The Horseshoe Saloon Robbery
A young ranch hand’s night out ends in a courtroom drama after his money and watch vanish in the back of a saloon.
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.
The case of the State vs. Robert Langford, charged with the larceny of $80 and a silver watch from 'Jack' Kellough, a young ranch hand, at the Horseshoe Saloon last month, went to the jury at 3:40 o'clock this afternoon. Kellough, who had recently arrived from Eureka Flat with $125, testified that he was drinking with Langford and others in a box at the saloon. According to Kellough, Langford remarked that he was 'rather drunk' and offered to take care of his money, at which point he emptied Kellough's pockets. Though Langford allegedly returned $2.65 and asked a witness to note the repayment, Kellough insisted on his gold, leading Langford to flee out the back way. Witness Fred Hegleau corroborated the account of the theft, noting he saw the money being taken. The defense's case was complicated by the absence of another witness, 'Jack' Massam, who has left town.
“Langford remarked that Kellough was rather drunk and that he would take care of his money.”
Public drunkenness and the vulnerability of transient workers in social spaces remain a persistent issue in local civic life, echoing concerns about safety and exploitation in the downtown core that Walla Walla still grapples with today.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.