the methods of the constable and fired a battery of invectives at Sweeney, but all to no effect. With some difficulty the pair were then taken into Justice Patrick’s court, where, on motion of their attorney, the case was postponed until tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Mrs. Lorner was in a state of intoxication and struck Constable Sweeney over the face when he approached; she then fell in a hysterical fit, and rolled into the gutter, which was muddy. A large crowd had congregated during the proceedings.
“Mrs. Lorner objected to the methods of the constable and fired a battery of invectives at Sweeney, but all to no effect.”
This 1889 account of a 'disorderly' boarding house operator clashing with law enforcement captures the volatility of Seattle and Tacoma’s early rapid growth. The 'house of ill fame' charge mirrors contemporary struggles over the regulation of housing, boarding houses, and police interactions with those managing precarious or informal living spaces.
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