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 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1862 | 8 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 8 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 10 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1903 | 8 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 3 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
30 stories matching vigilant
- Seattle Fires Back at 'Rough Town' Slander After a Sandbag Robbery
A Vancouver paper reported a traveler was sandbagged in Seattle and sneered at the city's vigilance committee. Seattle's editor says the whole thing is false.
- Seattle's Chief Woolery Gives the 'Hard Cases' a Meal and a One-Way Boat
Meeting every steamer from up the Sound, the police chief spots known troublemakers, feeds them, and tells them when the next boat leaves—then finds a valise of safecracking tools and giant-powder cartridges.
- The Day the Streets of Tacoma Went Dark
Burglars cut through the rear door of the city's post office in the Masonic Block, only to be foiled by a vigilant night watchman who heard the glass shatter.
- Calls for Women's Vigilance Against Domestic Violence
A reader writes into the paper suggesting that if the courts won't protect wives from abusive husbands, women should organize their own vigilante groups.
- A Widow’s Gritty Resolve in the Chehalis Wilderness
After her husband was crushed by a falling tree in the remote woods, a woman used a saw to free his body and kept vigil alone through the night.
- Vigilantism and Intimidation Against Chinese Residents
An attempted assassination of two Chinese men in Seattle is thwarted by police, leading to the arrest of three 'highbinders'.
- The City Charter of 1886
A legislative blueprint defining the duties of Seattle's mayor, council, and police as the growing territory formalizes its municipal rule.
- The Fugitive in the Mattress
A desperate man attempting to flee Seattle justice is apprehended by a persistent sheriff after being discovered hiding inside a pile of bedding aboard a steamship.
- The Election Day Plot at Black Diamond
Election officials warn of a sinister scheme to disrupt the vote at the coal mines, prompting calls for citizens to guard the ballot box.
- The Sketch That Sobered a Father
A young artist's chance drawing of a child watching over his intoxicated father becomes a catalyst for family redemption.
- A Grand Jury’s Grim Look at Seattle’s Jail
A scathing report from 1888 slams local conditions for youth and calls for urgent reform, while calling out industrial pollution in the Cedar River.
- A Damning Verdict on Steamboat Safety
Following the sinking of the steamer Josephine, a King and Kitsap County grand jury finds the vessel's destruction was caused by 'gross negligence' and a failure to enforce maritime safety.
- Justice in the Opera House Block
After years of whispers about corruption and bribe-taking on the Board, a juror finally delivers a verdict that sends a local official to prison, signaling a rare victory against civic graft.
- After the Riot: Martial Law and the Reassertion of Civil Order
Governor Watson C. Squire revokes martial law in Seattle following the forced expulsion of Chinese laborers, signaling a return to civil governance.
- The Unwelcome Swarm
As Seattle prepares for a railroad boom in 1880, the Chief of Police struggles to contain a surge in vagrancy and arson.
- The Carpenter's Secret Compartment
A crafty smuggler’s hollowed-out tool chest, designed to look like the property of a humble working man, fails to outsmart Seattle Customs inspectors.
- The Neighborhood Vigilance of 1886
When a Chinese-run laundry was established in a Seattle neighborhood, residents didn't petition the city—they took matters into their own hands.
- The Jailhouse Scare: Seattle's Dynamite Terror
After dynamite bombs were discovered near the city jail, the authorities tightened their grip, trapping prisoners in silence and fueling public anxiety over labor unrest.
- The Hunt for 'Stone'
A vigilante call to action follows the murder of a citizen.
- The Shadowy Land Rush on the Tide Flats
Speculators and land-hungry developers descend on Seattle’s tide flats amid rumors of a secret railroad terminal.
- The Shame of the King County Jail
A scathing report from a grand jury reveals a 'standing disgrace' where prisoners are packed into windowless cells and the county government operates in squalid, cramped quarters.
- Terror in the Tunnel: A Ghostly Watchman’s Tale
A railroad trackman, left to guard a suicide victim’s remains in a Seattle tunnel, claims the severed head spoke to him in the dark.
- The Battle Over the Memory of the Chinese Expulsion
A fiery rebuttal to external accounts of the 1886 anti-Chinese riots in Seattle.
- Homesteader Investigates Wailing at Lake Washington's Haunted Spring
An early Seattle settler recounts a terrifying, night-long vigil at a 'haunted' spring that kept his dog trembling and the local Indigenous community at bay.
- A Gun-Toting Guard at the Liquor Store
A store owner hires a guard to protect his liquor supply, leading to a dangerous and accidental discharge of a firearm.