The Editor Who Guarded the Jail
During the chaos of the 1889 fire, Post-Intelligencer editor F. J. Grant led a militia detachment to secure the county jail's prisoners.
On June 6, 1889, the great fire of Seattle broke out. During this trying period, a great many acts of bravery worthy of a place in history were performed. The name of F. J. Grant, the editor of the Post-Intelligencer, will perhaps always be a part of the city's history for the patriotism he had for the town of his adoption. At the time of the great fire, Mr. Grant was an officer in the old Seattle Rifles. During the fire, the county jail, located where the city hall now is, was threatened with destruction, and the prisoners, from twenty to thirty in number, were marched out and taken to the Armory for safe keeping. As night came on, the gas was turned up, and the guards realized their peril as the fire approached the gas works. Mr. Grant ordered one of the men to hurry upstairs and get some candles. He struck one match, but it went out. Another second and they would be in darkness with a vicious band of criminals. Another match was struck and applied to the wick; the candle sputtered and a little flame came up. Then the gas went out altogether. Other candles were quickly lighted, and during the whole night the prisoners were kept there, not one escaping.
“Another second and they would be in darkness with a vicious band of criminals, who would carry all before them.”
This story highlights the role of local media figures in civic governance during crises. F. J. Grant's actions during the fire illustrate how early Seattle's civic leaders often held multiple roles—militia officer, journalist, and jailer—in a town still finding its footing.
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