Old Buck Delivers a Knockout Blow
A saloon owner on Railroad Avenue disarms an armed intruder after a night of crime in Seattle.
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.
Drum & Walmsley’s saloon was burglarized last night, the burglars getting away with about $30 in change, a revolver and several boxes of cigars. A few hours later an attempt was made to hold up 'Buck' Woods in his own saloon on Railroad Avenue, but 'Old Buck' let go his right and left, laying the hobo low, after which he disarmed him, taking the revolver stolen from Drum & Walmsley’s saloon. Several shots were fired, but the burglar escaped, and today no trace of him can be found. He carries a black eye as the result of his encounter with Buck. Between 3 and 4 o'clock this morning an attempt was made to burn the Johnson building on Front Street, occupied by Dr. R. H. Pratt. Oil upon a bunch of excelsior were the combustibles used to kindle the fire, but the wide-awake doctor heard the preparations being made and gave the alarm. Prompt action of several residing near the scene extinguished the flames and little damage was done. It is thought the object was to arouse the citizens and during the excitement attending the fire 'go through' the residence portion of the town. The same person was probably the actor in each of the three little escapades.
“Old Buck let go his right and left, laying the hobo low, after which he disarmed him.”
Railroad Avenue was the bustling, rough-and-tumble industrial spine of early Seattle, now buried under the modern Alaskan Way viaduct and waterfront developments. The story captures the frantic, volatile energy of a city transitioning from a boomtown outpost to a permanent urban center.
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