The Thief Who Stole a Coat Under the Nose of the Law
A bold pickpocket makes the mistake of committing his crime right under the watchful gaze of a city official.
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.
William O'Brien, who has no known occupation save that of a sneak thief, was caught by License Officer Butterfield in the act of taking a seal skin coat from in front of S. Kliener's clothing store on Commercial Street early yesterday morning. He was taken before Justice Rivera, who committed him to the county jail for twenty-nine days in default of a fine and costs.
“William O'Brien, who has no known occupation save that of a sneak thief, was caught by License Officer Butterfield in the act of taking a seal skin coat.”
Petty theft and public order offenses were the primary fodder for late 19th-century Seattle police blotters. While the location of Commercial Street has long since evolved into the commercial and historic fabric of Pioneer Square, the cycle of low-level criminalization and jail time remains a persistent issue in modern municipal debates.
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