The Tragedy of Eliza Hicks
A young woman of mixed heritage, suffering from the grief of a lost partner, succumbs to an overdose in a Seattle saloon boarding house.
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.
Yesterday afternoon Coroner Stuart held an inquest on the remains of Eliza Hicks, who died at the Idaho saloon boarding house, corner of Main and Third Street. It was concluded that the woman died from the effects of an overdose of morphine. Eliza Hicks was 21 years of age and of mixed blood, reportedly half-Spanish. She was formerly the mistress of W. H. Pratt, a barkeeper who died in this city some months since. She grieved so over his death that she sought solace in the 'flowing bowl.' At one time she was an inmate of the insane asylum at Steilacoom. Witnesses testified that she had been intoxicated on Monday and was struggling with poor health. A vial containing morphine was found in the pocket of her dress, and the jury returned a verdict of death by her own hand.
“She grieved so over his death that she sought solace in the flowing bowl.”
This 1889 account reflects the harsh reality of life for vulnerable women in early Seattle’s 'skid road' boarding houses. Today, this intersection of Main and Third in Pioneer Square is at the center of ongoing debates about housing stability, mental health resources, and the social safety net.
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