The Death of Belle Lincoln
A woman dies after being found severely beaten in a remote area, highlighting the vulnerability of marginalized people in the frontier.
One evening last week a colored woman of the town was brought down to this city from a remote point on the eastern end of the track, in an insensible condition, in which state she remained until death ensued Sunday. The name of the female was Belle Lincoln, formerly a denizen of the Falls. Dr. Morgan was called in to administer to the sufferer. He was not permitted to make a thorough examination of the woman, but ascertained that she had been severely beaten. This together with the life of exposure and dissipation she had been leading was the cause of her death. Medicines were left for her, but as there was no one to pay the necessary attention to the unfortunate creature, medical treatment was of no avail. One elderly colored woman did all she could for the sufferer, but she was unable to lend the assistance the case deserved.
“She was unable to lend the assistance the case deserved.”
This story captures the tragic end of a woman living on the fringes of Spokane society. It serves as a stark reminder of the lack of social safety nets for women of color and those living in poverty during the city's early boom years.
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