The Porch Gold Delusion
A man is committed to an asylum after terrorizing a South Seattle family over a phantom treasure he believed was buried under their porch.
A peculiar case of insanity occupied the attention of Judge Langley yesterday, a man by the name of Thomas J. Johnson being committed to the asylum for a mania that threatened the peace and life of W. Adams and his family at Riverside in South Seattle. Johnson, a track repairer, claimed there was a sum of money concealed in the roof of the porch occupied by Mr. Adams, which he insisted should be turned over to him. He refused to explain his source of information. About three weeks ago, he called at the Adams house during Mr. Adams' absence and searched the porch. He later returned when Adams was home, making the same charges and threatening violence. Fearing for his life, Mr. Adams had the man arrested. Before Judge Langley, Johnson remained obdurate, insisting that Adams had taken the money, which he claimed consisted of a $20 piece, two $5 pieces, and some silver. He admitted the money originally belonged to a dead man. The physicians pronounced Johnson dangerous to the community.
“He admitted that the money originally belonged to a dead man, but how the dead man communicated the fact to him he would not divulge.”
This story highlights the era's approach to mental health, where 'mania' and delusions were often met with immediate institutionalization. The 'Riverside' area of South Seattle was a developing industrial and residential fringe, and the story reflects the anxieties of residents living in these newly settled, often isolated, outskirts.
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