The Saloonkeeper and the Broken-Legged Laborer
A Seattle woman sues for the loss of her husband’s wages after a brutal assault at the St. Louis House saloon.
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.
In a civil action for damages brought in the District Court, S. R. Smalley, as attorney for Mary L. Lakowsky, sues H. Kirschberg and G. A. Drew. The complaint alleges that the plaintiff is and has been for several years a married woman, the wife of Frank Lakowsky; that S. Kirschberg keeps a saloon at the St. Louis House, at 84 Front Street, Seattle; that G. A. Drew is owner of the property and that Kirschberg, knowing that Frank Lakowsky was addicted to the habit of intemperance, on December 24, 1884, induced her husband to enter the saloon, and that he sold and gave him liquor until he was very drunk, and remained in the saloon nearly all day; that after her husband became very drunk, a quarrel ensued, in which Kirschberg assaulted, struck, beat and kicked Lakowsky, bruising him severely and breaking his right leg, disabling him so that he has been unable to work since that date; that the support of her husband and their three children devolved upon her, she having no money, property or other means of support, the family having lived upon the earnings of her husband, who was a diligent man and had steady employment at wages sufficient to maintain his family up to the time he was thus crippled and disabled. The plaintiff prays for a judgment of $1,000 against Kirschberg and Drew. The case will come on for hearing at the next term of court.
“The support of her husband and their three children devolved upon her, she having no money, property or other means of support.”
This 1885 legal complaint highlights a historical version of the 'dram shop' liability laws used to hold businesses accountable for the societal costs of their trade. Today, this resonates with modern debates regarding corporate accountability for public safety, homelessness, and the exploitation of vulnerable labor populations on the Seattle waterfront.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.