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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 5 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 8 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 18 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 11 |
| 1889 | 35 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 23 |
| 1892 | 90 |
| 1893 | 87 |
| 1894 | 123 |
| 1895 | 106 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 34 |
| 1904 | 17 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 20 |
| 1910 | 17 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 8 |
| 1917 | 8 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1924 | 4 |
| 1925 | 3 |
| 1929 | 1 |
35 stories matching defens
- A Barber’s Violent Defense in 1889 Seattle
After a shootout on Front Street, the grand jury is tasked with untangling conflicting accounts of self-defense versus malice between two men.
- The Strategic Choice of Port Orchard
A government commission selects Sinclair Harbor as the ideal location for the Pacific Navy Yard, citing its natural defenses and proximity to Seattle and Tacoma.
- The 'Second Gibraltar': Britain’s Plan to Fortify Puget Sound
Tensions mount on the Pacific border as the British Admiralty, spooked by U.S. sealing regulations, orders immediate military improvements to the entrance of the Puget Sound.
- The Strange Confession of Henry Lattimore
After the murder of C. Grant in a Tacoma boarding house, a 19-year-old drifter with a 'straightforward' story was captured by rail workers and police.
- The Boomtown Myth of 1889
As Seattle entered the year of the Great Fire, the local press touted a narrative of unstoppable, 'solid' growth that masked the fragility of an exploding city.
- The Bold Bid for Seattle’s Shipyards
An 1889 editorial argues that if San Francisco can successfully build naval warships, Washington Territory—with its vast timber and coal reserves—should be the next center of American maritime power.
- The Wig and the Wire: How a Tacoma Newspaper Owner Tried to Destroy a Judge
In the sensational Wickersham trial of 1889, prosecutor R.P. Radebaugh’s own past and his alleged conspiracy to frame Judge Wickersham for 'immorality' were laid bare in court.
- The Jury Struggles with a High-Stakes Financial Scandal
As the White forgery trial nears its conclusion in a Seattle courtroom, the jury is reportedly deadlocked and leaning toward acquittal, leaving the city in suspense.
- The Trial That Shook Tacoma: The Scandal of Sadie Brantner and Judge Wickersham
A dramatic courtroom battle in the late 1880s reveals a web of sexual politics, professional ethics, and character assassination involving a prominent probate judge and a young woman accused of immorality.
- The Lawyer and the Imposter
Attorney James E. Morrison faces a hearing over allegations he orchestrated a fraudulent pre-emption claim using a double.
- The Shantytown Showdown
While the city council debates the impeachment of the police chief, the residents of Seattle's 'Shantytown' organize a desperate legal defense against eviction.
- Spokane’s Ashes Hold a Lesson for Yakima
After a massive fire devastated Spokane, the Herald argues that wide streets and low-rise architecture are the only true defense against the region's high winds.
- The Teamsters’ First Stand
Facing mounting pressure from streetcar companies and civic authorities, Seattle’s cab drivers and carters organize a collective defense to protect their livelihoods.
- The Third Time's the Charm: Tacoma Court Begins Murder Trial of Mortgage Foreclosure Killer
William M. White faces his third trial for the fatal shooting of James McMillan over a farm dispute in the Puyallup Valley, a case that has dragged on since 1886.
- The Auctioneer’s Audacity: A Watch and a Pen for Gold
Three local men face fraud charges after allegedly selling worthless gold-washed trinkets to unsuspecting buyers under the guise of a legitimate auction.
- The Steamer That Smuggled Opium in Sauerkraut Barrels
A federal seizure of the Walla Walla reveals a shocking loophole: how Pacific Coast Steamship Company executives claim 'skid grease' shipments were actually opium, and why customs officials looked the other way.
- The Political Boomerang of 1889
An editorial reflects on a controversy involving a judge candidate and the toxic, defamation-heavy political climate of young Washington State.
- The Jailhouse Performance of an Insanity Faker
A man accused of horse theft attempts a desperate, bumbling ruse to avoid trial by feigning madness, only to be caught plotting his escape with stolen keys.
- The Great Seattle Rebound
A fiery defense of the city’s resilience following the Great Fire, dismantling rumors that the local economy had collapsed.
- Seattle Squatters Push Land Fight to District Court
Squatters on the Seattle tidelands win a legal delay in a high-stakes title fight against A.A. Denny, as the city watches a $100,000 property dispute head to district court.
- The Judge Who Wanted to Join the Salvation Army
Probate Judge Wickersham faces seduction charges in Tacoma; his defense seeks a venue change as he jokes about his future with the Salvation Army.
- The Jailbreak That Almost Was: A Struggle for Freedom in Port Townsend
In a dramatic afternoon at the Clallam County jail, five prisoners attempted to overpower the keeper with an axe and a garrote-style choke. Jailer Furlong’s quick draw saved the day.
- The Judge’s Double Life: Seduction, Abortion, and the Cover-Up That Shook Tacoma
In 1889, a young canvasser named Sadie Brantner took the stand to accuse Pierce County Probate Judge James Wickersham of luring her into a trap in Seattle, forcing an illegal abortion, and paying her off to silence. The trial revealed a web of deceit involving fake names, land fraud, and medical conspiracies.
- The Groom Who Didn't Exist
A jilted lover's lawsuit in the Lewis River country unravels a bizarre family scheme to pass a son off as a different man to save the family farm from seizure.
- The Trial of Judge Hoyt
Facing a barrage of 'partisan slander' in the race for state office, Judge John P. Hoyt fights back against claims he acted as a railroad puppet and denied due process to labor protesters.