The Kiona Store Heist
Local merchants report a break-in at the Kelso-Hughes shop, where thieves made off with merchandise under the cover of darkness.
Friday night, the store of Kelso-Hughes in Kiona was robbed of about $40.00 worth of merchandise. The robber gained entrance by breaking the glass in the front door. It is suspected to have been the work of transients, as some of their old clothing was found discarded in a boxcar on the Oregon-Washington Railroad line near the store.
“It is supposed to have been the work of tramps as some of their old clothes were found in a box car on the O-W. near the store.”
Petty theft and the presence of itinerant laborers in transit hubs were constant anxieties for small-town business owners in the early 20th century, mirroring modern debates about public safety and economic precarity in rural Washington.
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