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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 6 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 7 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 15 |
| 1895 | 12 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 4 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 4 |
| 1928 | 1 |
129 stories matching fool
- Walla Walla's Water War: Springs, a Bank, and a $250,000 Bond
In December 1903, an editorial backed Councilman Glasford's plan to use Thomas Springs rather than buy bank-owned ranch land or bond for Mill Creek water.
- The Battle for the Mayor’s Office
Gambling syndicates attempt to oust Mayor J.T. Ronald after he refuses to legalize or ignore their operations in Seattle.
- Yakima's Water Was Not for Sale
A farm paper accuses the Washington Irrigation Co. of trying to monopolize Yakima Valley reservoirs — and of bullying the legislature to get them.
- The Phantom Wheat That Fooled Seattle's Banks
A forger sold bankers on warehouse certificates for Ritzville wheat—and walked away with tens of thousands before the paper trail caught up with him.
- The Bribe, the Clerk, and the Police Chief
A Tacoma councilman and city clerk faced bribery charges as the police chief refused to name the gamblers behind the Haymarket.
- The Scandal at Yesler’s Wharf
A political candidate attempts to clear his name after being accused of bribing a man to bury a criminal indictment.
- The Great Hotel Heist That Wasn't: How Seattle’s Gamblers Were Fooled by a Fake Fortune
A broken-down cardsharp named 'Splitcheck Jimmy' was tricked into stealing an envelope full of newspaper, only to be ambushed by actors in a staged robbery at the St. Denis Hotel.
- The Gold Rush That Wasn't: How Seattle’s Prospectors Fooled the Town
In May 1877, a wave of excitement swept through Seattle over reports of rich gold deposits on the Nootsack River. But when the 'prospectors' finally arrived with their claims, it turned out to be an elaborate confidence trick designed to drain the town's cash reserves.
- The Confidence Man’s Tears: How a Thief Fooled His Victim and the Court
In May 1877, Seattle confidence operator Dowd was granted a change of venue after moving his robbery victim to tears with a sob story about his destitute family. The District Attorney’s lenient stance sparked outrage among citizens who feared the law was too soft on crime.
- A Heartbreak in a Seattle Boarding House
An elderly man’s public quest to 'rescue' his beloved from her life at the Pacific House leads to a courtroom confrontation.
- 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.
- The Desert Bloom of Ainsworth
A skeptical traveler discovers a German immigrant coaxing bountiful gardens from the dusty sagebrush plains of the Snake River.
- The Real Estate Swindler Who Fooled Seattle
A smooth-talking con artist masquerading as an 'Eastern capitalist' swindled multiple Seattle banks by weaving himself into the city's booming real estate market.
- Tacoma City Council in Total Chaos
Local taxpayers move to overthrow the entire city government following a series of corruption charges and aggressive infighting between the council and the board of public works.
- A Mother Fights for Her Children—and the Court Hears How She Wore Men's Clothes to Save a Timber Claim
In a Seattle habeas corpus hearing, Mrs. L. L. Shaffer battles her husband for custody of their two daughters as neighbors and her stepmother testify to her character.
- Judge Greene Slaps Down Legal Nitpicking
A Territorial judge refuses to let a clerical error in the law strip working teamsters of their property exemptions.
- A Centralia Tragedy: A Logger's Jealous Rage
After a week away at a logging camp, a man returns home to commit a double murder-suicide, leaving behind a chilling note.
- The Water Monopoly
Critics allege the First National Bank is steering the city council toward an expensive water project to inflate the value of land it holds in escrow.
- The Forger Who Fooled Seattle Banks
A clever check-raiser who cut his mustache and fled to Snohomish leaves behind a tangled web of litigation between an Aberdeen bank and Seattle’s financial elite.
- The Single Tax Takes Root in Everett
Following a recent election, the approval of a single tax amendment signals a shift in local economic policy and the influence of Henry George's theories.
- The Great Assessment Scam: How King County Taxpayers Were Fooled by 'Blunders'
A local reporter exposes the absurdity of county tax assessments, where landowners receive notices for huge back-taxes on property they already paid off, forcing them to chase down exhausted commissioners in a cycle of bureaucratic error.
- The Bloomer Scandal: How a Prank Turned Seattle’s University Women Into Targets
When anonymous circulars labeled the University of Washington’s physical culture class as 'vile calves,' a campus-wide hunt for the culprits revealed the era's intense policing of women's bodies and public space.
- The Great Seattle Hoax: How a 'Captain' Fooled the Press with a Phantom Ship
A con artist named Captain John Brown sold a wild tale of a treasure-laden voyage to a local newspaper for $10, only for customs officers to discover the vessel didn't exist.
- The Klondike Gold Rush Rumor That Sent Seattle Into a Frenzy
A false tip regarding a 'treasure boat' arriving from the Yukon triggered a frantic, early-morning scramble among the Seattle Press Club—all for a story that never arrived.
- The Day Newcastle Went Mad: A Woman’s War on Clerks and Clubs
In April 1877, a frustrated businesswoman in Newcastle, Washington Territory, escalated a shipping dispute into a violent rampage involving a club and a six-shooter, forcing local men to intervene.