The Mystery of the Man on Brannan Place
A brutal murder discovery in Seattle sends a shockwave through the city after a dock worker is found with his pockets turned inside out.
Early this morning the dead body of a man was found lying on the sidewalk on Brannan Place. The dead man's pockets were turned inside out, and one was left a pen. Over his right temple was a bruise, and blood was coming from his ears. The body had been divested of every thing of value. After the lapse of several hours, the body was identified as that of Thomas Phillips, a fireman on the steamer Alaska line. The coroner is positive the man was murdered, but the police differ with him. An autopsy will probably develop the cause of death.
“The coroner is positive the man was murdered, but the police differ with him.”
In 1886, Brannan Place was a site of urban violence that captured the public imagination much like today's high-profile crime reports in the city. The contrast between the coroner's immediate suspicion of murder and the police department's skepticism highlights a recurring tension in Seattle's civic administration regarding how we define and account for public safety.
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