A Tavern Robbery Goes Wrong
A man is caught in the act of 'rolling' an intoxicated patron in a downtown saloon.
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.
Dan McKay was arrested at 1 o'clock this morning by Police Captain Needham and locked up at the city jail on the suspicion of having robbed Jack Devine while the latter was in a hopeless state of intoxication. The alleged robbery occurred in the rear room of a down-town saloon, and F. M. Garrison, a bystander, and James Tallant, the bartender, told the police captain that they saw McKay 'roll' Devine. The case was tried before Judge Arntson in police court this afternoon.
“The alleged robbery occurred in the rear room of a down-town saloon.”
Public intoxication and barroom thefts were staple fodder for Tacoma police reports in the early 20th century. Today, these downtown incidents are less about 'rolling' patrons and more about the ongoing civic debate regarding public safety and the regulation of nightlife in Tacoma's historic core.
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