A Nighttime Break-in at Lake Union
A foreman for the Western Mill Company falls victim to skilled thieves who managed to slip his locks.
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.
The home of H.C. Trailer, a foreman for the Western Mill Company, located at the corner of Sixth and Mary streets, was burglarized on Friday night. The thieves gained entry by using a brace and bit to bore through the door jamb and slip the bolt. Mr. Trailer, who was inside at the time, discovered the robbery at daylight, finding his bureau drawers pulled out and scattered. The intruders made off with $25 in cash and roughly $10 in other valuables. Local detectives Cave and Roberts have been assigned to the case.
“He knew nothing of their presence until daylight, when he arose and was surprised to find everything in the house topsy-turvy.”
This burglary, occurring in what was then the Lake Union district, reflects the persistent property crimes that have tracked Seattle’s development from a mill town to a metropolis. The specific technique of the 'brace and bit' highlights how even low-stakes crime leaves behind a record of the specific tools and methods of the Victorian era.
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