The Washtucna Horse Thief Express
A quick-thinking constable and a flurry of telegrams put two suspected horse thieves on the train to Walla Walla.
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.
On Sunday night about 9:30 the sheriff's office here received the following dispatch: 'Washtucna, Wn. Arrest Ed Williams and Bert Farkam at Tom Durry's. If there go at once—Constable E. Sanderson.' The sheriff replied: 'What charge? Do you hold warrant? By whom issued?—J. A. Thompson.' About 9 o'clock Monday morning the answer came as follows: 'Washtucna, Wn., J. A. Thompson, sheriff at Ritzville. Stealing horses. Warrant by Lew Wheeler. Sanderson coming to Ritzville.—J. B. Gilliam, Special Deputy Sheriff.' Monday afternoon Mr. Sanderson arrived in town having in charge the men he was looking for and that evening took the train for Walla Walla.
“Arrest Ed Williams and Bert Farkam at Tom Durry's. If there go at once.”
This rapid coordination between a local constable and the county sheriff highlights the reliance on the telegraph for justice in the late 19th century. Today, similar coordination happens instantaneously across digital networks, though the underlying struggle to secure rural property remains a constant in Adams County.
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