The Jailbreak at Milton
A man detained by the authorities in Milton on suspicion of insanity successfully escaped by stealing the clothes of his own guard.
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.
A man giving his name as Geo. A. Smith made his appearance at Milton about a week ago, who the people of that place have cause to believe insane. He was brought to this place and is now awaiting his examination before the County Judge. He will probably be taken to the insane asylum. Since the above was in type, Smith has escaped. He arose about daylight yesterday morning, put on the clothes of the man who had him in charge and gently slid out. The last seen of him was below town about a quarter of a mile.
“He arose about daylight yesterday morning, put on the clothes of the man who had him in charge and gently slid out.”
While this brief report from the 1870s treats 'insanity' and the state's custodial role with the casual detachment of the era, it echoes modern concerns regarding the criminalization of mental health crises and the inadequacy of institutional care—a struggle that remains a central, often heart-wrenching, fixture of current Seattle civic discourse.
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