The Unsolved Mystery of the East Side Wharf
A man’s hat and belongings found near the O.&C. railroad tracks spark rumors of a brutal murder in early Seattle.
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.
A horrible discovery was made by the police yesterday near the O.&C. railroad tracks. A man named Mr. Micheal, who had been stopping in the city for several days, had been staying at the International Hotel. He disappeared on Saturday afternoon. The spot where his hat, a bag, and other articles were found is between two warehouses of the O.&C. railroad. Around that spot, there is a quantity of broken machinery and old railroad iron. It is believed that Micheal was robbed and that, when darkness came, the body was weighted and thrown into the river, about 100 feet distant. If Mr. Micheal was murdered, the crime was even more bold than the butchering at the Villard Hotel, given the act was done in broad daylight.
“If Mr. Micheal was murdered, the crime was even more bold than the butchering at the Villard Hotel, given the act was done in broad daylight.”
The disappearance of visitors near Seattle's industrial waterfront was a common fear in a rapidly growing city where transients often slipped through the cracks. Today, that same area—once defined by rail yards and warehouses—has been transformed into the bustling, high-density residential and retail districts of Pioneer Square and the Waterfront.
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