Tragedy at the County Poor Farm
A patient suffering from typhoid fever leaps to his death from a third-story window.
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.
Andrew Olson, a 24-year-old native of Sweden, met a tragic death at the county poor farm last Sunday morning. Suffering from typhoid fever, he became delirious and jumped through a third-story window, landing on the cemented pavement below, where he was killed instantly. A guard had been stationed to watch him, but Olson managed to break free after a struggle. The county commissioners have now decided to install bars on the upper windows of the hospital facility.
“Olsen loosened the guard's hold, made a flying leap and went through the window, carrying the window with him, sash and glass.”
This incident highlights the grim realities of turn-of-the-century institutional care, where resources for mental and physical health were often dangerously inadequate. Seattle’s struggle to manage public health infrastructure is a recurring theme that echoes through current debates over state-run psychiatric beds and homelessness services.
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