The Lonely End of an English Settler
A quiet man living in seclusion in a remote cabin near Seattle is found dead after years of isolation.
An Englishman named S. W. Thompson, who came to this country from England some months ago, committed suicide at Westan, three miles west of the city. He lived alone in a hut and was supposed to have several hundred dollars hidden away. At times he worked for the railroad company, but for some time past he has not done anything. Yesterday morning he left his cabin and was seen no more until his dead body was found by a neighbor a few hours afterwards, hanging from a beam in a shed. Coroner Smart was notified of the suicide yesterday afternoon, but was too sick to go and hold an inquest. Justice Miller will go to Westan this morning to examine into the affair and take care of the dead man's effects.
“He lived alone in a hut and was supposed to have several hundred dollars hidden away.”
The rapid development and land speculation of 1889 Seattle—highlighted by the bustling real estate advertisements surrounding this notice—often overshadowed the invisible, transient lives of those struggling at the margins of the expanding city. Today's housing crisis in Seattle similarly creates a stark contrast between the booming high-rise luxury market and the vulnerable individuals living in isolated or precarious housing conditions.
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