The Mayor Who Vanished: Port Angeles' Populist Chief Goes Missing
Frank McGill left town after a drunken night, gave his wife power of attorney, and was last reported heading for San Francisco—leaving the city council unable to pass ordinances.
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.
PORT ANGELES, Sept. 11.—Frank McGill, the Populist mayor of this city, has been missing for four weeks, and the members of the city council are seriously considering the advisability of electing a successor, as it is thought he will not return for several weeks yet, if at all.
About one month ago Mr. McGill was unable to resist the befuddling influences of the flowing bowl, and some congenial companions tempted him to indulge too freely. One night he arrived at the door of his residence and found it locked, and as usual the keyhole would not admit the key, so without further ceremony he burst in the door. The next morning he was duly repentant and announced to his wife that as he could not behave himself at home he would leave the city. He had a power of attorney made out for Mrs. McGill and the next night left on the steamer Farallon for San Francisco. Since that time nothing has been heard from him, although it is rumored that he is now in Chicago.
His absence has left the city in an embarrassing situation, as the council is unable to pass an ordinance without the signature of the mayor, and even the Populist members of the council are kicking vigorously at the position they have been placed in by the man whom they elected to office. Mayor McGill, some months ago, brought upon himself the odium of his party by his actions in and out of the council chamber, and charges were brought against him by some of the leading Populists. No definite action was taken, yet many of them consider him out of the party, and say that he would never have been elected mayor had not the Democrats voted for him.
“As he could not behave himself at home he would leave the city.”
A mayor vanishing after a drunken incident and leaving city business in limbo is a reminder that local government can be paralyzed by one person's absence—and that political parties often paper over personal misconduct until it becomes impossible to ignore. Port Angeles' 1894 embarrassment has a very modern echo in officials who resign, disappear, or refuse to step down.
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