The Tacoma Contractor Who Vanished With the Cash
A prominent builder disappears, leaving behind a trail of debt, rumors of an elopement, and a city looking for answers.
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, May 2.—J. R. McCormick, a prominent contractor of Tacoma, has disappeared, and his whereabouts are as yet unknown, but it is supposed that he has gone to Victoria. Many in this city are of the opinion that it is a case of elopement, and the woman in the case is Mrs. Jomart, who was recently divorced from her husband. The ground for the rumor originated from the fact that during the latter fight for divorce, McCormick acted as a protector. Warrants have been sworn out for McCormick, charging him with obtaining $1,000 under false pretenses. The principal loser was William Smues, a wealthy resident of Tacoma. The other was Mr. J. N. Hill, the former partner of McCormick, who a short time since withdrew from the firm of McCormick & Niches. His disappearance cannot be accounted for, however. Mr. McCormick is said to have a number of profitable contracts for buildings, several of which have already begun. The buildings already begun will be completed by Mr. Niches at considerable loss. The woman associated with the case has thirty feet of land and the support of four children. She is of fascinating appearance. McCormick is also a handsome man, aged about thirty-two years.
“Many in this city are of the opinion that it is a case of elopement... the woman associated with the case has thirty feet of land and the support of four children. She is of fascinating appearance.”
A century and a half later, Tacoma’s real estate scene still grapples with the fallout of vanished developers and construction contracts gone awry. While the 'elopement' gossip feels like a period piece, the struggle of unpaid subcontractors picking up the pieces of abandoned projects is a familiar rhythm of urban growth in the Pacific Northwest.
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