A Brooklyn Grocer's Wild Night
A local merchant is targeted by highwaymen, only to scare off a second assailant with a police-issued pistol.
M. Knisell, a grocer residing at Brooklyn, had two terrifying experiences with highwaymen on Thursday evening. While walking home near Fifth and Olive, he was approached by three masked men who held him up at gunpoint. They searched him, taking a key, tobacco, and his umbrella, but missed the money in his other pocket. After he reported the incident to police headquarters, he was loaned a pistol for protection. On his way home via a different route—Second and Bell—he encountered a suspicious character. When the man followed him, Knisell turned and leveled the pistol at him, causing the assailant to flee. The police believe the first trio were amateurs, as they were described as nervous and bungling in their search.
“Knisell stopped and presenting his pistol at the man demanded what he wanted.”
The 'Brooklyn' mentioned here is the historic name for the University District neighborhood. The story captures the persistent, grit-filled reality of street crime in a rapidly growing Seattle, a subject that has dominated local news cycles for over a century.
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