The Great Cigar Heist of Third Street
A burglar uses skeleton keys to bypass a shop lock, proving that even petty thieves in 1894 had expensive, specific tastes.
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.
A. Silva & Co.'s cigar factory and store at 717 Third Street was burglarized Saturday night between the hours of 11 and 12 o'clock. Entrance was effected through the front door, the lock responding readily to skeleton keys, and with an eye to business, the thieves took only the best cigars. The loss is placed at $110.75. Three hundred cigars that were in the press were overlooked.
“With an eye to business, the thieves took only the best cigars.”
This 1894 incident highlights the vulnerability of small merchants in downtown Seattle, a narrative that persists as local businesses grapple with property crime today. The specificity of the thief's target—ignoring lower-quality stock—mirrors modern retail trends where high-value, easily fenced goods remain the primary targets for opportunistic theft.
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