The Street Preacher of Tacoma Avenue
A laborer’s attempt to sermonize on Tacoma Avenue leads to a swift arrest and an insanity hearing.
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.
E. O. Donald, a stranger in the city, undertook last night to convince a crowd on Tacoma Avenue that the people of this city are not following the prescribed straight and narrow path. He was proclaiming his opinions of religion and morals in such a manner that Officer Kenna, who happened to be one of his hearers, decided that the man was crazy. The officer conferred with the central police station and the arrest of Donald followed. He was booked on the charge of being insane and will come before Judge Griffin this afternoon. Donald was not preaching for money; in fact, it seems to be only a kind of recreation for him. He is a laborer and when arrested had nearly $30 in his pockets.
“Officer Kenna, who happened to be one of his hearers, decided that the man was crazy.”
Public space management and the pathologizing of unorthodox behavior remain contentious issues. This account captures the era's quick resort to the label of 'insanity' for those who disrupted the civic order.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.