The Mystery of the Switchman’s Missing Fortune
A wealthy rail switchman dies before he can reveal the location of his life savings, which he carried in two mysterious suitcases.
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.
Two suitcases, the property of the late Andrew P. Nelson, which contained approximately his entire fortune, have mysteriously disappeared. A search conducted by his widow, Mrs. Anna Mikkelson Nelson, has revealed no trace of them. The grips are believed to have contained the bank deposit books of the deceased as well as a quantity of cash. G. Dowe McQuesten, attorney for Mrs. Nelson, has conducted a rigorous search of the city, visiting every place where Nelson might have left the bags, but without success. While on his deathbed, the wealthy switchman made feeble attempts to tell where he had left the grips, managing only to say they were at or near the Northern Pacific depot. Nelson was known to have carried the two grips with him almost continuously. A large reward has been offered for their safe return.
“While on his death bed, the wealthy switchman made feeble attempts to tell where he had left the grips.”
The Northern Pacific depot was once the pulsating heart of Tacoma's industry, yet its importance as a center of commerce and labor has faded into historical memory. The story captures the human pathos of a life’s work lost in the bustle of a transit hub, a stark reminder of the instability inherent in the labor class during the early 20th century.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.