A Desperate Act in Waitsburg
A young woman is found unconscious after ingesting carbolic acid, sparking local debate over whether the act was a tragic mistake or a suicide attempt.
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.
Friday night, it is alleged that Miss Lucinda Wilkinson, who lives with her mother on Preston Avenue, made an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide by drinking carbolic acid, according to the Waitsburg Times. That she is not dead is due to the fact that she failed to swallow a sufficient quantity of the fiery stuff. As it is, she has a severely burned mouth and throat. Mrs. Lyndia Wilkinson is a hardworking woman and has lately not been feeling well. The daughter, who is grown, has been in poor health for some time and has lately been very despondent. On the night in question, Cinda was called for some purpose by her mother who was quite ill. The mother explains the matter by stating that the girl went into the kitchen to get some medicine for her and finding an unlabeled bottle, tasted of the contents by mistake. A neighbor was called and hurriedly sent for a physician who found the girl unconscious when he arrived. It is thought that at least a teaspoonful of the acid was swallowed but as the girl will not explain the matter it is really not known whether she attempted to commit suicide or not. The fact that the girl a few years ago took belladonna apparently with suicidal intent lends color to the belief that this carbolic acid was taken with similar intent.
“It is thought that at least a teaspoonful of the acid was swallowed but as the girl will not explain the matter it is really not known whether she attempted to commit suicide or not.”
Mental health crises in small towns often played out behind closed doors, with newspapers of the era using coded language to discuss suicide. Today, the conversation around access to care and mental health support in rural Washington remains as urgent as it was in 1903.
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