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127 stories matching libel
- The Port Townsend Sewer of Defamation
A small-town attorney attempts to build a media empire on vitriol and libel, only to be dismantled by the Governor he targeted.
- The Circular of Rumors That Landed a Minister in Court
A four-hour Seattle libel hearing ends with Rev. M. H. Nichols bound over after he admits his charges against Rev. Dr. T. E. Ford were built on hearsay.
- The 'Orting Bank Thief' Libel Case
A political war of words between Populists and the establishment leads to a dramatic arrest for criminal libel in Tacoma.
- The Pastor, the Missing Husband, and the Seattle Libel Trial
A church feud goes to court as Rev. M. H. Nichols is tried for circulating scandalous charges against Dr. T. B. Ford—whose testimony reveals a broken engagement, a vanished first husband, and a dramatic courtroom kiss.
- A Rescue at Sea: The Wellington Libeled for $15,000
A historic salvage claim surfaces as the captain of the San Pedro sues for payment after a dramatic ocean rescue.
- A Foggy Night on the Sound
A collision between two steamships leads to a libel lawsuit and the suspension of a captain.
- The War of the Everett Editors
An arrest for criminal libel turns into a public spectacle as two rival newspaper editors battle over a municipal bridge contract.
- The Herald’s Victory Over Libel
After year-long court battles, the newspaper celebrates the dismissal of civil and criminal libel suits brought by a school board member.
- The Mayor and the Editor: A Libel Feud in Ocosta
A small-town mayor charges an editor with criminal libel after a series of scathing public criticisms.
- A Gambling Charge, a Judge, and a Libel Threat in Whatcom
A Tacoma Ledger correspondent claims a superior court judge and a customs deputy lost Democratic Party money in a Seattle saloon. The accused demand a retraction as a faction fight boils over.
- The Railroad Beats the Steamboat on Puget Sound
Olympia’s favorite steamer Bailey Gatzert makes its last run as Northern Pacific trains drain the passenger trade.
- A Libel Trial Among Ministers Promises a Scandal in Open Court
Rev. M. H. Nichols faces a criminal libel charge over accusations against Rev. T. B. Ford, and a California witness has arrived to testify about old “irregularities” in Arkansas.
- The Unpaid Labor of the 'Lone Fisherman'
When the owner of a small steamer failed to pay his shipwrights, they took to the courts to reclaim their wages.
- The Trial That Wasn't: Tacoma’s Libel Case Collapses Into Farce
A high-profile libel trial in Tacoma devolves into legal sophistry and personal insults, revealing the chaotic state of territorial justice.
- The Prosecutor Who Prosecuted Himself: How Aberdeen’s DA Ignored a White Mob’s Attack on Chinese Residents
When a mob drove Aberdeen’s Chinese community out of town and stole $550, the county’s prosecuting attorney charged the victims with libel instead of the perpetrators—sparking a furious editorial defense of civil rights in 1890.
- The Suicide of H. A. Ray: A Seattle Man’s Tragic End Amidst Scandal and Debt
Prominent waterworks official takes his own life in Chicago after financial ruin and a complex romantic entanglement with a woman he claimed was his sister.
- The Wig and the Wire: How a Tacoma Newspaper Owner Tried to Destroy a Judge
In the sensational Wickersham trial of 1889, prosecutor R.P. Radebaugh’s own past and his alleged conspiracy to frame Judge Wickersham for 'immorality' were laid bare in court.
- The Shackled Sailors of the Karoo
A federal judge in Tacoma intervenes to protect a crew 'inveigled' onto a British ship, exposing a brutal system of forced labor and maritime exploitation.
- Ballard’s Political Feud
A bitter public dispute erupts between a former treasurer and a local editor, trading accusations of criminal fraud and libel.
- The Editor and the Chief
The editor of the Seattle Telegraph is charged with criminal libel after publishing a scathing exposé on the police chief's alleged protection of gambling dens.
- The Hatch Left Open: How a Passenger's Injury Put a Steamship Under Arrest
Mary Phelps was permanently maimed when a crew removed a hatch aboard the City of Panama. When the vessel reached Port Townsend, U.S. Marshal Hopkins seized it—prompting citizens to raise a $100,000 bond.
- A $40 ‘Loan’ to a Judge Landed a Tacoma Editor in Jail
The Tacoma Evening Call’s W. A. Berry was arrested for criminal libel after allegedly saying Judge Fremont Campbell took $40 while Berry’s case was pending.
- A Captain’s High-Stakes Mutiny on the Sound
When the ship Richard III was libeled by creditors, the captain held a deputy marshal at gunpoint to make a daring escape.
- The Governor and the Libel Suit: A Battle for Political Character
When Governor Elisha P. Ferry sued the 'Democratic Press' for accusing him of selling pardons, he ignited a fierce debate about the limits of press freedom and the nature of public character.
- The Steamer That Smuggled Opium in Sauerkraut Barrels
A federal seizure of the Walla Walla reveals a shocking loophole: how Pacific Coast Steamship Company executives claim 'skid grease' shipments were actually opium, and why customs officials looked the other way.