A Dazed Traveler Found at the Depot
A woman arrives in Tacoma from the East, seemingly disoriented, and is taken into custody for her own protection.
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 wandering in a dazed manner near the Northern Pacific depot this morning, after descending from a train just arrived from the East, Mrs. Nellie Brown, a widow 32 years old, was picked up by Officer Roberts and sent to the woman's ward at the city jail for safe-keeping. The woman is evidently demented, although at times she talks rationally. She said that she is the mother of three children, whom she left at Toppenish, Washington, and that she came to Tacoma in search of a very dear friend, a Mr. B. F. Ellison. The young woman says she resides in Yakima, Washington.
“The woman is evidently demented, although at times she talks rationally.”
In the early 20th century, police jails were the primary 'social service' infrastructure for people experiencing mental health crises. Today, the Northern Pacific depot site is part of a revitalized Tacoma waterfront, though the struggle to provide humane, non-punitive support for those in mental distress remains a significant civic challenge.
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