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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 22 |
| 1889 | 18 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 47 |
| 1893 | 62 |
| 1894 | 37 |
| 1895 | 34 |
227 stories
- The Opium Runners of Port Townsend
Customs inspectors engage in a high-stakes boat chase after catching smugglers unloading contraband in the dead of night.
- The Shadowy Traffic of the Northern Coast
Authorities mobilize as reports emerge of a vessel smuggling Chinese nationals and opium into the Pacific Northwest.
- Tragedy in the Woods: Storm Claims Lives at Crescent Bay
A young family seeking shelter from a gale-force windstorm in the woods meets a sudden, heartbreaking end when a falling tree strikes their home.
- The Custom House Scandal: A Betrayed Deposit
A missing payment of gold coin in a shipping manifest sparks a corruption investigation in Port Townsend, shaking public faith in the local customs office.
- The Great Port Townsend Customs Scandal
A federal grand jury uncovers a decade-long scheme of extortion and record-tampering at the Port Townsend custom house, where officials pocketed fees and forced local shipping firms to play along.
- The Runaway's Plea for Mercy
A teenage girl escapes her abusive uncle and aunt in Port Angeles, only to be detained by Port Townsend police while trying to return to the only home she ever knew.
- A Scandal in Port Townsend
A Superior Court judge abruptly shutters his court amid intense pressure from the local bar association and calls for his impeachment.
- The Tragedy on the Streets of Port Townsend
After a violent street confrontation involving an iron wrench, Dr. I. R. Herrick has died, leaving a judge accused of the killing in precarious condition.
- Forest Fires Ravage the Dosewallips Valley
Families flee their homes and bury their possessions as a massive, uncontrollable blaze sweeps through the settled Hood Canal valley.
- The Scandal of Washington’s World’s Fair Display
Corruption and petty politics in the state's executive committee leave Washington's resources unrepresented at the Chicago World's Fair.
- The Tragedy of a Lonely Laborer
A Norwegian laborer, recently arrived in Port Townsend with a large sum of money, commits a desperate act of self-strangulation while in city jail.
- The Price of a Steamboat Collision
Federal Judge Hanford orders the steam collier Willamette to pay $30,000 for a fatal 1892 collision with the steamer Premier.
- The Deportation of Ah Choong
A Chinese resident is detained in Port Townsend despite possessing a Geary Act certificate, illustrating the arbitrary cruelty of federal exclusion laws.
- The Ghost Ship of Barclay Sound
A British bark, found abandoned and dismantled, leaves a maritime mystery in its wake.
- A Plea for the Drowned Soldiers
A survivor of a tragic drowning incident at Fort Townsend writes to defend the character of his fallen comrades against charges of intoxication.
- Mutiny on the Margarita
A German tourist has libeled the Chilean bark Margarita, accusing its captain of rampant brutality against the crew and verbal abuse toward passengers during their voyage to Port Townsend.
- The Seamen's Union and the Dynamite Scare
A wave of paranoia hits the Pacific Coast as authorities hunt for a fugitive sailor linked to a fatal San Francisco bombing.
- The Hoodooed Ship That Left Three Dead
At Port Townsend, sailors call the Linlithgowshire cursed after a third officer is killed—and the ship’s recent history makes the word stick.
- Uncle Sam Sells a Fort: Fort Townsend Is Set Adrift as Seattle Angles for the Garrison
President Cleveland approves transferring the old military reservation to the Interior Department for sale, clearing the way for a new post at Magnolia Bluff.
- The Day the Sloop Fired on a Federal Cutter
In 1860, twenty-four Port Townsend citizens chartered a sloop to save $5 on fares to Olympia. When intercepted by a revenue cutter, their captain opened fire with a brass howitzer—only to discover he’d just threatened the U.S. government.
- Smallpox Scare Drives Indigenous Families from Port Townsend
After learning of a smallpox outbreak in British Columbia, a group of Kuyoquot Indians preparing to work the canneries turns back to protect their communities from contagion.
- The Legal Quandary of Chinese Exclusion
A local judge grapples with the harsh realities and administrative conflicts of the 1892 Chinese Exclusion Act.
- The Jefferson County Political Volcano
A local Democratic club launches a full-scale mutiny against the Collector of Customs, accusing him of cronyism and financial improprieties.
- The Port Townsend Democratic Uprising
A raucous meeting of the Young Men's Democratic Club in Port Townsend erupts in chaos as members pass scathing resolutions condemning Collector of Customs James C. Saunders for cronyism and alleged corruption.
- A Woman Takes Port Townsend Police to Court
Elizabeth Scott is suing the city for $5,000, alleging that a police officer broke her wrist for the 'crime' of smiling at the Chief of Police during a parade.