Tacoma Contractor Held in Child Abuse Case
A prominent contractor faces serious charges after authorities allege he lured vulnerable girls to his home with candy and money.
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.
Tacoma—One of the most unusual scandals that has been unearthed in connection with a public institution in Tacoma came to a climax with the arrest of Harry O. Blaisdell, a contractor 46 years of age, who is accused by Mrs. G. H. Kittredge, matron of the Children's Home, of criminally misusing Joy Hoslinger and Stella Sullivan, two girls 13 years old, and Mary Ramsdell and Ella Duprez, girls 9 years old. Kittredge discovered several days ago that the children have been visiting Blaisdell’s house for three weeks past, lured there by presents of candy and money. By threats and persuasion, Blaisdell prevented the children from telling of their visits. Judge Griffin, of the police court, said in all his experience he had heard of nothing so outrageous. Blaisdell has been married four times, securing divorces from his various wives. The four children have independently told the same story of criminal abuse by Blaisdell.
“Judge Griffin, of the police court, said in all his experience he had heard of nothing so outrageous.”
This reporting from 1903 highlights the systemic vulnerability of children in institutional care and the power dynamics of adults who prey upon them. Today, child protective services and stringent background checks for those working with children are the direct, evolving response to such historic failures.
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