Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 4 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1864 | 5 |
| 1865 | 3 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 44 |
| 1877 | 33 |
| 1878 | 28 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 54 |
| 1884 | 23 |
| 1885 | 27 |
| 1886 | 30 |
| 1887 | 35 |
| 1888 | 15 |
| 1889 | 71 |
| 1890 | 14 |
| 1891 | 40 |
| 1892 | 156 |
| 1893 | 174 |
| 1894 | 105 |
| 1895 | 132 |
| 1897 | 3 |
| 1898 | 6 |
| 1899 | 25 |
| 1900 | 9 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 66 |
| 1904 | 62 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 16 |
| 1909 | 68 |
| 1910 | 18 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 11 |
| 1915 | 14 |
| 1916 | 22 |
| 1917 | 12 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1923 | 9 |
| 1924 | 6 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
44 stories matching escape
- The Great Escape: Professor Baldwin’s Spectacular Deception in Seattle
In July 1876, a traveling spiritualist and escape artist took over Yeager's Hall, challenging the public to witness his 'human agency' escapes from handcuffs and pillories, exposing the mediums of the day as frauds.
- A Wild Dash Down Fourth Street
A young, skittish horse sends a local merchant leaping for his life in 1876 Seattle.
- Six Men Break Out of Kitsap County Jail—and the Sheriff Wants Them Badly
A recent escape from the Kitsap County jail has lawmen posting rewards from $250 to $350 for Ah Tuck, Thomas McLean, and four other prisoners.
- The Great Snohomish Jailbreak: A Bank Robber’s Midnight Escape
While the town slept, a prisoner charged with robbing an Olympia bank picked his way out of the Snohomish jail. He is still at large.
- The Narrow Escape: A Four-Year-Old’s Head Survives a Wagon Wheel
In the muddy streets of 1876 Seattle, a toddler’s life hung by a thread when a heavy wagon rolled directly over his skull—yet he walked away with only minor injuries.
- The Narrow Escape on Whidbey Island
A quiet Sunday trip to church turns to tragedy for the Kellogg family after a pair of startled horses wreck their wagon in a field of stumps.
- The Great Escape at Port Madison
A convicted murderer slips past a guard and vanishes into the thick brush, sparking a frantic island-wide manhunt.
- The Professor Who Escaped the Shackles: A Seattle Spiritualist’s Audacious Escape
In July 1876, Professor S.S. Baldwin drew a crowd at Yesler’s Hall not for his spiritualist tricks, but for his daring escape from handcuffs and leg irons—a feat that left the audience gasping and proved he was no fraud.
- The Ambush on Black River
A quiet evening walk turns into a violent confrontation as a local man narrowly escapes a pair of disguised highwaymen.
- The Day Seattle’s Firefighters Forgot the Engine
A narrow escape on Mill Street in 1876 reveals how quickly a small fire could consume the wooden city—and how unprepared the new volunteer company was.
- The Seattle Fire That Almost Burned the Town
An incendiary blaze at the old Coffee and Elbow Saloon nearly consumed downtown Seattle in a narrow escape that left hundreds of men standing by with buckets.
- A Dangerous Journey Home from Church
A quiet Sunday excursion in Snohomish takes a terrifying turn when a startled team of horses crashes, leaving a daughter critically injured.
- Narrow Escape from the Rising Tide
A man who fell into a drunken slumber near the waterfront was rescued just before the incoming tide could overtake him.
- The Unwelcome Guest of Port Gamble
A small mill town's tranquility is disrupted by a mysterious, 'half-crazed' outsider offering unwanted critiques of local intellectual life.
- Tragedy on the Lake: Three Snohomish Boys Fall Through Ice
A winter afternoon skating excursion turns fatal for two young local boys.
- A Close Call at Third and Union
An evening horseback ride ends in a fright for a toddler and a lucky escape from harm.
- The Jailbreak at the Lava-Beds
A woman held in a Seattle lockup executes a daring escape, shedding her clothes and fleeing toward the wilderness after outsmarting her captor.
- Ice Breaks: Two Young Men Drown in Snohomish River Tragedy
Horace Low and Arthur Butt, employees of the local newspaper office, lost their lives after ice gave way beneath them while skating on the river.
- The Hotelkeeper Who Jumped to Escape Justice
A Port Gamble innkeeper’s dramatic leap from a second-story window reveals the gritty reality of justice in 1876 Seattle.
- Three Days Adrift: A Ferryman's Rescue Off Point Wilson
A German sailor in an open skiff, barely able to speak or move, is pulled from the water by Mr. Benson and brought to Port Townsend.
- A Near-Fatal Industrial Error at the Mill
A dangerous malfunction at a Seattle sawmill nearly crushes a worker, serving as a reminder of the perils of unregulated labor in the territory.
- The Great Fire on Washington Street: A Narrow Escape from Ashes
A blaze in the upper story of a building near Pike Street threatened to consume Seattle’s growing commercial district, but the quick arrival of the fire engine saved the day.
- The Steamer Yakima’s Narrow Escape on the Snohomish River
A dangerous excursion up the river tests the limits of steamboat navigation through uncharted waters and shifting logjams.
- The Man Who Couldn't Sleep: A Murderer's Five-Year Nightmare Ends in Seattle
William Devitt, a fugitive from a Pennsylvania railroad murder, surrenders to Seattle police after five years of wandering the South, claiming his conscience has finally caught up with him.
- The 'Hulless' Oat Craze of 1876
A Vermont promoter and a Duwamish River farmer pitch a new 'agricultural wonder' to the settlers of Washington Territory.