The Burglary at Seventh Street
A bold thief breaks into a local doctor's home, only to be outsmarted by his own clothing choices.
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.
In less than nine hours yesterday from the time the police received information concerning the burglary of Dr. L. R. Dawson's residence at 2315 Seventh Street, the guilty party was under arrest and had confessed to Chief Rogers. The Dawsons returned home yesterday to find jewelry and a suit of clothes missing. Officer H. W. Harr of Fremont, who is always alert for dangerous characters straying from the city center, noticed a man in corduroy clothing going from house to house begging. Suspecting the man matched the description of the stolen goods, Harr pursued him. The suspect fled toward Queen Anne Hill, but Officer Harr, an athlete, caught him and brought him to headquarters. The man identified himself as John Grainade, a 22-year-old English sailor. When brought before Chief Rogers, the Chief noted the man's coat and vest and, upon checking, confirmed they belonged to Dr. Dawson. The Chief then tricked Grainade into a confession by asking about the pipe he had left in the pocket of his discarded old suit, which Grainade confirmed was his. A subsequent search revealed the remainder of the stolen property.
“The beggar went for Queen Anne hill as soon as he caught sight of Mr. Harr's long legs and brass buttons. It was an exciting chase, but Mr. Harr is quite an athlete and sprinter.”
Seventh Street in 1894 was a residential area for the professional class, whereas today it lies in the dense urban core of the Denny Triangle. This story captures a classic Seattle beat-cop narrative from an era before high-tech forensics, when a sharp eye for clothing and a foot chase were the primary tools of justice.
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