Local Man Committed for Delusional Threats
A man suffering from paranoid delusions of being threatened by an acquaintance is ordered to the territorial asylum.
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.
A man named Stafford was brought before Judge Hall yesterday on a charge of insanity and was examined and ordered sent to the asylum. The poor fellow labored under a delusion that a certain man had menaced him, and although they were miles apart, he imagined he could see the man make threats on his life. He accordingly loaded up his old musket and intended to kill his supposed enemy at sight. Dr. Mary Brown was the examining physician.
“He imagined he could see the man make threats on his life. He accordingly loaded up his old musket and intended to kill his supposed enemy at sight.”
Mental health treatment in 1883 relied heavily on institutionalization and confinement. This story reflects how the community and courts handled individuals experiencing crises before the existence of modern mental health services in Seattle.
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