The Tragedy at the Ellensburg Hotel
A newly married rancher takes his own life in a hotel room, sparking a mystery as his wife remains in a state of shock.
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.
ELLENSBURGH, Jan. 2.—Joseph Southerland, a young married man about 30 years of age, committed self-murder this afternoon by shooting himself through the brain. The tragedy occurred at the hotel of R. J. Allyn. The body was found on the porch by members of the family, who went to the door when a shot rang out. Death was instantaneous, a bullet from a terrible Colt’s revolver having entered the right ear and traversed the brain. The victim was a well-known rancher from Midland, north of Ellensburgh. He had been married only about a month. Rev. Mr. Smith, a visitor who had been stopping at the house, went to the room last night, at the request of Mrs. Southerland, to talk to her husband, who was reportedly suffering in some respect. They were both heard to talk for some time, and afterwards he came down again and appeared to be rational, but this afternoon he ended his own life. The wife is distracted with grief, and an inquest will be held tomorrow.
“The wife is distracted with grief, and an inquest will be held tomorrow.”
Mental health crises in public spaces remain a challenge in growing Washington towns. While Ellensburg is now a university city rather than a frontier outpost, the isolation and lack of support for residents struggling with their wellbeing continues to be a modern concern.
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