The Scandalous Exit of Otto Wolff
A hotel proprietor flees to Washington state after reports of 'unnatural offenses' surface against him.
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.
Otto Wolff, for a brief period proprietor of the Grand Hotel in British Columbia, is now on the American side, where it is believed he will remain for some time. Wolff did not leave to avoid debts, but because he had been suspected of being guilty of 'unnatural offenses,' and only recently was evidence obtained of his conduct. He left town hurriedly, heading to Washington. No attempt will be made to bring him back.
“Wolff had for some time past been suspected of being guilty of most unnatural offenses, but it was only recently that anything like evidence was obtained of his conduct.”
This entry is a stark example of how 19th-century newspapers used coded language like 'unnatural offenses' to report on and pathologize LGBTQ lives, ultimately forcing individuals into exile or hiding. It serves as a reminder of the hostile climate faced by queer individuals in the late 19th century.
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