Burglars Flee When Interrupted by Fruit Peddler
A routine burglary at Dr. L. R. Dawson's home is thwarted by the most unlikely of sentries—a boy selling fruit.
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.
Dr. L. R. Dawson's residence at 2315 Seventh street was ransacked by burglars last Friday evening. The doctor and his wife were out of the city, providing an opportunity for the thieves to enter through the back door. They gathered the doctor's silverware into bags and one burglar even changed into a new suit of clothes found in the home, leaving his own worn garments behind. However, their work was interrupted when a young boy selling fruit rang the front doorbell. The lookout gave the signal, and the burglars fled empty-handed. The police are currently investigating the case.
“They were evidently in the midst of going through the bureau drawers when a boy with fruit to sell rang the front door bell.”
The details of this 1894 burglary—the specific address on Seventh Street and the domestic nature of the crime—provide a window into early Seattle residential life. While the 'fruit peddler' as an informal neighborhood sentry is a relic of the past, the anxiety regarding property security remains a constant in urban Seattle.
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