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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 6 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 18 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 9 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1903 | 12 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
103 stories matching con
- The Con Man Who Wore a Partner's Identity
A clever grifter posed as a prominent Seattle businessman to swindle New York merchants, leaving local partners to clean up the mess.
- The Fight for Cash Wages
A proposed Seattle ordinance to force contractors to pay laborers in 'lawful money' rather than time checks was struck down by the City Council.
- 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.
- The 'Line-Man' Forger of 1891
A young con artist dressed as a weary lineman successfully swindled several Seattle clothing stores and a saloon before vanishing into the night.
- The Night Seattle’s Mayor Nearly Fired His Police Board
An executive-session showdown over Chief Rogers ended with Mayor Phelps handing a commissioner his own removal papers — then taking them back.
- The 'Gold Brick' King: How a Master Con Man Sold Copper to a Banker
A too-trusting Aberdeen banker, a man disguised as an Indian, and a forged letter from the San Francisco mint—the Seattle trial of the notorious swindler 'Rebel George' Knowlton.
- The Rogue of Seattle
A serial con artist who targeted the generous, leaving friends to pay his debts.
- The Detective, the Forger, and the Silverton Fiancée
Detective Sam Sumner captures a smooth-talking con man who posed as a Northern Pacific railroad official and nearly married into a Silverton family.
- The Miracle Cure Con-Man
A supposed benefactor who won city council acclaim for his 'alcoholism cure' is arrested for fraud.
- The Postal Forger Targeting Local Merchants
A crafty con artist is raising the value of small money orders with chemicals, and authorities are warning shopkeepers to stay vigilant.
- The Persistent Con-Artist of Jackson Street
A former hack driver and theater waiter uses elaborate stories and forged checks to swindle local merchants, only to be caught by a vigilant detective.
- The Swindler Who Stole More Than Just Cash
A prolific con artist wreaking havoc across the Pacific Coast has taken a final, strange step: assuming the identity of the very man he swindled.
- The Shell Game at Myers Cannery
Two women are swindled out of $300 by a gang of con artists near the Myers Cannery, leading to a police hunt for the perpetrators of this classic 'gold brick' scam.
- The Flight of 'Japanese Tommy'
A notorious 'bunko' con artist evades justice after the supreme court upholds his conviction for swindling a farmer.
- The Con Artist’s Benevolent Hustle
A smooth-talking stranger visits a Seattle tobacco shop, spins a yarn about a tragedy at sea, and leaves with more than just a sympathy donation.
- The Con Artist's Tearful Pitch
A traveler uses a tragic tale of fire and loss to test the hospitality of a Seattle resident.
- The 'Top and Bottom' Sting
A traveler is swindled out of his savings by a gang of con artists on a Seattle sidewalk, sparking a city-wide police sweep.
- The Seattle Shakedown: A Klondiker’s Lost Fortune
Fresh from the gold fields, a miner’s life savings vanish in an instant at a local hotel, exposing a web of downtown con men.
- The Con Man and the Widow
A crafty imposter poses as a weary veteran to swindle a charitable widow out of her supplies.
- The City Wants Its Fair Share: Republican Wards Revolt Over Delegate Math
Three ward clubs storm the county Republican committee to protest an apportionment that hands the countryside outsized power — and the committee adjourns without budging an inch.
- Walla Walla Rallies to Secure Stubblefield Home
Walla Walla leaders convene to secure a charitable bequest, requiring $10,000 to be raised within weeks to establish a local home.
- Aberdeen's Schoolhouse Standoff: Bonds, Bids, and a $3,000 Lot
A petition drive and a landowner's counteroffer stalled the city's new school while the board tried to build around the bond money.
- The Lumber Land Swindlers
A pair of con artists operating in Tacoma were arrested for selling fraudulent timber claims to unsuspecting laborers.
- The Gold-Brick Con: A Tacoma Contractor Swindled
A Slavonian contractor loses $550 to two men posing as subcontractors in an elaborate fake-deal scheme.
- The Scrubwoman and the Con Man
A Seattle police investigation into a mail-fraud scheme uncovers a hidden stash of stolen goods, implicating a woman who used her job as a cleaner to pilfer from city buildings.