The Disappearance of John Squires
A Whidby Island farmhand vanishes after traveling to Seattle for medical care, sparking fears of foul play.
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 Squires, a farmhand who has been working for John O. Phinney, the well-known Whidby Island rancher, has been missing for two weeks, and fears are entertained that he has either been foully dealt with or has made away with himself. Squires left Mr. Phinney’s ranch two weeks ago to come to Seattle for a day to have some dental work done. He said he would put up at the Phoenix hotel and call on Dr. Nelson and G. W. Crane while here. Nothing has been seen of him by his acquaintances since he left. He did not put up at the Phoenix or call on Dr. Nelson or Mr. Crane. He was despondent when he left on account of bad health. He had wages due him and only drew a small sum to pay expenses of his short trip.
“Nothing has been seen of him by his acquaintances since he left.”
Missing person reports in early Seattle newspapers often blended genuine concern with casual speculation about the individual's mental state or 'despondency.' It serves as a reminder of how difficult it was to trace transient laborers in the 1890s.
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