The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-08-24
THE WEEKLY fNTELLIGEStEi
Official Press Of King County
Saturday, August "a, 1878
THE VAC QUESTION.


mittirg ali sorts of excuses there.
Already We may consider the vanguard
Of this obnoxious element upon us.
and therefore il bchooves our citizens
to be OH their guard The Portland
papers have recently teemed with ac-
counts of their rapacity aud daring
outrages; bat lhe climax capped in
the report which reoche- u- of the rob
bary aud murder committed in that
city ca Tuesday morning last which
for audacity and foolhardiness com
pletely throws into the shade anything
in the annals of crime in that or any
other city on this part of the coast.
A store was entered In broad day
light, on one OF the principal streets,
by u trio of Williams, the proprietor
Knocked down with q bar of iron, and
the establishment robbed of 81 800
in coin and from one 10 two thousand
dollars worth of jewelry And what
seems more astonishing, the robbers
escaped with their booty; but in doing
so. and in attempting to shoot down a
constable in pursuit, one of their num-
Der sent pistol ball through the heart
of boy who CHANGED TO be within
range. 1t now transpires that SINH
lar raid had been plotted upon the o.
s. N. Co.'S Office, but was frustrated
The plan was to seize the Office upon
the arrival of the up river boat and
while the safes were open knock down
the Secretary and pocket the coin
Later reports from that city mention
numerous attempted burglaries at East
Portland; but in most of these cases the
robbers found the occupants of the
dwellings they attempted to burglarize
armed and ready to receive them. In
one instance two of them made their
exit from dwelling, with woman,
the sole occupant of the house, in pur-
suit. and numerous pistol balls ringing
in uncomfortable proximity to their
heads. This is the kind of reception
that every citizen should be prepared
to give these nocturnal visitors, aud
We would suggest the propriety of ever
having at hand n good six shooter in
the house. at least until these predatory
villains become less numerous.
These are the representatives of q
vagrsnt class. who are ut present a
source of grave danger to the whole
northwest. They are of the genus
tramrs, and DO outrage or excess is too
monstrous for them to perpetrate.
They are of the worst and most vicious
class Of criminals, educated and gradu-
sted in crime. They come not from the
ranks OF working men or the great army
Of the industrious unemployed. They
are not class. "a some demagogue.
claim. who have been demoralized by
hard times and enforced idleness. They
are class to whom every kind of work
and honorable industry has grown re-
pulsive. 1t is idle to claim that thew
will down ut the dawn of returning
prosperity-msy as well talk of a vul.
tare adopting the cleanly habits of a
dove. To them, all kinds of vice has
become II sweet fascination. and they
take to it as kindly as duck 10 water
Their ranks are being constantly re-
cruited from these monstrous hot beds
of crime-the great over crowded cities
ot the land They are the outgrowth
ola demonstrating species of communism
which has taken root and is fioarishing
unusually among the vicious. depraved
classes in the overcrowded quarters oil
our great cities. Not the product oil
hard times. as is claimed. they are only
brought to the surface by pinching
necessity. as the floods of a former pros
perity Gibbs away; like the lizards con
cealed beneath the surface of the pool
they come 10 view in countless
numbers and scatter over the surround.
ing country.
In California and the West they ar,
being formed into bands of brigands
They seize whole trains. break oper
freight cars and help themselves; seiz,
isolated farm houses and commit tht
nost shocking excuses. They are. il
fact, rapidly assuming the character o
rowing banditti. established through
Mexico some years ago, where life anG
property was rendered insecure in $50
lated districts. travel stopped anS
business paralized. The present cheaI
fares from San Francisco 10 portlan,
has attracted scores Of them this way
and before the Winter sets in GU
country is likely to be quite as overrul
with them IS IN California now. l
therefore is the duty of our city off
cials to keep vigilant lookout 70
them. aud at all hazards keep the vas
element thoroughly weeied out Of on
city. In this way we shall nip the evi
in the bud. Our citizens should ais
be donbly on their guard