The Electrified Rescuer
A Ballard grocer and a constable lose their suspect when a woman claiming to be possessed by electricity intervenes.
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.
Henry McCurrie, a grocer on Ballard Avenue, ordered an insolent tramp out of his store on Tuesday evening, and when he refused to go, threw him onto the sidewalk. The hobo became abusive, and Constable George Shields attempted an arrest. A scuffle ensued, with McCurrie assisting the constable. The tramp was becoming submissive when Mrs. Thomas Matthews, whose mind is unhinged and who believes she is possessed by the spirit of electricity, came to the rescue. She rushed upon Shields and McCurrie and gave each a resounding slap on the face, which so surprised and distracted them that the tramp escaped.
“She seemed to be charged with several powerful dynamos, for she rushed like a fury upon Shields and McCurrie.”
This incident in historic Ballard captures a 'weird news' moment that wouldn't be out of place on a local neighborhood forum today. It serves as a reminder of how the press once treated mental health crises with mockery and sensationalism under the guise of local color.
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