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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 13 |
| 1889 | 44 |
| 1891 | 12 |
| 1892 | 79 |
| 1893 | 89 |
| 1894 | 93 |
| 1895 | 71 |
401 stories matching commit
- A Final Request for Mercy
A desperate railroad worker took his own life in a Second Street hotel, leaving behind a note confessing he was struggling to suppress a violent urge to kill.
- The Thief Who Stole a Coat Under the Nose of the Law
A bold pickpocket makes the mistake of committing his crime right under the watchful gaze of a city official.
- A Mental Health Crisis on the Waterfront
Judge Humes committed Charles W. Burton to the state insane asylum after he brandished an axe on the waterfront.
- The Tragic Confinement of Madia Joy
A ten-year-old girl is committed to an insane asylum after suffering from a paranoid delusion that her own family was trying to kill her.
- The Vicious Old Man of the Jail
After a history of petty crime and violence, a troubled elderly man is committed to the state asylum due to worsening mental illness caused by years of dissipation.
- The Neighborhood Terror of Kitsap County
A man’s year-long campaign of property destruction and violent threats against his own family members lands him in a King County jail cell.
- The Millionaire in the Asylum: Thomas Keeler's Chinese Indemnity Delusion
A Seattle man convinced the government owed him $1,000,000 was committed to Steilacoom after seeking payment at banks and law offices.
- The City Engineer Who Jumped: Seattle’s Mental Health Crisis in 1889
Ira Lockeard, the man who helped map the post-fire city, was committed to an asylum after leaping into Elliott Bay, revealing the hidden toll of labor and trauma on early civic leaders.
- The Tragedy of a Lonely Laborer
A Norwegian laborer, recently arrived in Port Townsend with a large sum of money, commits a desperate act of self-strangulation while in city jail.
- The Sad Delusions of John Watson
A trainman found living in squalor is committed to Steilacoom Asylum after declaring himself the owner of Victoria’s townsite.
- The Troubled Life of a 17-Year-Old
A Seattle teenager with a history of employment instability and violent outbursts is committed to the Steilacoom asylum.
- The Burglar Who Walked Out
A Seattle convict who claimed he was 'railroaded' into prison for a crime he didn't commit has escaped the state penitentiary.
- A Close Call for a Young Girl
A man is held for trial after attempting to assault a girl at his cabin near the foot of Pike Street.
- The Delusions of Martin Krop
A young laborer's unrequited obsession with a stranger leads to his commitment at the insane asylum.
- The Tragedy Behind the Milk Wagon
A young farmer ends his life in Jefferson County after leaving a note detailing his isolation and perceived social prejudice.
- A Heated Dispute Over the Treatment of the Mentally Ill
A Superior Court Judge and an asylum superintendent trade sharp insults in the press over the quality of care provided to a committed patient.
- A Lodging House Dispute Turns Criminal
A domestic fallout at a Third Street boarding house leads to accusations of furniture theft and violent harassment.
- The Statehouse Heist
A political mob forcibly seizes company records from a government official in a Spokane hotel room.
- A Vengeful Pursuit of a Debtor
A woman travels from Denver to Washington to confront the man who allegedly swindled her out of her life savings, only to be thrown in jail.
- A Machinist Committed to the Asylum
A perfectly rational machinist is sent to Steilacoom despite his protests, leaving behind a wife and child.
- The Struggle for Liquor Licensing in the Municipal Court
Mrs. Graham challenges the court's fines, claiming discrimination in the enforcement of liquor laws.
- The Local Press and the Mob
A critique of Washington newspapers that refused to take a hard moral stand against lynch law.
- The Special Agent's Unlucky Streak
A United States land office agent fears a streak of bad luck after encountering three suicides in three weeks of travel across Washington.
- The King of California: An Institutionalized Dreamer
A laborer from Enumclaw with grand delusions of immense wealth and heavenly status is committed to the asylum at Steilacoom.
- The Refugee from Sweden
After the Great Seattle Fire, a young woman arrives from Sweden to find her only contact in America—her brother—committed to an asylum.