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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
43 stories matching harmless
- The Sad End of a Local Pet
A harmless land otter, kept as a mascot, was killed by an erratic local resident in a senseless act of cruelty.
- The Unwanted Guest of Providence Hospital
A 'harmless crank' in 1885 Seattle exposes the gaps in the city's social safety net.
- The Mental Health Crisis of 1876
A local man is taken away to Steilacoom after his monomania turns threatening.
- The Piano Salesman and the Farmer Who Could Not Read English
A salesman is accused of talking a wealthy Russian immigrant into signing $2,500 in notes by passing them off as harmless commission contracts for five pianos.
- The Abandoned Souls of the North
Tragic reports from the Yukon reveal that ill gold-seekers are being expelled by Canadian authorities, leaving them to fend for themselves on American soil.
- Local Outrage Over Animal Cruelty
A journalist’s beloved greyhound is maliciously shot, sparking a fierce editorial denunciation of the unknown perpetrator.
- Tragedy in a Tin of Pills
When a toddler in a historic Washington town mistook medicinal pills for candy, a medical error turned into a heartbreak that echoed across the community.
- A Blacksmith's Desperate Act of Heartbreak
After his sweetheart jilted him for flirting with her sister, a Tacoma man attempted to end his life.
- The Lonely Plight of Neil McEachron
A constable brought 73-year-old Neil McEachron from Buckley for an insanity hearing after he bought 28 loaves of bread.
- The Battle for the St. James Mission Land
Secretary of War Robert Todd Lincoln denies a church petition for land, sparking a debate over the government's military reservation boundaries in Vancouver.
- A Local Political Feud
A scathing editorial attack on a local rival editor, accusing him of paranoia and claiming he sees imaginary plots to destroy his newspaper.
- The Jailhouse Gas Leak Incident
A young woman suffering from a mental health crisis dismantles jail plumbing in a desperate attempt to end her life.
- The Man Who Demanded Ten Thousand Dollars from the Law
A local man convinced an electrical machine was ordering him to collect a massive payday from the county deputy.
- The Gentleman Burglars of Tacoma
A jewelry shop on a prominent street was emptied by thieves who posed as harmless customers.
- Sabotage on the Coal Line
A dangerous attempt to derail a coal train near Seattle highlights the intense tensions surrounding the city's burgeoning industrial infrastructure.
- A Near-Fatal Robbery Attempt in Tacoma
Dr. F. C. Miller narrowly escapes a highwayman's bullet while riding near the slaughterhouse.
- A Social Break at Black Diamond
A local church breaks with 'sepulchral' tradition by hosting a social gathering that crosses racial and social lines.
- The Featherweight 'Blood' Match at South Prairie
A much-hyped prizefight between two heavyweights in a dance hall turned out to be less about violence and more about a bizarre, non-contact stalemate.
- The Blue Ribbon Reunion at the Union Depot
A young man waits nightly at the Seattle train station, searching for a stranger marked by a blue ribbon on her wrist.
- The Puppet Editor's Expensive Betrayal
A cautionary tale of a local 'figurehead' editor who was used by power brokers to spread libel, only to be abandoned when the lawsuits started arriving.
- The Drunken Highway Shooting Near Kent
A senseless act of violence on a flooded country road leaves a stranger fighting for his life in a Seattle hospital.
- A Tragic End at Sea
A sailor suffering from mental health crises committed suicide by fire while aboard the schooner Siimson.
- The Price of Reckless Fire in the Forest
A searing editorial from 1886 lambasts the 'gross and inexcusable carelessness' of campers and railroads that leave Washington’s timberlands in ashes.
- The Opium Ring That Terrified the Sound
A dark-complexioned gentleman with a sloop and a mission is dismantling smuggling rings in Puget Sound, proving that federal authority was reaching even the remote corners of Washington Territory.
- The Wealthy Beggar of Chestnut Street
A local charity worker uncovers a surprising case of a woman posing as destitute while living in relative comfort.