The Human Cost of the Des Moines Boom
A tragic suicide in Tacoma exposes the devastating toll of speculative real estate schemes.
One of the sad results of dabbling in the notorious Des Moines swindle was a case of suicide in Tacoma last Tuesday. Franklin D. Hughes, a native of Western New York, poisoned himself by swallowing an ounce of laudanum. Hughes came from Mercer county, Pa., about three years ago. His wife declares he lost what money he possessed by investing in the Des Moines boom and, becoming despondent, committed the rash act. This was the sixth attempt. On one of the occasions he left a note to his wife: 'Don't blame my wife. Barlow and Rice are responsible for what I am doing.' The gentlemen named were associated with the Des Moines humbug.
“His wife declares he lost what money he possessed by investing in the Des Moines boom and, becoming despondent, committed the rash act.”
This 1891 report on the 'Des Moines boom' reflects the timeless fragility of small-time investors caught in land speculation bubbles. Just as residents grapple with modern housing affordability and volatile market shifts, Hughes's story serves as a stark historical reminder of the human lives often crushed by the machinery of aggressive, unbridled real estate development.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.