The Unwanted Devotion of 'The Indian Kid'
A popular actress at a Seattle theater seeks police protection from a fan whose obsession escalated from flowery letters to threats of suicide and murder.
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.
Blanche Bates, the popular actress now living at the California theater, is suffering one of the nightmares of her profession. A crank has fallen in love with her, and his obsession has reached such a state that she had to call upon the police.
Further, the man who calls himself the 'Indian Kid' has been writing affectionate letters to Miss Bates, soliciting her hand in marriage. There were several letters, and then the writer appeared at the theater where his idol was performing. He delivered a letter to one of the ushers, demanding it be delivered to the star. The usher, upon opening the note, found a box containing a ring, the size of which is a mystery. The note—the one Miss Bates gave to the police—is the one that will be in the front, and reads:
'July 19—Miss Bates, I am the Indian Kid, and I will be in the box seat. You know I love you and want you to marry me, and if you refuse, I shall kill myself. Now listen, I offer you ten million kisses and myself thrown in for good measure. Now make your mind up and let me know what you are going to do. Yours truly, THE INDIAN KID.'
Bates's house and surroundings are being watched by the police to ensure her safety.
“I offer you ten million kisses and myself thrown in for good measure. Now make your mind up.”
This 1899 account of a stalker targeting an actress at a downtown venue feels hauntingly familiar in an era of parasocial obsession and online harassment. While the 'Indian Kid' was handled by police, the underlying dynamic of powerlessness experienced by public figures facing 'crank' behavior remains a recurring, if evolving, struggle.
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