A Desperate Appeal for a Consumptive Carpenter
A former public official from Minnesota recounts his fall into poverty and illness in Seattle.
I saw a piece in your issue of May entitled 'A sad case of destitution of A. Murphy, carpenter, West street, opposite the Olympic lodging-house,' which some charitably disposed person caused to be published. It stated that I lost everything I had in St. Vincent, Minn., which is true, but the time differs. I was forced to leave there in 1884 and went to St. Paul, Minn., and worked at my trade, arriving in Seattle September 19, 1889. It also states that I have been sick nearly a year. I am sorry to say that I was taken down sick two years ago last January with la grippe, which turned to consumption and left me as I now am, in destitute circumstances, and begging the citizens to help me in trying to get to some dryer, warmer climate, as the doctors say it may prolong my life. I have known Mr. John Duncan for 20 years as an honorable and upright man; any money given to him for me will be thankfully received. If any one wants to know who and what I am, I can refer them to the county records of Kittson county, Minn., as I was the probate judge of that county appointed by Governor Hubbard, as I was also coroner for the same county for four years. Any persons wishing to help me in distress can leave their donations at the Post-Intelligencer office for me or at my residence, West street.
“I was taken down sick two years ago last January with la grippe, which turned to consumption and left me as I now am, in destitute circumstances.”
Murphy’s plea highlights the vulnerability of the Victorian-era labor class when struck by chronic illness, a struggle for survival that mirrors the modern struggle of Seattle’s unhoused residents facing health crises without a social safety net.
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