The 'Coolest Thief' in Seattle Captured
A burglar with a penchant for high-quality jewelry and a peculiar key is arrested after a spree on First Birch Street.
On Thanksgiving night, the residence of Captain Joseph A. Munroe at 318 Birch Street was burglarized, with significant jewelry taken. Detective Cudihee arrested a suspect, giving the name John Tiffany, while he was attempting to sell stolen goods at local pawn shops. The police describe him as the coolest thief they have encountered in a long time; he possessed a peculiar key capable of opening any ordinary door. Tiffany is currently held in secrecy at police headquarters in hopes of recovering the remaining loot. He is described as having red hair, a small mustache, and cold gray eyes, and is a new figure to the Seattle police.
“He had a peculiar key which would unlock any ordinary door.”
Property crime and the methods of local detectives in 1892 provide a window into the evolution of Seattle's policing and the city's ongoing struggle with residential safety.
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