The Great Coal Heist
A pile of coal earmarked for the city's poor is brazenly hauled away in broad daylight by thieves under the noses of onlookers.
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.
The general palace, which has stood so long on Pioneer Square, was recently ordered to destruction by the city council. The board of public works made an agreement to tear down the building, and the coal used in the heating of the palace was donated to the Associated Charities for distribution to the poor of the city. George W. Hall, who does the hauling for the company, was to haul all the coal to its dock. However, while men were working on the palace, a team drove up, and two men loaded the coal on in a business-like manner. No one suspected anything, assuming they had a perfect right to do so, and with a number of people watching them, they drove off. It was only later, when the legitimate hauler arrived, that it was discovered the coal was gone. The police have been on the lookout for the team, but as yet no arrests have been made.
“The first intimation that anything was wrong was when the team sent by Mr. Smith after the coal. It was found to be gone.”
Pioneer Square has long been a place of contested resources and civic neglect. The 'bold theft' in broad daylight serves as a gritty, character-driven anecdote about the city's early struggles with maintaining public order and charity.
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