The Ghost in the Yellow Trunk
A tip from surveyors leads two intrepid reporters to the shores of Alki Point, where they unearth a grim secret hidden in the brush.
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 reporters decided to verify a report of a grisly find Saturday night. Hiring a small launch, they set out for the shore west of the brick yard, about three-quarters of a mile from the West Seattle mill. The shore proved shallow, and they waded to the beach, quickly getting lost in the dense brush. After a difficult search through stumps, briars, and decaying cedar trees, a police whistle sounded nearby. Officer Webster had spotted the spot. Near a cedar tree leaning toward the bay, they found the object of their search: a human skeleton enclosed in a rough wooden box. The skull was missing, and a critical examination suggested the head had been severed by a heavy, blunt instrument. The skeleton was in blue-check pants. It was evident the body had been exposed to the elements for a year or more. The party returned to the city late that evening with the grim news.
“Determined to solve the mystery, the reporters rolled up their trousers and made a dive off the bow. They waded to the shore and were quickly lost in the brush.”
This 1888 discovery in Alki Point highlights the wild, untamed nature of Seattle's waterfront before it became a dense urban landscape. The 'yellow trunk' mystery captures a recurring preoccupation in Seattle history with the unknown dangers lurking just beyond the city's rapidly expanding industrial reach.
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