The North End Burglars Who Found Nothing
A bold pair of thieves ransacked two homes on North Prospect Street, only to find the pickings remarkably slim.
Members of a gang of burglars operating in Tacoma visited the north part of the city last night. The homes of Ira Baird and William Strese, at 1920 and 1918 North Prospect street, were ransacked from top to bottom, but the thieves found very little to repay them for their work. Both families were away from home. Mr. Baird told The Times that when he returned from church, his house looked as if a cyclone had been through it. Drawers, cupboards and closets were thrown about, but the burglars only secured a silver dollar and a few pennies. Similar conditions were found at the Strese home, but nothing was stolen. A neighbor heard a dog barking and saw two men fleeing the scene, but they vanished before police arrived.
“It did not require a second glance to tell that burglars had been there.”
Tacoma’s North End remains a residential hub, but the vulnerability of homes to property crime continues to be a persistent civic concern over a century later. The specific detail of the 'rat terrier' barking at intruders is a classic, timeless neighborhood watch moment.
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