A Pickpocket Scheme in the Fish Market
An elderly man was targeted by a ring of thieves while shopping on North Second Street.
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.
Conrad Amon, an aged German residing at 339 Chase avenue, reported to the police at noon today that he had been robbed of $460 while in the Mead fish market at 11 North Second street this morning. Four young men, strangers to Mr. Amon and the police, followed Amon and his wife into the market and rubbed close to him while he was engaged with the proprietor. They are believed to have rifled the pockets of the aged man and to have made their escape before he noticed his loss. Mr. Amon had drawn $460 from the First National bank earlier that morning. Two young men followed close behind the couple, and a minute afterward, two other men entered the store and crowded about the old man as he stood making his purchases. The suspects left the store without buying anything. Mr. Amon missed his money soon after reaching Main street and returned to the market in a vain search.
“They are believed to have rifled the pockets of the aged man and to have made their escape before he noticed his loss.”
This street-level crime in 1903 reveals the vulnerability of the elderly in public spaces, a concern that remains constant in urban life. The location described, 11 North Second Street, is in the heart of historic downtown Walla Walla, where current business owners and residents grapple with similar issues of public safety and economic security.
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