A Desperate Pact at the East Waterway
A tragic attempt at a double suicide on the Seattle waterfront leaves one woman rescued and another missing.
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 and tired of life, two women—Mrs. William Gaudy, aged 33, and an older woman whose name Mrs. Gaudy refuses to disclose—entered into a suicide pact which they attempted to carry out at 1 o'clock. The two women went to the East waterway where they had intended to end their misery. Mrs. Gaudy waded into the water and was struggling against the tide which was sweeping her back to the shore, when she was rescued by carpenters working nearby. The other woman has disappeared. It is believed that she became sick of her bargain when confronted with the means wherewith to die, and ran away fearing arrest.
“The other woman has disappeared. It is believed that she became sick of her bargain when confronted with the means wherewith to die.”
Reporting on mental health crises in this era was often sensational and punitive, characterizing the events as a 'pact' or a 'bargain' rather than addressing the underlying causes of despair that plagued many during periods of economic instability.
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