The City Scavenger Turned Black and Died. The Coroner Said Poison.
Tacoma's city scavenger died suddenly after cramps and a blackened face. The coroner blamed poison connected with his work, then decided no inquest was necessary.
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, Aug. 6.—[Special.]—M. Oleson, the city scavenger, died suddenly last night. Soon after he turned black in the face. Coroner Hoska says: "I believe, from the appearance of the body and the attending circumstances, that Oleson was poisoned in some manner in connection with his duties as scavenger. Friday he was taken with cramps, and was very sick, but he went back on the scavenger wagon again Saturday. Soon afterwards he was again taken sick and died. An inquest will not be necessary."
“I believe, from the appearance of the body and the attending circumstances, that Oleson was poisoned in some manner in connection with his duties as scavenger.”
Sanitation workers still face hazardous exposures, and unexplained workplace deaths can be difficult to prove without investigation. The coroner's refusal to hold an inquest is a reminder that official explanations often closed cases quickly in the 1890s.
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