Two Apologetic Highwaymen Held Up a Tacoma Liquor Dealer
A short cut through a vacant lot, a big revolver, and robbers who blamed hard times—but left the Odd Fellows charm because it was a present.
TACOMA, May 3.—Special.—George W. Rott, a well-known liquor dealer, was held up at 11 o'clock last night as he was crossing a vacant block on Ferry Street, between N and O streets, in the Nakes Addition. Two highwaymen relieved him of his gold watch and all the money he had, amounting to $110. His heavy solid-gold chain and handsome Odd Fellows' charm were not taken; the highwaymen allowed him to keep them because they were presents.
Mr. Rott was returning home when the hold-up occurred. He had a bottle under each arm. As usual he took a short cut across the vacant lot and was in the middle of some bushes when a big revolver was poked at him and he was told to put up both hands and keep his mouth shut. While the highwaymen were going through him they were profuse in their apologies, and said the hard times had driven them to crime.
“While the highwaymen were going through him they were profuse in their apologies, and said the hard times had driven them to crime.”
Armed robbery in a vacant lot sounds like period melodrama, but the apologetic robbers blaming hard times are a reminder that economic anxiety and street crime have long been paired in the public imagination. Tacoma's papers then, like Seattle's now, used a single crime to argue about the state of the city.
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