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 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 8 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 1 |
77 stories matching illicit
- Scandal at the State Capital
A political exposé details how legislators used committee clerkships as patronage bribes to maintain illicit affairs, resulting in a public divorce case.
- The Captain's Peculiar Cargo
A maritime dispute reveals a ship captain’s bizarre refusal to transport freight after discovering a hidden shipment of 'stolen' or suspicious barrels.
- The Smuggling Sloops of Elliott Bay
Federal authorities launch an admiralty crackdown on the illicit landing of laborers along the Seattle waterfront in 1891.
- The Prohibition Ploy: Licensing Soft Drinks to Stop Bootlegging
A new city ordinance requires soft drink counters to purchase a license, not for revenue, but as a lever to shut down businesses caught selling liquor.
- The Backroom Shuffle: Seattle’s Underground Gambling Revival
As the century turns, whispers circulate through the city that the illicit gaming houses are preparing to reopen, fueled by rumors of local political complacency.
- The Shadowy Business of the Slot Machine King
A divorce trial involving a Tacoma slot machine operator reveals a hidden world of illicit gambling and domestic abuse.
- Bootleg Rings Thrived Under Washington's Dry Law
As Washington State’s 1916 'dry law' causes bootlegging to explode, local newspapers argue that criminalizing private habits only breeds corruption and crime.
- The Old Man, the Opium, and the Confidence Trick
A classic swindle involving a fake opium deal leads to a criminal trial in Judge Holmes' court.
- Washington’s 1916 Dry Law Fueled Bootlegging Syndicates
An editorial argument against the state's dry laws, claiming they fueled criminal syndicates and destroyed home order.
- Marine Greyhounds for the Sound
New patrol boats for the Revenue Cutter Service are to be built locally in Port Townsend to crack down on smuggling.
- The Reverend’s Smuggled Sawdust
A customs inspector discovers nearly a hundred pounds of opium hidden inside a shipment of 'books' addressed to a clergyman.
- The Tragedy at the Grandvue Hotel
A scandalous love affair and a newspaper exposé drive a Seattle woman to a fatal act of desperation.
- The Brutal Reality of the Black Diamond Ring
A quiet, illicit prize fight in a local hall ended with a forced surrender as seventy-five spectators watched a miner beat a man from Franklin.
- The Widow, the Boy, and the Seduction Case That Backfired
A packed Seattle courtroom heard James Deedy say the widow seduced him—and Justice Caldwell ruled there was intercourse but no seduction, freeing the young man.
- The Notorious Haytian Republic Seized in Seattle
A federal investigation into a sophisticated smuggling ring leads to the sudden impounding of a steamship at the Seattle waterfront.
- Opium Smuggler Intercepted on the Great Northern
Customs officers tracked a shipment of 'dope' from Vancouver to Ballard, arresting a man who tried to hide the illicit goods in a bedroll.
- The Opium Ring Debauching Tacoma’s Messenger Boys
Detective Flannigan uncovers a ring of adults using opium and illicit lodging houses to exploit children in the messenger service.
- The Opium Steward of the Dakota
A routine baggage check on the steamship Dakota reveals a massive illicit cargo, sparking a criminal case that hints at a long-running smuggling operation on Puget Sound.
- The Uprising Against the 'Dive' in Black Diamond
Citizens of the coal town band together to shut down a notorious saloon accused of illicit liquor sales and illegal operations.
- Tacoma’s Secret 'Fining' System
Mayor Wright and Chief Malony allegedly operated a shadow tax on gambling and vice, using fake names to funnel illicit profits through the city’s ledgers.
- The Great Cleanup of Seattle's Vice Districts
Chief of Police Monroe commands the immediate closure of all gambling houses and brothels, leading to a chaotic night of arrests and confusion in the city's underbelly.
- The Prosecutor’s Moral Crusade
As H.G. Rowland leaves office, the city reflects on his strict campaign against gambling, illicit Sunday activities, and prizefighting.
- The Mayor vs. The Machines
Tacoma's Mayor Louis D. Campbell rallies voters at Tyler's Hall, accusing local press and the city council of working in lockstep with corporate and gambling interests.
- Seattle Bootlegging Rose After Dry Law Stocks Ran Out
Pro-liquor advocates use the rise of bootlegging and 'blind pigs' to argue for the passage of Initiative 24, claiming that legalizing home delivery of light beer is the only path to temperance.
- The Sloop Louisa and the Contraband Laborers
A federal seizure notice reveals the 1890 crackdown on illicit maritime transport of Chinese laborers into the Puget Sound.