Walla Walla Man Attempts Suicide; Gamblers Cheat Visitors
A tragic attempt at suicide in Walla Walla sheds light on the toll of addiction and the harsh realities of frontier life.
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.
We learn that Alex Block on Saturday night attempted to commit suicide by taking poison. The act was discovered in time and Dr. Bingham was summoned, who gave him a pumping out and saved his life. He again on Sunday shot himself, inflicting a severe wound from which he may never recover. The cause of these rash acts on the part of the man appears to be the old story. Strong drink has got such a hold on him that death is preferred to life. We learn that gamblers from abroad are here perpetrating all kinds of swindling tricks upon the young and unwary. A few evenings ago, a young man from the upper country was swindled out of about $200 in a dice device.
“The cause of these rash acts on the part of the man appears to be the old story. Strong drink has got such a hold on him that death is preferred to life.”
While reported with the detached, moralizing tone of the 1870s press, this story captures a recurring human struggle with addiction and economic precarity in the American West. Today, Walla Walla and Seattle alike continue to grapple with the intersection of substance abuse, isolation, and the 'swindling' of vulnerable populations in rapidly changing economies.
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