The Burglar Who Hid Evidence in His Shoes
Detectives tracking a prolific Seattle house-breaker finally cornered him in a Second Avenue drug store, discovering a curious stash of keys hidden in his footwear.
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.
Dray, alleged to be one of the cleverest house-breakers in the Northwest, was arrested by Detective Urquhart last night. The detectives had been on the lookout for Dray for several days, and he was arrested in a Second Avenue drug store. When searched at headquarters, a number of thirty-caliber cartridges, several small nickel-plated keys, and a notebook were found in his possession. Dray's shoes were searched, and a pair of burglar's nippers, used for turning keys from the outside, were found in them. An address had been written down by Dray, which read: 'Haven, 14 Madison, Seattle.' Upon investigation, it was found that it was the address of Albert Hanauer, the jeweler. Dray was held for further questioning.
“Dray's shoes were searched, and a pair of burglar's nippers, used for turning keys from the outside, were found in them.”
While modern security technology has replaced the need for 'burglar nippers' and key-turning tricks, the relentless pursuit of property crime and the targeting of high-profile local figures like jewelers remain persistent fixtures of the Seattle police beat, mirroring the anxieties of a rapidly growing 1899 city.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.