Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 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 |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1910 | 1 |
64 stories matching extort
- The Gambler of University Street
A Seattle woman turns the tables on a local gambler who used threats of violence to bankroll his craps habit.
- The Forced Exodus of Whidbey Island’s Chinese Community
A campaign of economic exclusion and harassment leads to the near-total disappearance of Chinese residents from Whidbey Island by 1892.
- 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.
- The Dentist and the Alleged Blackmailer
A patient sues her dentist for malpractice, while he claims she is a pawn in a sophisticated extortion scheme involving drug habits and family wealth.
- The Strange Disappearance of Nellie Holgate
A young Seattle woman reported missing for weeks is found alive in South Dakota, sparking a bizarre mystery involving insurance scammers and a grieving father.
- The Tariff Struggle Against Steel Monopolies
New government statistics reveal a massive spike in iron and steel imports, challenging the power of domestic trusts to set prices.
- A Detective's Bizarre Extortion Claim
A Tacoma private investigator is accused of kidnapping a woman who claims he harassed her after a dispute over a $1,000 demand.
- The Heppner Blackmail Ring
A notorious family's pattern of seduction and extortion comes to light after a daughter is arrested in Seattle.
- City Marshal Accused of Drugging and Robbing Traveler
A Georgetown lawman faces charges after an out-of-town visitor claims he was arrested, extorted, and left unconscious.
- The Rotten Beef Scandal of 1872
When a local market was accused of selling diseased meat, the ensuing war of words revealed the thin line between journalism and extortion in early Seattle.
- The Fight Against Railroad Extortion
Business owners in Walla Walla face broken promises from rail monopolies, but the editor argues that federal and state regulation—not empty lobbying—is the only way to break the gridlock.
- The Laundry Con Artists
Two men posing as city water works employees extorted a Chinese laundry owner, sparking a police crackdown on a recurring racket.
- The Rogue Commissioner of Snohomish County
Local ranchers file affidavits against a young U.S. Commissioner accused of extortion, petty larceny, and raiding the local candy supply.
- The Price of Disaster: Seattle’s Post-Fire Rent Gouging
Landlords are accused of doubling rents on business and housing, turning the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 into a predatory profit machine.
- The Salmon War: A 19th-Century Plea for Equitable Fishing
A sea captain argues that restrictive fishing regulations are designed to benefit luxury fur traders at the expense of the working class’s food supply.
- The Great Cabbage Scandal
A citizen defends the public market against charges of unsanitary conditions, pointing the finger at local grocers instead.
- The Great Port Townsend Customs Scandal
A federal grand jury uncovers a decade-long scheme of extortion and record-tampering at the Port Townsend custom house, where officials pocketed fees and forced local shipping firms to play along.
- The $35 Fee That Became $335: Insurance Commissioner Schively's Sliding Scale
Olympia investigators say J. H. Schively charged newly organized insurance companies whatever they would bear—then kept the difference. With 75 companies heard from and $8,000 in excess fees alleged, the evidence is headed to the governor.
- The Great Seattle 'Hard Times' of 1885
As local businesses scrambled to collect debts and residents bartered farm goods for services, Seattle residents looked at the nation’s economic slump and wondered if they could weather the storm.
- A Desperate Tailor's Public Plea at the Postmaster's Door
After his wife fled to Tacoma to work in the post office, a destitute man attempted to take his own life on the doorstep of her employer.
- The Cynical Toll of Local Politics
A satirical diary of a man who wins a nomination for public office, only to be ruined by the exorbitant financial and social demands of his supporters.
- The 'Whitecap' Land Pirates of Lake Wenatchee
A vigilante gang is terrorizing settlers and extorting newcomers on government land in Okanogan County.
- The Judge Who Gambled Away His Office: Soderberg’s Dramatic Resignation
After the grand jury returned five indictments for extortion and malfeasance in office, District Attorney Joseph Soderberg walked into court, tendered his resignation, and declared he would repay every illegal fee to the county treasury.
- The Radloff Insurance Plot Unravels
After days of resistance, Mrs. Radloff confesses her knowledge of a morbid conspiracy to swindle insurance companies with a fake corpse.
- The City's High-Stakes Power Struggle
The Tacoma Railway & Power Co. is accused of strong-arming the city to secure a predatory franchise.