The Man Who Bought His Last Meal with Strychnine
A carpenter checks into a Seattle boarding house, complains of abdominal pain, and dies by suicide in Room 23—leaving behind a diary entry that reads like a ghost story.
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.
Yesterday afternoon J. W. Swafford committed suicide at the Hartlett House. In the morning at 11:30 he applied for lodging, stating at the time that he was suffering intense pain in his abdomen. After sitting in the parlor by the fire a few minutes he asked to be conducted to his room. He has registered himself as John W. Swafford, telling the proprietor he would pay him at about 1 o'clock, when he expected to obtain some funds from a friend at the Brunswick Hotel. He was assigned to Room No. 23, and asked to be called at 2:30 p.m.
Swafford was awakened at that time by the proprietor, who found him in bed in a half-conscious state. He remarked that he would not get up at present, but would arise after awhile. About 3:30 o'clock, loud screams and groans were heard emanating from Swafford's room. Upon Mr. Bartlett's entrance Swafford asked to have a doctor called at once, stating that he was suffering from poison which he had swallowed.
Dr. Noble having been hastily called asked him what he had taken. 'Strychnine,' was the answer. 'What for?' 'Oh, I am tired of living.'
Dr. Noble found that the man was too far gone to be able to do anything for him. After some convulsions, during which the man suffered terrible agony, he drew his last breath and lay back on his pillow dead.
A bottle of strychnine half full was found under the bed, where the suicide had thrown it. His body and few effects were taken charge of by the coroner, and as soon as his relatives can be heard from the inquest will be held. The suicide was a native of Kentucky and 35 years of age and a carpenter by trade. His full name was John Willis Swafford. He has been on the Sound for some time and was last employed at Thomas Johnson's sawmill at North Seattle.
The man is given an excellent reputation by Mrs. S. A. Johnson of Ellensburg, in whose house he had roomed for some time. Mrs. Johnson is now on a visit to this city. Swafford had borrowed her gold watch, chain, and ring, and had pawned the former for $5, nevertheless Mrs. Johnson is of the opinion that Swafford was suffering from a temporary fit of insanity, when he took the poison, and that he fully intended to return the jewelry. He had intimated that he would take his life several times before.
John Willis Swafford’s death in 1890 captures the precariousness of labor in the Pacific Northwest's booming timber industry. A skilled carpenter, he was still forced to pawn a family heirloom for just five dollars to survive, highlighting how quickly economic stability could vanish for workers dependent on seasonal mill work. His story is a stark reminder that the 'frontier' was often a trap door for those without capital.
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