The Unstable Fruit Stand Proprietor
A Seattle man is arrested after threatening to murder his wife and daughter while obsessed with a news story about a local murder-suicide.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
While reading the newspaper accounts of the Harris murder-suicide, J. F. Fringe, who owns the fruit stand formerly owned by Pecan, the murderer of Conchilla, said there would be another 'killing scrape' before the end of the week. He had threatened to murder his wife and daughter, and fearing he would carry his threats into execution, she caused his arrest. He was acting insanely and talking to himself when arrested.
“He had threatened to murder his wife and daughter, and fearing he would carry his threats into execution, she caused his arrest.”
This story highlights the era's tendency to report on 'insanity' and domestic threats with lurid brevity. It serves as a reminder of the historical lack of safety nets for those struggling with mental health, a perennial issue that still challenges Seattle today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.