The Barber's Great Escape
A local barber skips town, leaving behind a mountain of debt, a jilted wife, and a lover, all while chasing a lifestyle he couldn't afford.
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.
Several Walla Walla business men are regretting the sudden departure of Perry Heath, a barber formerly employed by Salem Twist. Heath left behind several hundred dollars in unpaid bills, including $100 for diamonds and nearly $100 for clothing. Heath is said to have fled for Montana, taking with him a young woman for whom he deserted his wife several months ago. While in town, Heath made a great show of having plenty of money, but a new law that went into effect recently appears to have cut his prosperity short.
“Heath had both women on the town and made a great show of having plenty of money.”
This story highlights the precarious nature of credit and social standing in a small frontier town at the turn of the century. It serves as a reminder of how quickly reputations—and fortunes—could vanish in the era before modern banking regulations.
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