Stolen Typewriter

The Case of the Stolen Typewriter

Elizabeth Simms

At the turn of the twentieth century, typewriters were ubiquitous in work spaces as they helped to streamline workplace processes and increase efficiency and productivity. It is no wonder, then, that the Wayland Free Public Library purchased its first typewriter in 1901. By 1909, it was time for a replacement, so the library bought a new typewriter for a whopping $50, equivalent to around $1,628 in 2022. However, the typewriter would not remain at the library for long. Someone, their motives unknown, decided to take the typewriter for themselves. 

On the night of November 28, 1911, just two years after the library bought the replacement, an unknown individual broke into the library and stole the typewriter, as well as items from a showcase containing old books and documents. Per a letter from District Police Office Arthur E. Keating, the detectives looking into the case had three suspects. However, the detectives carefully traced the three individuals’ movements and found no evidence that any of them committed the crime. They also checked local pawn shops, secondhand shops, and typewriter exchanges, but the library’s typewriter never turned up. Without any further leads on its location, the detectives could only conclude that whoever stole the typewriter still had it in their possession, but they could not build a case against any of the suspects or obtain a warrant to search any of the suspects’ homes. Thus, unable to find more evidence, the detectives could not solve the mystery, and the typewriter was never seen again. In the end, the library simply had to buy another typewriter and voted to do so on May 8, 1912. The case of the stolen typewriter remains unsolved to this day.

Bibliography

Arthur E. Keating to the Board of Trustees, 12 December 1911, Library Trustee Records Box I, 1901-1929. WFPL Archives.

Trustee Minutes, Vol. 3, 1905-1917. WFPL Archives. See especially 14 April 1909, 12 May 1909, 19 June 1909, 13 December 1911, 8 May 1912.

“The Typewriter.” From Carbons to Computers: The Changing American Office. Smithsonian Institution. 1998. http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/carbons/typewriters.html

Webster, Ian. “CPI Inflation Calculator.” Accessed 8 March 2023. ​​https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1909?amount=50