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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 11 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1889 | 11 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 9 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 16 |
| 1895 | 27 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 8 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
91 stories matching worthless
- The Tacoma Water Scandal
City council members push through a controversial water plant deal despite claims of massive overvaluation and a 'worthless' indemnity bond.
- The Price of Reckless Growth
When Lewis County hit its constitutional debt limit, local officials were left holding worthless warrants—a sharp reminder of the pitfalls of municipal overreach in 1891.
- Banker Charged in Fraud Scandal
The former cashier of the wrecked Merchants' National Bank is accused of selling worthless drafts to unsuspecting customers.
- The Price of a Phony Partnership
A Seattle man alleges he was swindled into buying a worthless photo studio by a pair of partners who claimed to have phantom land holdings.
- The Intellectual Con Artist of the Fife Hotel
A well-dressed man claiming to be the former secretary to Sir John Macdonald flees Tacoma after leaving behind a trail of worthless checks.
- A Hard Lesson in Friendship
A local clerk is swindled out of $200 by a former employer who promised a return on a worthless bank draft.
- The Gold Brick Swindle
A small-town banker loses his life savings to a sophisticated confidence scheme involving a fake Indian and a worthless brick.
- The Spokane 'Monte Cristo' Swindles the City
A charismatic stranger dazzled Spokane with tales of gold and a lavish lifestyle, only to leave town with $10,000 in worthless checks.
- The Con Man Who Taught the City a Lesson
A prolific swindler who posed as a businessman and senator-associate leaves a trail of bounced checks and broken promises across Seattle, Tacoma, and Fairhaven.
- The House Would Rather Not Buy the Railroads
Olympia lawmakers mock a memorial urging Congress to foreclose on the Pacific railroads, then vote 67-55 to let the matter drop.
- Ballard's Water Bonds Go to Court
A taxpayer sued to stop Ballard from paying $8,500 for a private waterworks plant he called worthless—money voters had approved to build the city's own artesian wells.
- Tacoma Sues Water Company for $1 Million Over a Dry Promise
City officials say Patterson Springs delivered a fraction of the promised flow, making the costly gravity system practically worthless.
- The Employment Agents Who Sold Phantom Jobs
Seattle's labor commissioner wants City Hall to crack down on agents who charge workers for jobs that don't exist—or pay them in worthless due bills.
- A Drunken Man, a Barren Tract and a Race to Freeze the Money
A Tacoma guardian says Frank and Mamie Aylwin plied George Ward with liquor and sold him nearly worthless land; a judge orders the proceeds held.
- The Bank President’s Private Till: Walla Walla’s Savings Bank Scandal
An expert’s report finds that J. K. Edmiston used the failed bank’s money for personal claims, had the books “fixed,” and left more than $151,000 in worthless notes.
- Olympia's Whole City Government Quit Rather Than Face the Voters Again
After a botched bond election sank the city in debt, the mayor and councilmen resigned en masse — and the Tribune says the incoming administration must come clean about the finances before asking for another dollar.
- McNaught’s Wharf Collapses Into the Harbor
A collapse of a waterfront warehouse leaves a local fish merchant with a total loss as scavengers claim the debris.
- The Great Aberdeen Watch Swindle
A traveling con artist successfully bilks residents out of hundreds of dollars, leaving them with worthless brass trinkets.
- The Smooth Swindler of Springbrook
A serial con artist attempts to swindle hotel keepers and produce merchants with worthless paper.
- The $3,000 Offer to Salt a Washington Land Claim
An Olympia land-office hearing turns on a state witness’s account of a bribe to fake a mineral discovery—and an expert’s verdict that the ground was worthless.
- The Scandal at the Washington Hotel
A prominent local man abandons his family to run away with a teenager, triggering a cross-state manhunt.
- The Bold Scheme to Irrigate the Desert
Local entrepreneurs hope to redeem 15,000 acres of 'worthless' land through an ambitious artesian well project.
- A Sober Assessment of the Seattle Boom
A local businessman warns Easterners against the 'real estate sharks' and urges caution for those moving West.
- Defending a Local Leader from Slander
The Post-Intelligencer defends L. H. Booth against accusations of financial corruption tied to his past work as a public official.
- The First Legal Hanging in Kittitas County
Richard 'Boosy' Anderson faces execution for the murder of Charles Fox following a dispute over a dice game in a Roslyn saloon.