The Unidentified Logger of Thirty-Ninth
A man found gravely injured on an embankment dies before he can reveal his name.
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.
While under the influence of liquor, an unknown man fell down the embankment near the corner of 39th and D streets, sustaining injuries that resulted in his death. The man was found yesterday afternoon and the police were immediately notified. Detective D. O. Smith and Driver White took him to the police station. Although he was covered with bruises and his head had been cut where he hit a log about 40 feet from the top of the embankment, the officers did not think he was seriously injured and kept him at the station for some time, waiting for him to sober up. The man was roughly dressed and had the appearance of a logger. There were no papers in his pockets to identify him. He was a laboring man, 5 feet 6 1/2 inches tall, weighed about 165 pounds, and wore a black coat and vest, striped trousers, and a dark striped shirt. His shoes were coarse, well-worn, and about a size 8. He had a high forehead, thin hair, a light mustache, and was about 45 years of age.
“There were no papers in his pockets to tell who he was.”
Public spaces like the embankments along Tacoma's steep slopes remain hazardous, especially for those without stable housing or support. This story reflects a long history of institutional indifference toward the 'unidentified' laboring class, a struggle that still echoes in modern debates over city services for the unhoused.
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