A Politically Charged Stunt in Whatcom
When an election bet turns into a street-side performance, the local hospital reaps the benefit.
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.
At Whatcom, Nov. 12—Mayor W. L. Miller wheeled Supervisor H. Austin from the postoffice to the First National bank on an election wager today. Miller belongs to the People's party, while Austin is a Democrat. In front of the Keliher & Co. warehouse, Miller played a band-organ for one hour while a McGraw man, Darnell, took up a collection of $20 for the benefit of St. Luke's hospital.
“Miller played a band-organ for one hour while a McGraw man, Darnell, took up a collection of $20 for the benefit of St. Luke's hospital.”
Election wagers were once a common, public way to settle the tension of political loss, often involving humiliating or laborious public stunts. Today’s political climate has largely moved this form of performance to social media, though the stakes rarely involve raising money for local charity.
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