The Boy Who Borrowed a Wagon for the Hospital
A desperate dash to deliver injured men to the hospital leads to a street-side standoff with an angry expressman.
Frank Young found himself in a difficult spot when he had to convey injured men to the hospital. He spent some time hunting for a wagon without being able to mount one not engaged. At last, as he was going down Second Street, he saw a wagon that by tickets he knew belonged to a man named Andy McGee. He decided to take it himself, as he was acquainted with McGee and thought he would be doing him a favor by taking a job for him. He loaded the injured men and drove to the hospital. Upon returning the wagon to where he found it, he was met by Mr. McGee, who told him off and abused him for taking his wagon. McGee then compelled the boy to give him $1 and an order on the District Telegraph Company for the same amount, making $2 in all for the use of the wagon. The boy says he will see that he gets his money back and that Expressman McGee pays dearly for abusing him, as it is his intention to swear out a warrant for his arrest this morning.
“He decided to take it himself, as he was acquainted with McGee and thought he would be doing him a favor by taking a job for him.”
This 1889 report captures a classic Seattle street-level grievance. While the specific dispute involves an horse-drawn express wagon, the tension between informal mutual aid and the harsh reality of commercial ownership is a recurring thread in the city's long-standing struggles with civic services and public resources.
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