The Vanishing Pensioner of Ballard
A Civil War veteran draws his quarterly pension and vanishes, leaving his family destitute for the fourth time.
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.
John J. Spencer, alias John Stout, a milk peddler, a member of Cushing post G. A. R. at Ballard and a United States pensioner, has mysteriously disappeared from Ballard and various theories have been advanced to account for his absence from his family. He was supposed to have considerable money upon his person, and this led many to believe he had been waylaid and murdered. His wife and three children are left in a destitute condition, and in addition the former is daily expected to be confined. On Tuesday Spencer drew his quarterly pension money, $108. On Wednesday morning Miss Nellie Middleham rode on the street car with him to Seattle. Since then no one in Ballard has seen him. On Tuesday he sold a number of milk tickets and bought several iron wedges, saying that he intended to split a winter's supply of wood, but he did not go near his family. His wife says this is the fourth time he has deserted her, leaving her on each occasion without means of support. Spencer is a heavy-set man weighing about 190 pounds. He is 48 years old and slouchy in appearance, wearing, when last seen, a light gray suit and soft felt hat.
“His wife says this is the fourth time he has deserted her, leaving her on each occasion without means of support.”
The G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) acted as a vital social safety net for Civil War veterans, predating modern VA services. This story highlights the precarious nature of family life for the working poor in 1890s Ballard.
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