The Deadly Vengeance of a Rancher’s Wife

A Big Bend rancher who murdered his wife dies in jail after she allegedly poisoned him before her death.

“You old Irish, I’ve got you now. I'll sit on your grave before a week.”

Big Bend Settlers Win Land Rights Over Northern Pacific

Secretary of the Interior Hoke Smith rules against the railroad in a landmark case involving indemnity lands in Eastern Washington.

“The company could not seize everything in sight and hold great areas of the public domain to the exclusion of actual settlers.”

The Ghost Farm on the Big Bend

A pioneer spends his life building a homestead for his family, only to lose them in a catastrophic train wreck on the day they were to join him.

“A list of the dead—yes—no! Yes—mother and child!”

The Strange Afterlife of a Murdered Man

Letters from disgruntled ex-wives and rivals surface after a Waterville man is murdered, revealing a long, chaotic trail of failed marriages.

“I did not drink any of her tea in a long time and generally ate elsewhere.”

The Tragedy of a Matrimonial Paper Marriage

A farmer is arrested after a horrific, confessed murder of his wife, a woman he met through a matrimonial advertisement just a year prior.

“He claims his wife poisoned his tea and threatened to dance over his grave within a week.”

A Bloody Disagreement Over Press Freedom

A local attorney attempts to thrash a newspaper editor with a loaded cane and finds the editor more than a match for him.

“Mr. Trimble defended himself so well that the intruder was taken home and a doctor summoned to attend him.”

A Bungled Burglary in Waterville

A thief breaks into a grocery store expecting a windfall, only to find the till completely empty.

“The money drawer was pulled out, but nothing else was disturbed. Mr. Brockman had removed all the money the evening before, so that the burglar went unrewarded for his efforts.”

The Government Bans 'Holy Moses' Mining Claims

A federal ruling in Washington state aims to put a stop to 'tenderfoot' miners who give their claims offensive and profane names like 'Jumping Jesus.'

“It is only the tenderfoot who oversteps these boundaries under the mistaken notion that the chief characteristics of a miner are blasphemy and filth.”

Young Boy Shot in Accidental Gunfire

A tragic lapse in judgment by a group of boys near Waterville led to a severe injury.

“One of the boys by the name of Duncan, in fun, pointed the gun at young Emmons, stating that he was going to shoot him.”

Missing Money Lender Feared Dead in the Snow

An elderly man disappears while trekking across a fifteen-mile stretch of frozen prairie near Waterville.

“It is somewhere in this fifteen mile waste of snow-covered prairie that the deceased money lender is believed to be lying.”

The Ghost in the Land Office

Federal authorities in Washington D.C. mistakenly appointed a man to a receiver position—unaware he had been dead for three months.

“The remarkable circumstance in connection with this is the fact that Mr. Langford has been dead for the past three months.”

The Bachelor Plague: A Warning to Women Considering Washington Territory

A satirical column in the Waterville Empire warns Eastern women that the territory is overrun with 'horrid bachelors,' urging them to come anyway for the climate and soil.

The Promised Land of the Big Bend

A traveler in 1888 reports back from the rugged frontier of Douglas County, painting a picture of a burgeoning agricultural hub and a wild, pristine Lake Chelan waiting for its first hotels.

“The village is surrounded by a beautiful farming country, and I was greatly surprised when I saw the advanced state of cultivation much of it was under.”