The Great Third Street Pot Heist
A teamster steals a gambling stake from a saloon, sparking a desperate, high-speed foot chase through the heart of the city.
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.
James Healy, a teamster, was gambling in the barroom of the New Zealand House, at the corner of South Third and Jackson Streets last night. Instead of pocketing his gains—or losses—and going about his business, as other gamblers do under this administration, he grabbed the pot containing his own and the other fellows' money and started to make a running record up Third street. Up to Main, up Main to Fourth and up Fourth to Washington he went, followed by a mob of anxious friends shouting 'Stop, thief!' after him. At Fourth and Washington he ran up against Officer John W. Glasacock, who took care of him and escorted him to police headquarters. Here Nets Brumao, a blacksmith, put in an appearance and requested permission to appear against him, and Mr. Healy will have a chance to explain himself to Judge Rivers today.
“Instead of pocketing his gains—or losses—and going about his business, as other gamblers do under this administration, he grabbed the pot.”
The intersection of Third and Jackson is the historic heart of Pioneer Square, once a dense cluster of saloons and boarding houses. Today, the area is better known for its mix of historic preservation and contemporary transit hubs, though the 'gambling disputes' of the late 19th century have evolved into different types of street-level friction.
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