Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 10 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
68 stories matching cheat
- The War on Cheatgrass
Agricultural experts introduce a new strategy to save Benton County’s alfalfa crops from invasive weeds.
- A Creameryman Confesses: 'Our Business Conditions Are Rotten'
In an unusually candid letter to The Ranch, the manager of the Rockwood Creamery Co. says reckless price-cutting and smooth-talking rivals are cheating Washington dairy farmers and quietly ruining the state's butter.
- The Ghost of Fort Steilacoom: Workers Cheated Out of Their Wages
A group of laborers at the new asylum construction site speak out against contractors and commissioners who left them unpaid and used rot-prone materials.
- Gambling Debt and Ceiling Signals
A high-stakes poker cheat gets caught when his victim shoots through the floor.
- The Doctor and the Alleged Blackmail Ring
A sensational damage suit in Seattle reveals accusations of professional misconduct, bribery, and complex personal vendettas.
- 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.
- Gunfire at the Windsor Hotel
A high-stakes dice game at a local hotel turns violent after allegations of cheating.
- Gambler Who Preyed on Newsboys Driven Out of Town
After cheating a bootblack and a newsboy on the steps of a local hotel, a 'crooked' gambler is fined and given an informal eviction notice by Seattle police.
- The North Bend Punch-Up
A grudge match between two former partners leads to a brawl and a trip to court.
- Exploiting Labor at Grays Harbor
A scathing report reveals how labor contractors are cheating workers with predatory 'discounts,' abysmal living conditions, and wage theft on harbor improvement projects.
- The Political Rings of Olympia
An editorial from 1872 exposes a 'carpet-bagger' political machine using public funds to bankroll a partisan newspaper and manipulate Territorial elections.
- The City That Couldn't Pay Its Bills: Seattle’s Fiscal Crisis and the Fight for Expansion
Mayor Moran and Councilman Dane plead with citizens to understand why street paving is stalled and sewer plans are shelved—not from laziness, but because state law caps the city's debt just as the population doubles.
- The Brutal Reality of the 'Sailor's Home' in 1886
A local reporter exposes the predatory labor practices and 'blood money' schemes targeting sailors in Seattle's waterfront boarding houses.
- The Weight of the Mill: A Logger’s Victory on Puget Sound
For years, loggers were cheated by mill-owned scales that rigged the weight to keep pay low—until the Papal Mill Company broke the cycle.
- Seattle's 1894 Election: Corruption, Fraud, and the Fight for City Hall
As voters head to the polls, the Post-Intelligencer unleashes a blistering attack on the Democratic administration, alleging graft, forgery, and a machine determined to hold power at any cost.
- The Artist and the Swindler
A Swedish immigrant artist is allegedly swindled out of his property by a local man who promised to help him return home.
- The Parasite Trade: Fighting the Employment Sharks
A scathing report to the State Federation of Labor exposes how corrupt employment agencies trap migratory laborers in a cycle of debt and exploitation.
- A Dispatcher's 'Lap Order' Sent Two Freight Trains Head-On Near Orting
A single mistake on a foggy single-track line killed engineer Louis U. Harmon and critically injured fireman Edward F. Martin—and left the dispatcher waiting helplessly for the crash.
- Vigilante Justice on the Sound
When a steamer full of card sharps tried to fleece a group of shingle weavers, the workers fought back—and won.
- The Girl Who Chopped Wood to Beat the Doctors
A young woman defying a terminal diagnosis by living in the Olympic Mountains is winning a battle against consumption.
- The Mayor's Purge: Tacoma's Public Works Scandal Erupts Into Impeachment
A sewer-pipe kickback, secret electric-light favors and a board loyal to the old machine: Mayor Orr moves to oust President Demorest.
- A Bank President Accused of Looting His Own Vault
Deputy Internal Revenue Collector James P. Gleason says he bought $10,000 in Commercial National Bank stock on promises that turned out to be worthless—and that H. W. Wheeler used a mortgage company to hide the assets.
- The Vaudeville Star and the Seattle Showdown
After her husband allegedly cheated her out of her share of a touring variety show, Blanche Norris took the business to court in Seattle—and won a $4,450 payout.
- The Stranger Who Cheated Fate
A high-stakes gambling dispute near Cathcart leads to a harrowing encounter with frontier justice.
- The 'Three-Dollar' Libel Suit
A Tacoma police captain sues the local newspaper for $10,000, alleging they falsely accused him of gambling, bribery, and corruption.
Also about this, in other words
- The Bakery Betrayal
A local baker is swindled out of his life savings in a classic confidence game at the edge of Wright Park.
- Forging Checks for Unrequited Love
A local laborer's desperate attempt to cope with a broken heart leads to a criminal spree.
- The Shack on South Third Street
A tenant returns to find his small business, stock-in-trade, and silver knives unceremoniously dumped in the street.
- A Wife’s Revenge Against a Craps-Playing Husband
An angry spouse leads a constable to raid a gambling den to recover stolen household money.
- The Industry of Cheating the Line
A look at the cat-and-mouse game between railroad conductors, ticket scalpers, and the detectives hired to catch them.
- A Marriage Built on Lies and Swindling
A husband files for divorce claiming his wife wasn't the 'virtuous girl' he was promised, leading his wife to reveal he was actually a confidence man trying to recruit her into his schemes.
- A Case of Bad Checks and Regret
M. O. Sinderude is sentenced to prison after passing a worthless check at a local business, citing intoxication as his defense.
- No Honor Among Gamblers
A Seattle judge dismisses a lawsuit between two gambling house partners, ruling that the courts have no jurisdiction over crooked dealings.