A Failed Holdup on the Streets of Seattle
Two highwaymen with revolvers cornered a pair of locals near the waterfront, only to discover their victims were penniless.
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.
Two men were walking along Eighth or Ninth Street, in the vicinity of Main, this morning between 12 and 1 o'clock, when they were suddenly confronted with revolvers and requested to hold up their hands and submit to an examination. Their hands went up and their pockets were turned wrong side out, but to no purpose, for they had not a cent. One of the highwaymen was very polished in his manner and remarked, 'We have two stiffs here,' and allowed them to go on their way. Police Captain Willard and Detective Edward Clotico were observed to take a trip through the southern part of the city early this morning, but inquiries at headquarters as to 'if anything happened' elicited a negative answer.
“One of the highwaymen was very polished in his manner and remarked, 'We have two stiffs here,' and allowed them to go on their way.”
Street-level muggings remain a persistent, frustrating feature of downtown Seattle, though the 1893 'stiffs' and modern victims share the same vulnerability when walking home late at night. The incident captures the gritty, lawless atmosphere of the Jackson Street and Pioneer Square area at the turn of the century.
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