Buttons go missing. Police are mystified. The case remains unsolved.
"1922::Buttons Mystery in Cassidy, British Columbia" Clip: Visalia Times-Delta (1922)
Visalia, California
When two young men from Vancouver Island reported to police that buttons had gone missing from their clothing in their Cassidy farmhouse, they likely never suspected their story would make newspaper headlines across North America.
"1922::Button Headline From the East Coast"
Clip: The London Evening Times (1922)
London, Ontario
The Cassidy button thief outplayed his victims, waiting for the home's occupants to fall asleep. By the time the rooster crowed, buttons stitched on every garment in the house had been removed and stolen. The mystery stumped everyone, including a provincial policeman who had volunteered to stay at the farmhouse for a few nights until he solved the case. After his first night, however, the constable woke up to all his buttons missing from his uniform. Upon discovering the thefts, the victims were shocked and bewildered, unable to comprehend how someone could be so bold as to steal buttons from their clothing.
"1922::Button Mystery Still Circulating Months Later"
Clip: Carbondale Free Press (1922)
Carbondale, Illinois
Several months later, the button mystery still unsolved, a thief began sneaking in the night around Nanaimo, just north of Cassidy. The prowler stole money from well-known people in the community, including the local Sheriff and even the Chief of the Provincial Police. Over several weeks, fruit jars disappeared from pantries around the city—then horses. Horses were found roaming the streets late at night, appearing to have just returned from a long ride. The police eventually captured the horse thief- a local blacksmith's son- and jailed him for his antics. But it was clear that the young man knew nothing about missing buttons, money or fruit jars from pantries.
"1923::Mystery Button Story Reaches Far"
Clip: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1923) Brooklyn, New York
Despite the resolution of the horse stealer, the button thief's identity and motives remained a mystery, and his actions continued to baffle authorities. The story circulated in some of the most prominent papers in North America for almost a year from when the first buttons were reported missing, leaving readers captivated by the unsolved puzzle.