The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-19
A CHASTITY GUEST.
Dead Man Sits for Hours in a
Tacoma Hotel Chair.
WAITING FOR THE CORONER.
Italian Paoluccf Taken From saflors.
Boarding House Only to Die
Consul spencer's Action.

0. A. Spencer, italian counsular agent
here, yesterday received telegram from
Tacoma stating that Ettore Paolucci, the
Italian sailor, over whom the trouble
arose in clearinghouse there, had died
early in the morning.
Frank III. Owen, editor of the Aberdeen
Bulletin, who arrived III this city yester-
day from Tacoma, happened to be in the
uandolfo hotel, where the the sailor died,
and saw him breathe his last Mr.. Owen
gave the following account of it to Posi-
lNTELLIGENcER reporter:
On Sunday night man, Ferrara brought the
Invalid TO the Gandolfo hotel with the plan of
taxing him to Seattle hospital in the morning
The men were sober and all right when they
came to the hotel,
ihis morning at a little after O'Clock
Ferrara brought his patient out into the hall of
the hotel. and Paolucci sat down to wait until
breakfast should be brought. l came out of my
room just then. and as soon as l looked at the
sailor thought he was in the agony of DEATH
waiter came up by the dying man, who said he
wanted something. In minute or two Ferrara
appeared again, but Paolucci would not then
speak. He gasped for few seconds and then
his head dropped back, and it was evident that
he was dead
That occurred at say 9:15 in the morning OF
course there was considerable excitement over
the event, but went out on matters Of business
When returned at 2 o'clock in the afternoon
was startled to see the body of the dead man
sun sitting there in the chair. The people at
the hotel had been afraid to touch the remains
until the coroner should arrive, and he was liv-
ing at Puyallup.
Consul Spencer made the following
statement with reference to the trouble he
had in getting Paolucci away from the
Italian lodging-house:
The man was sick when he shipped on the
vessel, and on landing in Tacoma Captain Ca
purro let him go ashore with the understanding
that he could go to a hospital at the expense of
thevessel. Instead OF doing so, however, he
went to an Italian boarding house, and
after remaining there day or SO
he returned to the vessel and requested the cap
tain to give him s., which he did, and then the
sailor went back to the boarding house I re-
ceived notice OF trouble on the vessel and went
over to investigate it. found Paolueci in that
lodging-house, which is unfit for a healthy man
to be in, much less a sick one. decided to
have him removed to Seattle and placed in the
hospital here, but the proprietor OF the place
claimed $50 for taking care of him and 50 for
other expenses and refused to let the man go
unless 1t was paid, threatening to hurt
him If he did not remain l offered
to pay him the amount the hos
pital would charge, but he refused. then
threatened to have them ali arrested for harbor-
ing q deserter. He finally decided to give the
man up by my agreeing to pay S3L then had
him taken to the Gandolfo hotel and got
another Italian to stop with him, and arranged
to have him brought to Seattle today The
object the people III the lodging house had in
trying to keep him was to get what money he
had coming to him. AS far as the charge that
the captain mistreated the crew is concerned,
there is no truth in it. The captain was not
compelled to pay him cent of wages, because
he really deserted the vessel, yet the captain
offered to pay his hospital expenses and send
him back to Italy. The captain is really fine
man, and do not think the sailors have the
slightest ground for the plea of ill-treatment
The following dispatch was received
from Tacoma last night with reference to
the matter:
TACOMA, Jan. 1s.-lspecial. l-Ettore Paolucci,
the sailor from the Italian ship Riggio, whom
1t Is claimed was detained at an Italian board
ing-house here and was rescued last night by
the Italian consul or agent of Seattle, Mr..
Spencer died this morning from the effects, it 10
said of being removed from the boarding-hou
Captain Capurro, of the Riggio, says Paolucci
was paid off and was in Mr. Spencers charge.
The county commissioners have ordered an in
quest 1t is believed death was primarily due
to being beaten and neglected on the Riggio
As the matter may possibly result in an inter-
national inquiry a thorough Investigation will
be had. Coroner Frank left at IL O'Clock to-
night for Seattle to subpoena Italian Consul, or
AgeIt, Spencer.