My great-great grandfather was born in 1850 and moved to Seattle from Kansas in the mid-1880’s. I’m not sure why he moved to Seattle, but I do know that my great-great grandmother died in 1885 at age 32 and is buried in Kansas. I also know that the 1889 Washington State Census lists him living in Seattle’s Second Ward with a “housewife” named Mattie, age 21.

In most records, his name appears as P.J. Pratt. His occupation was “teamster” but he shows up most frequently in the Post-Intelligencer buying and selling plots of real estate. As one example, he bought lot 14, block 28 in the Eden & Knights tract on December 1, 1890 for $500 from C.H. Pierce. And he sold the same lot on February 7, 1893 for $3000 to A.H. Turner. I think that lot is at the corner of E Cherry St and 19th Ave (i.e., worth considerably more today).

In 1890, P.J. hired a contractor to build a house for his growing family on property he owned at 506 20th Ave. He agreed to pay $225 for labor and furnish the materials, and the contractor C.A. Dobson agreed to build a six-room cottage. While the house was being built, the family took up residence in a smaller structure on the same lot.

Seattle apparently did not keep weather records until the 1890’s, but one can easily imagine Saturday, June 7, 1890 being a typical Seattle June day—high temperature in the mid-60’s, cloudy with an occasional sunbreak, and a long early summer evening with sunset after 9 PM.

On this Saturday around 5:30 PM, P.J. went to the house and asked Dobson to give him the key, as P.J. wanted to work on the house himself over the weekend. Dobson refused, because Pratt had not yet paid for the house. I could not possibly describe what happened next better than the P-I:

“Dobson refused to give up the key, and Pratt cursed him. Dobson started to walk away. Pratt followed, and began beating Dobson, who fell to the ground. (A witness) pulled Pratt off. When Pratt rolled over, it was found that Dobson was dead.”

My great-great grandfather was charged with murdering Dobson. His case was number 118 in the new King County Superior Court. The trial was held in August and September. To defend himself, P.J. lawyered up, hiring J.T. Ronald (who would later serve as Mayor of Seattle 1892-1894) and Samuel Piles (who would later serve as a U.S. Senator 1905-1911).

I have the court records and sadly there is no transcript, so I’ll never really know how P.J. managed to be acquitted. In his obituary, it says he claimed self defense.

On his deathbed in 1897, he made a statement that was published in the P-I. “I am sure,” he said, “that none of the blows I struck Mr. Dobson were instrumental in causing his death…The blows that I struck were nothing more than would be given in any ordinary fight.” He went on to say Dobson died when he fell and hit his head on a pointed tree stump.

P.J. is buried in an unmarked grave at Lake View Cemetery. Last time I was in the neighborhood, his house was still standing–expanded from original form and now a small apartment building. I wonder if anyone who lives there knows its history? And my family has now lived in Seattle for five generations and counting.