A Brutal Robbery at a Wealthy Fruit Farm
After withdrawing a large sum of money for wages, a fruit farmer in the Hall’s Prairie area was shot by intruders in his own home.
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.
W. J. Moggridge, of Moggridge Brothers, Hall’s Prairie, two miles north of Blaine, was probably fatally wounded last night by robbers. The Moggridges own Belle Meade, the best stocked and most valuable fruit farm in the province. They are young Englishmen and very wealthy. A few weeks ago the elder brother left for England on a visit, and the victim of the shooting slept alone in the house, the workmen's boarding house being some distance away. Thursday, Moggridge came to the city and drew a large sum of money from the bank to pay his men's monthly wages and returned home yesterday afternoon. During the night he was awakened by persons trying to enter the house, and on rising to defend himself was shot through the upper portion of the left lung. Moggridge fell senseless and remained in an unconscious state until discovered by a neighbor this morning. The victim recognized his assailants as two men he met on his way home yesterday afternoon. The robbers secured a watch and $13 in silver and escaped. No accurate description of the men can be obtained.
“The victim recognized his assailants as two men he met on his way home yesterday afternoon.”
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the isolation and vulnerability of agricultural workers and owners in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest. While the area around Blaine has transformed into a major international border hub, the tension between remote, high-value assets and the desperate pursuit of cash remains a recurring theme in local crime reporting.
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