The Pawnbroker's Trap: How a Portland Dealer Took Down a Jewel Thief
A Tacoma jeweler's robbery leads to a cross-state chase and a clever act of revenge by a Portland pawnbroker who had once been burned by the same thief.
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.
TACOMA, Aug. 22.—[Special.]—It is now said by Jeweler Mierow, whose store was robbed in broad daylight of $2,000 in watches and jewelry, that the robber, John Land, was trapped by a Portland pawnbroker named Bloch. It appears that Land robbed Butterfield's jewelry store at Centralia three years ago in addition to robbing Ross' jewelry store at that place three weeks ago. The stolen goods of three years ago was turned over to Bloch and later a Centralia man saw the goods in his window. For receiving stolen goods Bloch became entangled in the law's meshes, and it cost him, so it is said by Mierow, to clear himself. Bloch vowed revenge. So when Land, not knowing the trouble he had caused the pawnbroker, turned up with the goods stolen at Tacoma Bloch seized upon the opportunity to get even. He told Land to come around in the evening with the goods and then he went and notified the police, and when Land did come he was arrested. He offered only half of the stolen goods to Bloch, the balance being traced to and found in his room. Land will plead guilty to stealing Mierow's jewelry.
“Bloch vowed revenge. So when Land, not knowing the trouble he had caused the pawnbroker, turned up with the goods stolen at Tacoma Bloch seized upon the opportunity to get even.”
This story shows how crime crossed city lines in the late 19th century, and how informal networks of pawnbrokers and police could work together to catch a repeat offender. Today, law enforcement still relies on such networks, though with more formal coordination.
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