A Machinist Committed to the Asylum
A perfectly rational machinist is sent to Steilacoom despite his protests, leaving behind a wife and child.
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.
William Weir, a 31-year-old machinist employed in the Oregon Improvement Company's shops, was committed to the insane asylum yesterday by Judge Langley, in spite of his protest that he was not insane and could not leave his wife and little child. He was told he was being taken to his wife, and by that ruse was placed on the train to Steilacoom by Deputy Sheriff Jack McDonald. The case is strange, for there is no known cause for his insanity. He was suffering from no disease other than dementia and was temperate. About a year ago, he was insane for six months but recovered. Recently, he imagined he heard noises on the roof and in the cellar, then imagined the house was alive with snakes. He began accusing his fellow workmen of trying to drive him out of his position by sprinkling him with a white powder. His brother, James D. Weir, swore out the warrant. Weir, though nervous when in court, was perfectly rational and understood his surroundings.
“He was told he was being taken to his wife, and by that ruse was placed on the train to Steilacoom.”
The involuntary commitment of William Weir highlights a period when mental healthcare was punitive rather than therapeutic, often relying on deception to remove individuals from their families. Modern Seattle residents living near historical asylum sites or navigating contemporary mental health crises will recognize the persistent struggle to balance civil liberties with public safety in a system that often prioritizes confinement over community care.
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