Laundry Wagon Ambush at Depot Street
A brazen nighttime hold-up near Lake Union serves as a stark reminder of the city's dim streets and growing danger.
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.
A hold-up occurred in the northern part of the city near Depot and Albert streets at 10 p.m. last Friday. William Stewart, a driver for the Seattle Steam Laundry, was traveling toward Lake Union when four men intercepted his wagon. Two men held the horses while the others, armed with revolvers, forced Stewart to dismount and surrender his cash. They robbed him of $12, a knife, and other small items before disappearing into the night. Police are investigating, but the lack of adequate street lighting in that area has made identifying the perpetrators difficult.
“The lights in that section of the city are so dim as to greatly aid robbers in stealing up to their victims unobserved.”
The transition from horse-drawn laundry wagons to modern delivery services is complete, but the 'dim street' complaint is a familiar refrain in Seattle's ongoing debate over public safety and lighting infrastructure.
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