The 'Jack-the-Hugger' Who Put Tacoma's Schools on Edge
An unknown young man ambushed girls near school lavatories, hugging them and running off—a harassment scare the era's press described with unsettling whimsy.
Tacoma — A young giant with 'Jack-the-Hugger' instincts has thrown Tacoma schooldom into a flurry of excitement by his attacks on young girls of the graded schools. His favorite waiting place is near the lavatories, and as the young girls pass from the school he rushes upon them, gives them a good hug and then runs away.
“His favorite waiting place is near the lavatories and as the young girls pass from the school he rushes upon them, gives them a good hug and then runs away.”
The item is a reminder that public spaces around schools have long been sites of gendered fear, and that how the press frames harassment shapes who is taken seriously. Today's conversations about school safety and street harassment ask similar questions about protecting girls without turning them into spectacles.
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