The Outlaw Who Bought His Way Into a Saloon
Frank Mossman, a notorious repeat offender with three prior jail breaks, walked into a Port Townsend saloon on Sunday night and refused to leave—until he threw rocks at the bartender.
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.
PORT TOWNSEND, May 21.—Frank Mossman, the notorious outlaw who has broken out of this county no less than three times, and who has also served terms in the Port Townsend jail and the Oregon state penitentiary at Salem, entered the saloon of P. I. Man in this city on Sunday night and began to make himself generally at home.
The bartender ordered him out of the saloon, but Mossman insisted on remaining, and produced evidence showing his right to do so, in the shape of some large bills in his pocket. Man thereupon attempted to forcibly eject him, when Mossman threw his rocks at him, none of which struck him, but one of which broke a large mirror and other furniture of the saloon to the value of about $10.
Officer M. Deland then appeared and managed to arrest Mossman after having successfully dodged numerous missiles which were aimed at his head. Mossman was brought before Justice Ready this morning on a charge of assault and battery, and was held over to await the action of the grand jury.
This 1890s account of a repeat offender using cash to assert dominance in a public space feels surprisingly modern, echoing contemporary debates about how wealth can insulate individuals from immediate social consequences or law enforcement. It highlights a time when 'breaking out' of jail was a badge of infamy rather than just a legal footnote, and where physical altercations over entry rights were common street theater.
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