A Deadly Jealousy in Pioneer Seattle
A brutal double murder on a quiet morning reveals the fragility of domestic peace in 1885 Seattle.
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.
A terrible tragedy occurred in this city at an early hour on the morning of April 24th, 1885, at the home of Mr. Evans, a laborer residing on Fourth Street. Evans shot his wife and a man named Mr. White, killing them both. Evans was arrested later that afternoon. He stated in substance that he returned home early that morning from his work of watching all night, went to his wife's bedroom, and discovered the man lying there dead. Both victims were found with bullet wounds in the head. He packed up his baby, nine months old, and walked out, leaving the key in the lock. He called the servant, Mamie Miller, gave the child to her, and set out. The theory about the killing is that Evans had an inkling of his wife's infidelity, came home in the morning earlier than usual, surprised them probably asleep, and shot them both. The pillow where each head lay was powder-burned.
“The theory about the killing is that Evans had an inkling of his wife's infidelity, came home in the morning earlier than usual, surprised them probably asleep, and shot them both.”
This 1885 dispatch from the Post-Intelligencer captures a grim snapshot of 'crimes of passion' that were frequently sensationalized in the press of the era. While modern reporting standards for domestic violence have shifted significantly, the underlying tension of a city rapidly industrializing and the intimate violence that sometimes spilled into the headlines remain a persistent, dark thread in urban history.
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