An Escape from Medical Lake
A patient from the state hospital for the insane sparks fear in a small community before his quiet capture.
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.
After spreading terror in a small community near Clyde, a demented man named Swift from the Medical Lake hospital for the insane was captured by attaches of the sheriff's office and brought to the county jail. Swift, who was a trusty at the asylum, disappeared two weeks ago. Though authorities heard rumors of his movements as he headed south, no direct information was obtained until Saturday, when a telephone message informed the sheriff's office that a 'crazy man' was out on the flat. Swift was captured at a farmhouse with little trouble and brought to the city. While the man was not violent, his peculiar behavior left the local population in a state of alarm.
“Swift's appearance among the farmers near Clyde is said to have spread consternation among the inhabitants.”
This story highlights the historical lack of nuance in describing mental health crises in the press. Today, Walla Walla residents might be more familiar with regional resources for mental health support, but the stigma attached to asylum-era reporting remains a sobering look at how the community handled disability and 'trustees' a century ago.
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