File:Morgan's Theatre Comique, Tacoma, January 4, 1893 (WAITE 43).jpeg

English: Notes in inventory: Tacoma, Wash. Theatre Comique .

On Feb 6, 1884, Harry Morgan sauntered into town. The economy was down; jobs were hard to find. In defiance of the law, Morgan opened a gaming hall and, since that day, Tacoma has never been the same. "I tell you" said Morgan, "a town without gamblers and saloons ain't worth a _____."

Back in 1885, as Morgan's Board of Trade Billiard Hall was getting firmly established, Mayor J. Robert Weisbach gathered support in blaming the city's economic situation on the presence of the Chinese. More prim citizens indentitied the city's problem as saloons, gambling halls, and, houses of prostitution conspicuously located near the business section of town. Shouts that "the Chinese must go!" drowned out those of the impractical reformers--Reactionary crowds herded the Chinese past Morgan's place and out of town. From the bluff above Commencement Bay, patrons in the new, massive Tacoma Hotel looked down on the flames rising from the piggy shacks and businesses of the Chinese lining the waterfront.

Time marched on and periodically the chief of police raided houses of ill-fame--Mollie Rosenkranz's Star Lodging House and Mrs. Lizzie Howe's (alias Mother Brewer and the White Elephant) notorious house, both on C street (now Broadway). The proprietors and unfortunate "inmates" of these disreputable dens of infamy were ushered to the calaboose and fined while, as the Ledger reported, "the(ir) gambling (procurers were) neither arrested nor taxed."

Well, Gambler Morgan was doing just fine. In 1887, performances in his Theatre Comique were met with great enthusiasm. New stars appeared every week-- the queen of the tight wire Nettle Holland, comedian Billy O'Day, and singer Jesse LeSeur entertained patrons .

Tacoma, the City of Destiny, prospered as the population doubled each year. The Northern Pacific Railroad added a masterpiece building to the city's landscape. masonry, architectural edifices were going up all over town. A block away from the NP building, at 815 Pacific, stood Harry Morgan's place at the gateway into the city--smack-dab in the middle of progress. "The tin horn must go!" replaced "the Chinese must go!" and became the major theme of 1888, even though there were 42 saloons in town. "Morgan runs a vulgar and obscene variety theatre and gambling hell... This gambling hell is a disgrace to the City of Destiny" reported the Ledger. Chuck-a-luck, sluice, faro, roulette, red-white-and-blue, and a game bearing the name of stud-horse poker brought raids of Gambler Morgan's place and revocation of his liquor license .

Morgan died unexpectedly in 1890. His wealth was variously estimated as high as a million dollars. Testimony of Frank Cantwell,one of the employees, relating to Morgan's estate, was that on an average the house won from $20,000 to $30,000 a month. But a large percentage of the winnings and grabbings was taken by dealers and other employees and the balance for the most part expended in bad investments, bribery of police and other officials, court expenses and lawyers' fees, and in dispensing gifts of coin to maintain backing against the press and other protesting influences. So that at the windup the Morgan estate was found to have shrunk to $28,000. [Sources: Judith Kipp, "Yesteryear" The Tacoma News Tribune. March 21, 1986. Randolph Radebaugh, "The Crime Wave of 1888" The Tacoma News Tribune. Number 46 in a series.]

Waite 198-10

PH Coll 291.041

• Subjects (LCTGM): Theatre Comique (Tacoma, Wash.)--Buildings; Theaters--Washington (State)--Tacoma