The Juvenile Outlaws of South Seattle
Three pre-teen boys are caught after attempting to steal horses to fund a life of adventure and pleasure.
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.
Early yesterday morning, William Hunch of this city missed a couple of horses. He learned that three young boys had been seen riding the animals away and immediately saddled a horse and started in pursuit. The missing animals were found tied to a tree near the large water tank in South Seattle, and the boys were in the immediate vicinity. One youngster, Eile George, made his escape, but the others, Joseph Janies and Charles Ditsel, were brought to the city. Young Ditsel appeared in Justice Soderberg's court and confessed that they had stolen the horses. They tied the two up and intended to go back and get the remaining horse when they were overtaken by Mr. Hunch. They intended to sell the animals for $100 and divide the proceeds. Then they were to start out on a life of pleasure and adventure. The youngsters are only eleven or twelve years of age. Justice gave them a severe lecturing and discharged them with a warning.
“They intended to sell the animals for $100 and divide the proceeds. Then they were to start out on a life of pleasure and adventure.”
Long before South Seattle became an industrial hub, it was a frontier landscape where local lore included 'juvenile outlaws.' The boys' dream of a 'life of pleasure and adventure' financed by selling stolen horses mirrors the perennial, restless ambition of Seattle youth—though today's version is more likely to involve stolen social media accounts or e-scooters than equines.
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