A Disappearance from Providence Hospital
A patient suffering from nervous debility vanishes from his hospital room, leaving officials to fear he carried out threats of self-harm.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Considerable anxiety is manifested at Providence Hospital over the strange disappearance of Thomas H. Stoilard, a patient. Stoilard is a man of perhaps 60 years of age, who was brought to the hospital about three weeks ago, suffering from nervous debility. For several days he seemed low-spirited, and on Monday afternoon remarked several times to his roommate that the best thing he could do would be to go down and throw himself into the bay. At the dinner hour, about 6 o'clock, he went out and did not return. Between 7 and 8 o'clock one of the sisters discovered his absence, and a search for him was made without success. It was evident that he had gone out the front door and walked out without any of the attendants seeing him. Before going to the hospital, Stoilard stopped at the Seattle Hotel, and a Post-Intelligencer reporter called there in search of him. He had not returned, however, and nothing had been seen or heard of him. Stoilard came to Seattle some months ago to look after some land of his that was in dispute. His home is in Pileyville, Virginia, where he has a wife and several children.
“For several days he seemed low-spirited, and on Monday afternoon remarked several times to his roommate that the best thing he could do would be to go down and throw himself into the bay.”
This story reflects the era's medical language around 'nervous debility,' a catch-all term often used for mental health crises that were poorly understood at the time. Hospitals like Providence in the late 19th century struggled with patient supervision, a stark contrast to modern psychiatric care and safety protocols.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.