The Strange Disappearance of John Steele
A Seattle man is lured to a Canadian steamer under the pretense of work, only to be held captive and told he is a deserter from the British army.
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.
Mr. Robert Ireland reported to the police office yesterday that his employee, John Steele, had been kidnapped. Steele, who worked as a teamster, was reportedly lured to a Canadian steamer on the belief that he was to go to Buffalo. Upon arrival, he was approached by two men, one of whom said, 'We want you; you are a deserter from the British army.' Steele replied, 'I am no such thing.' The men retorted, 'That does not matter, and you are not in the United States now.' Ireland reports that Steele's trunk and writing materials were taken from him, and he was placed on the steamer and held in the hold. Steele wrote a letter, dated at Halifax, stating he was not allowed to speak to anyone except the guard. He warned that if he made any noise, he would be dealt with harshly before a court martial.
“We want you; you are a deserter from the British army. That does not matter, and you are not in the United States now.”
This 1885 account of a person being snatched off the Seattle waterfront under the false pretense of 'desertion' reflects the era's lack of legal protections for working-class laborers. It serves as a jarring historical reminder of a time when private interests and vague accusations could override a person's liberty, a theme of jurisdictional overreach that still haunts debates over civic power today.
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