The Theater Continues: A Seattle Scandal of Mistaken Identity
In a twist of fate that could only happen in the Pacific Northwest, a husband’s search for 'joy' in Butte leads to an awkward reunion with his wife at the city's theater.
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.
One Grounds for Divorce.
James McDevitt, of Silver City, Idaho, sent his young and pretty wife to Seattle, as he thought, and then went over to Butte in search of joy. He started into the Theater Continues and the first girl he met was Mrs. McDevitt. She was very much surprised to find him in such a low and he was also astonished, hither one or the other will sue for divorce.
This brief, humorous snippet from 1890 captures the transient nature of early Seattle life, where social circles were small enough that a husband could accidentally run into his estranged wife at a local theater. It reflects the era's rigid moral codes regarding marriage and public behavior, contrasting sharply with today's more fluid social dynamics.
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