Grand Jury
Named in 12 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 28, 1859A Territorial Judge, a Killing, and a Governor's Bad AppointmentA grand jury has charged Judge E. C. Fitzhugh with murder in the death of Andrew Wilson, turning a territorial appointment into a test of Governor Stevens's judgment.Olympia, WA
- Apr 18, 1872The 'Ring' and the Rot: A 1872 Call for Municipal ReformA scathing letter to the editor of the Puget Sound Dispatch exposes a culture of county-level corruption and financial mismanagement that mirrors modern political frustrations.Seattle, WA
- Oct 31, 1876The Scandal at Yesler’s WharfA political candidate attempts to clear his name after being accused of bribing a man to bury a criminal indictment.Seattle, WA
- Mar 24, 1877The Sheriff’s Hammer: Snohomish’s Last Stand Against the 'Nuisance'In March 1877, Judge J.R. Lewis and the local Grand Jury launched a coordinated assault on vice, seizing brothels and fining operators, while simultaneously exposing corruption in county bonds.Snohomish, WA
- Oct 6, 1885The Judge's Warning Against Mob Rule in 1885 SeattleFacing rising anti-Chinese violence, Chief Justice Greene of Washington Territory warned grand jurors that economic cycles and social grievances do not justify the 'folly of Xerxes'—mob violence.Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Oct 20, 1885The Grand Jury's List of ComplaintsIn 1885, Seattle’s grand jury turned its attention to everything from jail conditions to the 'inhaling or smoking' of opium, highlighting a city struggling with the growing pains of a frontier boom.County Jail, Seattle, WA
- Oct 3, 1886A Grand Jury’s Gift of MilkSeattle’s Children’s Home receives a life-changing donation from the civic body overseeing the county’s legal affairs.Seattle, WA
- Jun 14, 1887The Scandal of the County TreasuryAfter years of whispers regarding the administration of the former county treasurer, a grand jury finally returns a true bill of indictment for forgery.King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
- Jul 1, 1887The Jury That Called Out King County’s CorruptionA scathing 1887 report from the Grand Jury exposes the mismanagement, dangerous roads, and broken record-keeping systems of pioneer-era Seattle.Seattle, WA
- Oct 29, 1887The Waterfront 'Hotbed of Disorder'In 1887, Seattle officials and citizens mobilized to purge the city's waterfront of the 'notorious' floating houses that provided a refuge for the city's poorest residents.Commercial Street, Seattle, WA
- Nov 24, 1887The Shame of Seattle's City JailA grand jury investigation into Seattle’s penal system reveals a crumbling facility plagued by filth, corruption, and the disappearance of evidence.Seattle, WA
- Apr 9, 1889The Custom House Scandal: A Betrayed DepositA missing payment of gold coin in a shipping manifest sparks a corruption investigation in Port Townsend, shaking public faith in the local customs office.Custom House, Port Townsend, WA