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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 27 |
| 1889 | 51 |
| 1891 | 28 |
| 1892 | 206 |
| 1893 | 224 |
| 1894 | 201 |
| 1895 | 161 |
898 stories
- A Tense Welcome at the Pier
Tacoma celebrates a new trans-Pacific trade route, but the arrival of Chinese passengers aboard the Phra-Nang serves as a dark reminder of the city's history of expulsion.
- Tragedy in a Tacoma Sewer Ditch
A team of horses and a wagon are discovered floundering in a construction trench, with fears for the driver's life.
- Eviction Attempt Sparks Regional Feud
Tacoma rivals attempt to oust the local Harrison Republican Club from their headquarters in the Mason Block.
- Smallpox Panic in Tacoma Lodging Houses
Public health concerns arise as dozens are quarantined in local boarding houses.
- The Battle for the Sabbath
Tacoma sees its first-ever Sunday theatrical performance, inciting an immediate protest from the city's Ministerial Alliance.
- Tacoma Merchants Declare War on 'Dead Beats'
Fed up with unpaid tabs, Tacoma retailers organize a boycott committee and a $20 fine system to discipline customers who buy on credit.
- A Cultural Tug-of-War in Tacoma’s Catholic Church
Thousands of Irish-American parishioners lobby the Vatican for an English-speaking clergy, citing a disconnect with the current leadership.
- Blackmail at the Courthouse
Architect O.P. Dennis receives a mysterious, threatening letter suggesting corruption in the building of the Pierce County Courthouse.
- A Scandalous Escape and Elopement in Tacoma
A prominent Tacoma man's affair with his friend's schoolmate ends in a bizarre jailhouse arrest after a botched elopement involving the man's own child.
- Railroad Union Delegate Denied Pass
A local railway mechanic is denied travel to a national summit, highlighting tensions in the American Railway Union.
- The Sunday Shave Showdown
A Tacoma barber is fined for keeping his shop open on Sunday, sparking a long-standing legal battle with the barbers' union.
- Mike O'Brien's Irreverent Grand Jury Testimony
A witness summoned regarding a city water scandal mocks the grand jury as a collection of the 'blind and the mangy.'
- Intercepted at Sea
Ten Chinese individuals, including a man carrying a valid certificate of residence, are being deported under the shadow of the Geary Act.
- Barroom Argument Leads to Stabbing in Tacoma
A Sydney barrister and newspaper editor was severely wounded by a former mayor turned political zealot during a heated debate over Populist doctrine.
- The 'Green Goods' Confidence Trick
A Tacoma woman narrowly avoids a total swindle only to have her money snatched in a daring streetcar exchange.
- The Pawnbroker's Trap: How a Portland Dealer Took Down a Jewel Thief
A Tacoma jeweler's robbery leads to a cross-state chase and a clever act of revenge by a Portland pawnbroker who had once been burned by the same thief.
- The Newspaper Tried to Boycott the Fair; the Fair Boycotted Back
When the Ledger moved to oust union man Jim Dow from the Interstate Fair, Tacoma's businessmen chose the fair over the paper.
- They Struck Gold in the Middle of Tacoma — Or Said They Did
Placer miners claim a patch of state school land inside the city is a rich mining camp. The state is drilling to bed rock to find out who is right.
- A Populist Orator, a Sidewalk, and a Penknife
Tacoma police arrested 68-year-old party leader Dolph Hannah for blocking Pacific Avenue with a campaign speech, then released him on his own recognizance after a scuffle.
- A Smallpox Quarantine in a Snowbound Hotel
A burst pipe left six quarantined smallpox patients without water as Tacoma's snowstorm shut down plumbers, coal deliveries and the Northern Pacific.
- Railroads Eye the Puyallup Reservation as Opening Rumors Swirl
Members of the Puyallup tribe meet to consider granting railroad right-of-way through their reservation, amid speculation that the land will be thrown open to settlers within sixty days.
- The Banker, the Preacher and the Indictments in the Pews
When a Tacoma grand jury indicted officers of the failed Merchants National Bank, the Rev. Alfred Martin used a Friday sermon to remind his congregation that ancient curses were mild compared with modern indictments.
- Tacoma's 1894: Falling Lumber, Rising Flour, and a New Rolling Mill
The Ledger's year-end review found reasons for optimism in shipping, smelting, meat packing, and new rail connections—even as low prices cut into the lumber trade.
- A Walk to the Post Office, Then a New Name in Seattle
A Tacoma stepfather recognized Dora Covey in a newspaper notice — arrested in Seattle as 'Dora Stout' after vanishing from a probationary release.
- The Magnet in the Pocket: How a Civil War Veteran Lost a Beltful of Gold to a Grass Widow
Aged soldier, starving widow in a tent, a helpful 'mutual friend' named Hansen, a silk dress, a diamond ring — and a tale about thieves carrying magnets that drew gold straight out of a man's clothes.