Night Watchman Shoots Intruder at West Seattle Elevator
A thief attempting to steal grain sacks from a West Seattle elevator was shot in the leg by a vigilant watchman and forced to surrender.
News was received at police headquarters early this morning from West Seattle by telephone of an attempted robbery at the elevator, followed by the shooting of the thief. It seems that the night watchman, whose name sounded like John Brennan, caught the thief in the act of stealing grain sacks. No sooner discovered than the man beat a hasty retreat, jumped into a boat he had moored conveniently at hand, and attempted to make his escape. The night watchman was not so easily beaten and opened fire on the fugitive with such good effect that the thief was shot through the right leg between the hip and knee. On seeing that escape was futile, he surrendered, and his captors did everything in their power to stop the flow of blood by binding the leg with bandages. At 2 o'clock this morning the flow of blood had greatly diminished, but the man was weak.
“The night watchman was not so easily beaten and opened fire on the fugitive with such good effect that the thief was shot through the right leg.”
West Seattle's industrial waterfront, once defined by grain elevators and small-scale maritime commerce, has transformed into a mix of residential density and recreational space. The incident highlights the era's reliance on private watchmen to protect industrial property before the professionalization of modern security.
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