The Ballard Suitor’s Violent Ultimatum

An episode occurred at Ballard Saturday night which caused a very estimable young lady, Miss McDonald, a daughter of Alexander McDonald, to be in a most unpleasant position. During Saturday evening, while Mr. McDonald was in Seattle, a young man giving his name as D. Jenkins called at the house, claiming to be an old acquaintance from Dakota. After an hour of conversation, as he prepared to leave, he suddenly seized the young lady by the arm, drew her onto the porch, and exclaimed: 'You must marry me.' When the frightened lady told him her father would be home soon, he brandished a revolver and said, 'I have followed you fifteen hundred miles; you will have to marry me. I will call tomorrow at 8 o'clock and get your answer. If you do not answer me, I will kill you.' The mother, who witnessed the struggle, ran to rouse a neighbor, but the man vanished. Later that evening, the man returned with an African American musician playing a guitar, serenading the house. When Mr. McDonald returned, the pair fled. The following day, the man was seen in Ballard, intoxicated and reportedly under the influence of opium, still searching for the family. He was eventually seen boarding a car for Seattle, and police were alerted to watch for him.