Death in the County Jail Cell
A man suffering from delirium tremens has died in the Tacoma jail after falling from a steam pipe.
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.
Charles McArter, who sustained fractures of both legs in a cell at the county jail Sunday morning while suffering the agonies of delirium tremens, died late last night at the county hospital, never having regained consciousness. The unfortunate man was so violently delirious that Dr. McCreery was unable to set his broken legs, and McArter died suffering intense pain. McArter had a mania for climbing to the ceiling of his cell, while locked up, and Sunday morning, after he had climbed the steam pipe, he fell to the cement floor, breaking the bones of both ankles. McArter is said to be survived by a wife and family in California.
“The unfortunate man was so violently delirious that Dr. McCreery was unable to set his broken legs, and McArter died suffering intense pain.”
This case illustrates the historical reality of the 'drunk tank' as a place of neglect rather than medical care. The lack of proper facilities for someone experiencing severe withdrawal is a precursor to modern debates about police responding to mental health and medical crises.
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