Candlelight Intruder at the California House
A quiet night at the hotel was interrupted when a man was found prowling through a guest's private room with a candle.
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.
William Grovor was discovered prowling around with a lighted candle in the room of August Klutchie in the California house Tuesday night. When accosted by Klutchie, who was awakened by the flash of the candle, the light was put out and the man fled. He was arrested later by Policeman Burgess and taken before Justice Keyes for a hearing. He was identified by Klutchie and bound over to the grand jury in $500 bail. In default of bail, he was taken to Montesano by Constable Hennessey.
“Klutchie, who was awaked by the flash of the candle.”
This incident highlights the vulnerability of travelers in 19th-century boarding houses, which were often flimsy affairs with thin walls and shared corridors. It echoes modern concerns about urban hotel safety and the rapid processing of low-level criminal defendants in the justice system.
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