The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-06-30
4 PILOTS LAST BAR.
A. Old Steamboatman Takes
His Own Life.
FATAL DOSE or sTRYcHNlNE.
90. q. Ewing, Despondent Through
Drink, Takes Double Precaution
in Shuffiing OF.

Alien G. Ewing. an old time Puget sound
r;Iot. was found dead in his little cabin at
- foot of Union street, yesterday. 1t was
EVIDENT from appearances that he had COM
s,;t,ad suicide. and that he mad been dead
Car two or three days.
about O'Clock yesterday morning, POI
re- officer No. 81, C. II. Cummings, who is
N the water front beat. was told by John
uurnhy and Anton Kcoin, neighbors in
he vicinity. that Ewing had mysteriously
d;ssppeared. as he had not been seen for
three DAYS. The house where Ewing lived
vss pointed out TO the policeman by these
men and the officer burst open the door,
rbich was boIted on the inside. Ewing
vss found dead in low bed with only his
eoat and YES. off. 1t is quite probable that
rxiug took dose of strychnine about
bedtime and did not have time to entirely
undress before the first paroxysm of the
roison took him. Ewing had been dead
iully three days, as the body had begun to
dscompose and the air in the room was ex-
tremeiy foul.
Ewing was last seen alive about 8 O'Clock
Wednesday evening. when he showed G..
4. skord1Ie, a longshoreman living next
door $40 in money. Skordile said Ewing
remarked at the time that he was going to
mte drink of brandy and go TO bed.
skordile also said he had on several occa-
lions before heard Ewing say that he
.wouid get away with himself sometime"
II is stated that Ewing had been hard
drinker for the past two years and that for
that reason had been more or less in poor
health.
Ewing's cabin, which stands just down
over the bank in the clump of trees at the
foot of Union street, is divided into two
arartments, the front rooms being occu-
RED By the families of John Murphy and
Anton Kcoin. Ewing, who was a single
man, lived IN the small back part, and
there was no door between the two parts of
The house.
A PosT-INTELLIGENcER reporter accom-
pauied Coroner Smart to the scene of the
suicide yesterday afternoon at O'Clock,
after the body had been removed to Bon
nev 4 Stewards undertaking rooms. In
Ewing's shanty were found large trunk
flied with clothing, 44-calibre Smith 81
Wesson revolver with all the chambers
full. When the body of Ewing was first
found yesterday morning, the revolver lay
cooked on the bed beside the corpse, as
though Ewing had determined that if the
POISON did not do deadly work bullet
should do it The only money found
among the effects of the deceased was 81. IS
IN the trousers pocket. In chest in the
eabln was found a pilots license for the
Puget sound district, issued to Ewing Sep
ember s, 1875. On stand by the side of
the bed was a two-ounce bottle of strych-
nine from NJ. A. Kelly's drug store, and
close beside it was q pint tin cup in which
the poison had been Dissolved in water.
White particles gathered upon the inner
dde Of the cup when examined and tested
BY Coroner Smart, assisted by DR.. Horton
and found to be crystals of strychnine.
The coroner took charge of the effects of
he deceased, and as it was not found nee
essary to hold an inquest, the body was
buried by Bonney d Stewart at O'Clock
last evening.
Allen Ewing came to Seattle from Dun
dee, Scotland. in 1879, eighteen years ago.
He was pilot by occupation, and held q
license to navigate on all Puget Sound wa
ters After he came to Seattle, and up to
sxyears ago, Ewing piloted on the small
boats Of the Sound and was for many
years captain OF the Otter. the stern-wheel
steamer which collided with the Emma
HAYWARD near Des Moines about four
months ago and was wrecked.
For the past five years Ewing has been a
peneyaf sahhor In;pr onufh;pr ~ Gould
get do. He was for some time employed
ma blacksmith shop on Railroad avenue,
and more recently he had been employed
g saoonkeepers in cleaning out their
nioons for his board or for drinks.
seighbors say that he had been hard
erinker for the past two years and had
neen given to periods of dependency. The
appearance OF Ewing's cabin would seem
very much to verify the statements as to
incorporate habit, as his quarters were lit
efed with liquor bottles of every descrip-
non. Ewing first lived near where the old
county jail stood and moved into the cabin
The foot of Union street about five years
Eo de was well known by the older pilots
"a the Sound, and left off plotting, it is
sald, because of i'll health.
Ewing leaves brother and sister in Sc
s''ie. Harry Ewing, the brother. is at
present employed in sawmill at Seventh
ud Union streets. Mrs. Walker, the sis
YER Is wife OF George B. Walker, a master
alechanic at West Seattle. Ewing was As
years oil age. five feet nine inches in height,
lsa' complexioned, partially bald and
wore only mustache.
Inc cause OF suicide may be safely at
sloated to dependency brought on by ex-
ossiye drinking.