The Salvation Army's Odorous Opponents
A group of young men tried to drive the Salvation Army out of town by dousing their hall in polecat oil.
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.
Tacoma, Jan. 18—While the Salvation Army was busy saving souls Tuesday night some young sinners, who have been trying to drive the army out of town, sprinkled polecat oil over the hall. The Salvationists scented the aroma from afar and hurriedly placed a quantity of sugar upon the top of the stove to counteract the fumes. Some left hurriedly, holding their thumb and forefinger to their noses, but the members of the army held the fort and refused to go. The parties who sprinkled the oil about disappeared before the volatile fluid had insinuated itself about the room, but the army claims to know who they are and will have them arrested as an example. In the course of an hour and with the aid of the sugar incense the Salvationists had stifled the fumes sufficiently to return to work, which they emphasized by 'taking three souls.'
“The Salvationists scented the aroma from afar and hurriedly placed a quantity of sugar upon the top of the stove to counteract the fumes.”
This account of early moral panic and cultural conflict between the Salvation Army and local 'sinners' highlights the intense social friction in 1890s boomtowns. The use of 'polecat oil' (skunk scent) as a protest tactic is a bizarre detail that predates modern, more subtle forms of harassment.
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