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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 3 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 22 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 9 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 5 |
| 1883 | 32 |
| 1884 | 19 |
| 1885 | 35 |
| 1886 | 16 |
| 1887 | 24 |
| 1888 | 24 |
| 1889 | 58 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 47 |
| 1892 | 93 |
| 1893 | 71 |
| 1894 | 146 |
| 1895 | 183 |
| 1897 | 6 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 16 |
| 1900 | 7 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 42 |
| 1904 | 24 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 13 |
| 1909 | 35 |
| 1910 | 12 |
| 1911 | 4 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 8 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 23 |
| 1917 | 9 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 4 |
| 1928 | 2 |
| 1929 | 2 |
1,040 stories matching talk
- The Old Man and the Confidence Men
An elderly traveler is swindled out of his watch and checks by a pair of smooth-talking con artists in a Seattle saloon.
- Three Bullets, Then Silence
James J. Holt survived W.N. White's gunfire, but hospital staff sealed him off from questions while White's body was carried back to Olympia.
- Hard Times Force Railroads Toward a Monopoly
Financial desperation drives the competing lines of the Pacific Northwest to consider an end to expansion and a new era of joint operation.
- The Captain of the South Seas Swindle
A smooth-talking grifter poses as a wealthy sea captain in Seattle to fleece hotels and merchants, leaving a trail of unpaid bills and fake credentials.
- The Tragedy at the Ellensburg Hotel
A newly married rancher takes his own life in a hotel room, sparking a mystery as his wife remains in a state of shock.
- 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.
- The Death at Steilacoom They Would Not Let Be Explained Away
After an asylum superintendent told the public that a grieving family had accepted the official account, the parents of A. Shadle wrote to the Post-Intelligencer to say they believed their son was poisoned — and that nothing had changed.
- The Tramp Who Tried to Outsmart the Law
A wandering man thought he had convinced a police captain to buy him a free meal, only to find the ‘restaurant’ was the city jail kitchen.
- The Con Artist of Fairhaven
A smooth-talking accountant gambles away his reputation and his wife's dignity with a string of bad checks and a faked suicide attempt.
- The Senatorial Tug-of-War
As the legislature gathers in Olympia, Northern Pacific lobbyists and political hopefuls fight for control over Senator John B. Allen’s seat.
- Olympia's Legislative Marathon
New lawmakers end the tradition of weekend breaks, mandating a full six-day work week while lobbyists keep the capitol's social scene fueled.
- The $25,000 Question: Where Olympia's New High School Should Stand
A proposed exchange for the Blinn block on Main Street would give the district room for a full-block school—but cost $12,000 to $15,000 more.
- The War for the Northwest: Railroad Moguls and the 'Rounders' of Portland
A bitter editorial from 1886 exposes the propaganda campaign waged by Northern Pacific railroad agents against Portland to secure terminal dominance for the Puget Sound region.
- The Great Seattle Theater Con: A Swindler’s Exit
A smooth-talking promoter claiming to represent an opera company flees Seattle under the cover of night, leaving behind a baffled police guard and a nearly empty safe.
- The Fractured Philosophy of Josua Klein
Once a confident leader of a 'radio-active philosophy' retreat, Josua Klein sits in a Tacoma jail cell, broken and waiting for deportation.
- Tragedy in Hillyard
A Spokane saloonkeeper takes his own life following rumors of his involvement in an arson case.
- The Confidence Man of Tacoma
A smooth-talking stranger makes off with a small fortune by playing on the trust of local businessmen.
- Tacoma’s Missing Warrant Book and the Forgery Scandal at City Hall
A former assistant city clerk had already been sent to prison. Now his talk of accomplices had Tacoma officials eyeing a missing warrant book and city paper selling at a steep discount in Chehalis.
- A Tumultuous Marriage Ends in Courtroom Drama
After neighbors are roused by screams and a bed is broken in a domestic scuffle, a Walla Walla man is acquitted of assault charges against his wife.
- The Unfulfilled Dream of a Washington Sugar Valley
A cautionary tale of failed agricultural speculation and the elusive promise of a sugar beet industry in the late 1880s.
- The Price of Loyalty in the Mill
A convict's poem reflects on his friend's sacrifice after a desperate act of theft to feed a starving family.
- The Day Tacoma’s Streetcars Stood Still
When the streetcar workers of Tacoma laid down their tools to demand fair pay, a showdown at the rail house sparked a tense labor confrontation.
- The Seattle-Tacoma Rivalry Began with Petty Insults
While Tacoma boosters once mocked Seattle’s 'niggardly' natural gifts, the Dispatch fired back with a masterclass in civic trash-talk.
- Arrested for Standing on the Corner
A Seattle man is hauled off to jail for the simple crime of engaging in a public conversation that obstructed the sidewalk.
- The Inside Story of Seattle's Rail Woes
John Leary reveals why plans for a railroad to the Cedar River coal fields have stalled, exposing the delicate dance between local boosters and coal barons.