The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-04
TWO GAY WATCHMEN.
Charges Against Guardians of
Billiards. Peace.
THEY SOUGHT A LADY'S FAVOR.
Vain Attempt to Hush Up Mrs. Egerer's
story-She Tells How They Pur-
sued Her at Night.

The gossip OF Ballard during the last few days
has been the complaint OF Mrs. Mollie Egerer TO
the city council that Thomas Henry and Mich
olas Beck, the night watehnen, had fnsuited
her and acted in a djsorderly manner Public
interest has been heightened by the attempts OF
the council to keep the charges secret
A large crowd was attracted to the council
meeting last Tuesday evening by the expecta-
ton that the complaint would be read and
would contain something racy. They wero dis
appointed, for when the complaint, in the nat
ural order of business, came up for reading
Mayor J. H. Rinehart stated that as IL had been
read in the committee room it was not neces-
sary to read it again. The paper was then re-
ferred to the police committee. Thus the
expectant crowd was kept in ignorance not only
OF the details of the charges but of the name of
the aecuser.
PosT-INTELLIGENcER reporter asked Mr..
Henry what was the nature OF the disorderly
conduct and the insults. He said the COM
plant, SO far as it referred to him. was true but
refused to tell any more facts, and confidently
informed the reporter that he would not be
allowed to see the complaint
The reporter called upon the city clerk, An
drew Mccain, and asked to see the complaint
filed by Mrs. Egerer. The clerk, who is also the
correspondent OF a daily newspaper, replied
that he had orders from tho city council not to
allow any one, particularly newspaper men, to
see it, and most especially the representative of
the PosT-ISTELLIGENcER. AS the complaint is
public document, the reporter insisted upon
seeing it, but the clerk said it was not there.
Upon being asked where it was, he refused to
tell until he could consult with City Attorney
Edmund Peters.
Having learned the woman's name from an
other source, however, the reporter went to her
directly for his information. Mrs Mollie Egerer
resides at present with Mr.. and Mrs. w. c.
Fleming in neat little cottage on State street,
just east of Second avenue. Mrs Fleming is
her sister, and Mr.. Egerer is part proprietor OF
meat market at Albany, Or. where he is now.
The reporter found Mrs. Egerer industriously
working over a washtub. She is good looking
young woman, with vivacious manner, and,
when conversing about the complaint, used
vigorous language She readily consented to
tell the contents Of the plant and related
the following story:
The trouble arose primarily over quarrel the
family had with Henry at Tolt last fall, during
the hop-picking season. He had spite against
her ever since and in consequence told Beck
she was a person OF loose morals, which led to
Beck's insulting her.
The written complaint sent to the city council
alleged that on the night OF February 10 she
was returning from dancing school at Free
mont Her friends left her at the Ballard hotel,
upon sick woman. She found the hotel
closed and then started for home up Ballard
avenue On the way she passed Beck, who
paid NO Bssk follower ses
and overlook her at the postofiice
and continued to walk by her side, although
When they came to a by-path on Second avenue
near the Western house, that leads through an
unlighted district toward the schoolhouSe, Bee
invited her to take walk for fun along to {
path. She considered this O proposal for i'm.
moral purposes and told him she was q decent
married woman, and again asked him to leave
her. He insisted, however, upon walking by
her side until she reached her residence, when
he begged her not to tell any one what he had
said to her. Beck took his tar off at the path,
SO that no one would know he was officer.
The complaint further alleges that the
evening OF February &c she was returning from
party at Mrs Lena Fowler's, north of Broad
way, accompanied by Will Covington, a young
man IL years old, who lives in Fremont They
extended their walk to Ballard avenue, and
when returning passed Thomas Henry, who
rudely grabbed Mrs. Egerer by tho arm and
roughly ierked her from Covington. whose arm
she held. Covirgton expostulated and de-
manded an explanation and Henry thereupon
released her. They continued to walk Quietly
and peeceably on their way home when Beck
loined Henry on Broadway and the two fol-
lowed the couple to the house on State street,
when wordy war ensued, in which the words
were more forcible than elegant. Tho night
Waterman asked:
'who is this man? What's he doing here?"
Mrs. Egerer replied: go on, you low-lived,
dirty. insulting pup"
iuen TIE suAlulaIs OF the peace SAID: "Ihats
all right. Don't get fresh" And threatened to
run them both in if they got too fresh
Upon these grounds the complaint asks for
the dismissal of the night watchInen.
Both Beck and Henry are married men, and
until now no charge has ever been made against
their character.
The complaint contains no matter improper
for publication and there is no apparent reason
why the council should desire to withhold it
from the public. After the reporter had OBJ
tanned its contents from Nrs Egerur. City Clerk
McCann informed him that he would be al
lowed to see it.
The police committee will investigate the
charges and report at the next meeting of the
council