A Nighttime Intimidation at Dreamland Park
The proprietor's wife turns the tables on two would-be robbers, prompting a new era of vigilance at the local attraction.
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.
Last night as Charles Phillips, proprietor of Dreamland Park, came home from town, he met his family in a state of perturbation caused by the visit in his absence of two thieves to his house. The robbers probably thought there was some money in the house from the evening's park receipts and desired to annex themselves thereto. Mrs. Phillips answered a knock at the door. When she heard the mumbled explanation of the hobos, she quickly divined the intention of their visit and promptly closed the door, calling for one of her sons to bring a revolver. The would-be thieves did not appear to like their reception and made a hasty retreat toward the tall timber. When Mr. Phillips arrived home he made a search of the premises but no hobos were in sight. Mr. Phillips has been lately appointed a special policeman by the city of Walla Walla and has authority to arrest suspicious or unruly people. He states that anyone found attempting to rob his house will be dealt with in a way that they will not remember with any degree of pleasure. His wife has the family revolver within reach and is a good shot.
“When she heard the mumbled explanation of the hobos, she quickly divined the intention of their visit and promptly closed the door, calling for one of her sons to bring a revolver.”
Dreamland Park served as a major social hub for early 20th-century Walla Walla, much like modern community event venues. This story captures the precarious reality of private security before modern police infrastructure was fully established, framing the proprietor's wife as a crucial, armed defender of the family business.
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