Despair in the Tenth Ward
A Tacoma resident survives a desperate act of self-harm, only to face further neglect from city services.
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.
Despondent because of recent illness and laboring under the delusion that she was of no further use on earth, Mrs. Amos West, of 1912 Center Street, swallowed a phial of carbolic acid at her home this morning. Neighbors notified the police, and Dr. Shaver hurried to the place. He found the woman severely burned, with a quantity of the acid spilled on her neck and breast. Emetics were administered, and in a short time, she was taken out of immediate danger. Dr. Shaver, realizing that Mrs. West could not be properly cared for in her own home, telephoned for the police ambulance, but Chief Duley refused to send the ambulance, declaring that all the roads were unfit for travel. At a late hour this afternoon, Mrs. West was still at her home, attended by women of the neighborhood.
“Dr. Shaver... telephoned for the police ambulance, but Chief Duley refused to send the ambulance, declaring that all the roads were unfit for travel.”
This story highlights the recurring struggle of access to emergency services in Tacoma. The dismissal of a citizen's mental health crisis by city leadership resonates with contemporary debates regarding the adequacy of public health responses.
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