The Streetcar Thief Who Traded Booze for a Pardon
A young man who hijacked a Tacoma streetcar avoided jail by swearing off cigarettes and alcohol for nearly a decade.
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.
F. F. Tanksley, the young man who stole a street car from the Tacoma Railway & Power company's barns two weeks ago, pleaded guilty before Judge Chapman in the superior court Saturday afternoon and was allowed his freedom on a suspended sentence, after taking the oath to abstain from strong drink and cigarettes for the next nine years. The suspended sentence was granted by the judge upon the earnest solicitation of the young man's friends and parents. Tanksley told in sheepish tones that he was intoxicated at the time of his wild escapade and that he would never have thought of doing the thing under any other conditions. Tanksley will remain at home at Fern Hill, and has given his solemn promise to become an honorable young man.
“Tanksley told in sheepish tones that he was intoxicated at the time of his wild escapade.”
Public transit is often a point of friction, but it's hard to imagine a modern judge mandating sobriety in exchange for letting a transit-thief go free. This story highlights how the criminal justice system of the early 20th century relied heavily on 'moral oaths' and community pressure rather than formal carceral programs.
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