A deadly gun battle during an robbery attempt in Seattle left three men dead and seven more wounded on August 3, 1941, at a basement speakeasy at 410B Second Avenue. A coroner's jury was convened a few days later for the inquest into the killings. At the time, Seattleites had widely differing views over the city government's role in the regulation of the manufacture and consumption of alcohol. As such, the inquest had to sort out testimony from witnesses who said that two policemen had been at the bar to settle a minor disturbance a few minutes prior to the shooting, which contradicted the testimony of police officers that Chief Herbert D. Kimsey had ordered all Seattle speakeasies closed down, and that 410B was closed as far as they knew.
The image here of the coroner's jury was taken at the scene of the crime, where they had relocated from the County-City Building. According to an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "the premises were viewed with great interest by some of the women jurors who had never theretofore been in such a place in their lifetimes. Mrs. Dale J. Marble, who is president of the Seattle Council of Parent-Teacher Associations, was in particular appalled by the size and apparent prosperity of the place, and said she couldn't conceive how such a large establishment could operate so openly."
Identified in the image are Coroner Otto Mittelstad and Deputy John Brill, standing at right, with Prosecutor B. Gray Warner seated between them. Mrs. Marble, and another juror, Mrs. Edwin F. James, are named in the article but not identified in the image.
Caption information source: "3 Die, 7 Wounded in Speakeasy Gun Fight," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 4, 1941, page 1. Caption information source: "Unusual Setting for Hearing," Seattle P-I, Aug 9, 1941, page 3. Caption information source: "Drink, Dance Joints Thrive After Curfew," by Sidney Copeland, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, April 30, 1945, pages 1, 4. Caption information source: "Prohibition in Washington State," by Paula Becker, HistoryLink.org Essay 9630.
