Midnight Intruder Apprehended by Local Baker
After waking to find strangers in his room, an enterprising Walla Walla businessman chased a burglar into an alley and detained him until police arrived.
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.
A daring capture of a burglar was made shortly after midnight by O. L. Cave, one of the proprietors of the City Bakery and Lodging house. Mr. Cave was awakened by hearing someone in his room, which is over the bakery. He leaped out of bed and saw two men, who ran out of the door and down into the alley in the rear of the building. Cave followed and overtook one of the men in the alley and seized him by the collar. The man scuffled for a short time, but finally surrendered and Mr. Cave marched him up the street until he found Deputy City Marshal Mackay, to whom he gave the prisoner. The man gave his name as Frank Hennessey, and is a tough looking individual. It is believed he and his partner came to town with the circus and remained here to work. He was taken to the county jail and will be charged with burglary. Cave lost a valuable watch and chain, but these were not found on the prisoner, and it is thought his pal got the jewelry. Mr. Cave, when seen, did not appear to think he had done anything out of the way in capturing a burglar.
“Mr. Cave, when seen, did not appear to think he had done anything out of the way in capturing a burglar.”
This incident highlights the era's reliance on private citizens to perform policing duties before professionalized security was the standard. The proximity of the living space to the place of work—the City Bakery and Lodging house—is a reminder of a time when Walla Walla’s downtown core functioned as a dense, mixed-use living environment for business owners.
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