The West Seattle Intruder

George A. Ballard, night watchman at the Novelty mill in West Seattle, has been having more than his share of excitement. Last Tuesday morning, he went home to round up a man he found in his house. After an exciting fight, in which the irate husband gave the intruder a severe beating, the latter made his escape. To make things more interesting, Mrs. Ballard attempted suicide with laudanum and carbolic acid, leaving a note to the effect that things were not as bad as they appeared. The cause of this sensation was John Taylor, the first mate of the British ship Drumrock. It was about 4 o'clock Tuesday morning that Night Miller Edward Lindberg saw a man sneaking along the walk toward Ballard's house. Lindberg remained outside with a revolver while Ballard went inside. A wild commotion followed, and a large man with a sandy mustache, but no hat, fled out the back door and down the railroad trestle. Ballard came out a few moments later with blood on his sleeve. Upon returning to the house, Ballard found his wife had taken their child to a neighbor and then returned home to poison herself. Dr. Wotherspoon was summoned, and after several hours of work, Mrs. Ballard was brought around and is expected to recover. First Mate Taylor made his way across the trestle to Seattle and then took a train for Tacoma to rejoin his ship.