The Tragedy of Patrick Lavan
An Irish immigrant and former political prisoner stands trial for shooting a Seattle street superintendent, raising questions about his mental state.
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The trial of the state against Patrick Lavan for shooting ex-Street Superintendent Cummings was resumed by Judge Humes. Harry White testified that as mayor, he had given Lavan work and considered that he was not always in a sound state of mind. Lavan's story is an interesting and sad one. A well-to-do merchant in Ireland, he was arrested for treason during land troubles and served four years of a seven-year sentence before coming to Seattle. Tragedy followed him here; his wife was committed to the Steilacoom insane asylum, leaving him with seven children. He stated that when he was discharged by Cummings, he started for Tacoma but returned to city hall to inquire about his firing. He claimed he had no intention of shooting anyone, but has no recollection of the events after entering the office. The jury failed to reach a verdict by late afternoon.
“On several occasions, while giving her testimony as to Lavan's strange actions since her mother's insanity, his elder daughter was interrupted by violent fits of weeping.”
Lavan’s case mirrors the modern intersection of untreated mental health crises, poverty, and violent outcomes in the workplace. His history as an Irish political prisoner highlights the transnational nature of radical politics in late 19th-century Seattle.
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