The Fugitive in the Mattress
A desperate man attempting to flee Seattle justice is apprehended by a persistent sheriff after being discovered hiding inside a pile of bedding aboard a steamship.
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.
About one year ago, the firm of Walsh & Auld opened a wholesale liquor store. After a falling out, goods were removed and Mr. Auld disappeared. He was arrested, and Mr. Beede of Tacoma went his bail. Auld escaped, but recently returned and was promptly arrested. He escaped the vigilance of the Sheriff, went to the barrel factory, and slipped on board the steamer Dakota, bribing a flunkey to stow him away. The Sheriff, feeling sure he was on board, made a thorough search. At last, the officer tickled a pile of old mattresses, and there, in the center of the bedding, he found his man, covered in sweat. He was brought back to the city and placed in jail.
“At last the officer tickled a pile of old mattresses, and there, in the center of the bedding, he found his man.”
The frantic pursuit of suspects across the Seattle waterfront is a trope of the era, reflecting a time when the harbor was the primary exit point for anyone trying to evade the law. The detail of the 'tickling' the mattresses adds an odd, humanizing, and undignified layer to 19th-century law enforcement.
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