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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1903 | 1 |
19 stories matching timid
- The Unlikely Hero of the Fire Escape
When a local doctor patented a new fire escape in 1878, he had to prove it could survive the ultimate test: a 'timid' gentleman from the New England Hotel climbing down from a third-story window.
- The Scandal at the Springfield Hotel
A young woman’s stay at a local hotel comes to a chaotic end when three separate men arrive to claim her as their own.
- The Price of a Cold Commute
After Mintie Carver died of pneumonia following a frigid, unheated train journey, her estate won a lawsuit against the Northern Pacific—a verdict the court refused to overturn.
- The Auctioneer and the Widow's Heirloom
A desperate widow, a misplaced cedar cabinet, and a piece of paper that held the future of her children.
- The Riot-Scarred Streets of 1886
A critical look at the Seattle City Council’s tepid handling of the anti-Chinese riots, as the city struggles with the legacy of mob violence.
- The Alfalfa Controversy
A Kansas farmer warns that the popular forage crop may be causing health issues in work horses, sparking a debate among Pacific Northwest agriculturalists.
- The Peril of Water and Wire
Electrical engineer A.L. Kasson warns that firefighters face a hidden danger when spraying water on high-voltage power lines during city fires.
- The Boom Before the Bust: Seattle’s 1892 Financial Confidence
As the city shakes off the 'dull period' of reckless credit, local bankers and businessmen find newfound optimism in a stable marketplace.
- The Ghostly Discovery at Lake Union
A routine walk in the woods turns into a macabre mystery when a Seattle resident stumbles upon a shallow, suspicious grave.
- The Cleopatra's Big Game Expedition
Twenty members of an Illinois hunting club trekked into the Northwest to bag grizzly, goat, and caribou, leaving a trail of exhausted guides and provincial legal trouble behind them.
- Hanged on a Doubt: Washington Territory's First White Execution
When John Thompson was hanged in Seattle in 1877, many believed he was guilty of manslaughter, not murder. The Dispatch made the case that the law had taken a life it should have spared.
- The Bank Failed, but the Panic Didn't Come
When Merchants' National Bank closed in 1895, depositors lined up, then went home reassured. The real scramble was for the receiver's job.
- The Day the 'Worst Boy' in Seattle Found His Voice
In an 1876 schoolhouse, a song about 'John Brown' acts as a social intervention to curb the disruptive behavior of a local child.
- The French Laundry War
When an abusive husband tried to have his wife and her assistant evicted and arrested, he found that the women of the 'French Laundry' weren't going down without a fight.
- The Great 'Deep Water' Lie: Seattle vs. Tacoma
A leaked conversation between a Northern Pacific Railroad agent and a local editor reveals the cutthroat, manufactured rivalry over which city would become the true terminus for the wheat trade.
- The Typo That Made Seattle the Most Taxed City in America
A comptroller's misplaced decimal turned a $1.36 tax rate into $12.60 in the World Almanac. By the time the Chamber of Commerce ran it down, Congress was quoting it — and Tacoma was begging the newspapers to stop trashing both cities.
- The Fruit-Seller's Wife Who Kept a Loaded Winchester by the Cradle
Left alone half the night with a two-month-old baby, a quiet Seattle housewife twice warned off an intruder — then fired a warning shot past his ear with the cool of a marksman.
- Seattle’s Post-Panic Pep Talk: Canals, Steel and Paved Streets
On New Year’s Day 1895, Seattle’s mayor and aldermen promised economy, railroad terminals and a Lake Washington canal—and insisted the Panic of 1893 was finally fading.
- A Revolver at Her Ear: Mary Steel's Third Fight for a Divorce
Mary Steel's third divorce suit against David H. Steel laid bare a bitter fight over $49,000 in Seattle and Montana property—and allegations of violence, control and intimidation.