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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 21 |
| 1877 | 10 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 19 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 10 |
| 1888 | 9 |
| 1889 | 33 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 54 |
| 1893 | 63 |
| 1894 | 58 |
| 1895 | 63 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 17 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 8 |
| 1909 | 38 |
| 1910 | 6 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
573 stories matching lock
- The Men Who Asked to Be Jailed for Shelter
As unemployment rises in the winter of 1886, the city jail becomes the last resort for laborers seeking shelter and a crust of bread.
- Chief Butterfield Raids Two Seattle Gambling Houses in 1889
When the city's top police officials swept through Washington Street, they found locked doors, battered them down, and hauled the proprietors off to jail.
- The Midnight Flight of a Telephone Lobbyist
A franchise promoter vanishes before a bribery investigation, leaving behind a locked room and a trail of conflicting telegrams.
- The 'Lava-Bed Ranger' and the Brawl at the Saloon
A rowdy evening in 1876 Seattle ends in a courtroom, highlighting the rough-and-tumble street life of a frontier town.
- Two Boxers Escape County Jail With False Keys
Two incarcerated pugilists manage a clean getaway from the county jail after an apparent inside job with smuggled keys.
- Domestic Abuse Leads to Contentious Divorce Case in Hanford
A woman files for divorce citing physical abuse, property disputes, and claims that her husband locked her out of the kitchen.
- The Courtroom Scream
A witness in a railroad injury trial lets out a blood-curdling set of shrieks from a locked room, sending the entire Federal Court into a panic.
- The Canal That Would Reshape Seattle
A federal engineer brings word that St. Louis money is in place for a Lake Washington ship canal, with locks, dredges, and jobs promised within four years.
- The Nun on the Fire Escape
A delirious man, a locked bedroom, and a nun’s desperate climb up a high-rise fire escape to deliver medicine.
- The Midnight Drill at the Railway Office
An audacious burglary attempt at the Northern Pacific depot in South Aberdeen ends in silence and failure.
- The Star Chamber Water Loan Scandal
Tacoma city officials met behind locked doors to authorize the use of water extension funds for speculative warrant purchases, sparking threats of injunctions.
- Locked in the Slammer
A Seattle lawyer gets a rude awakening after being accidentally locked in the city jail while visiting his client.
- The Revolver in the Parlor: A Grocer's Case for Divorce
Threats to shoot him, a revolver produced in a rage, a locked door with mother and child inside — a Seattle grocer's complaint laid out what "cruel treatment" had to look like in 1895.
- The Chambermaid’s Lock: A Seattle Hotel Guest’s Brutal Mistake
When a wealthy Chicago businessman accidentally locked himself in his hotel room and then roughed up the maid who tried to help him, he found himself facing a $10,000 lawsuit for assault.
- Deputy Lincoln Dilley Survives Jail Escape Attack
Deputy-Sheriff Lincoln Dilley survived severe head cuts after two prisoners attacked him during an escape attempt at the county jail, then drew his revolver and locked them in their cell.
- The Girls Who Couldn't Be Moved
When two sisters refused to budge for a fishing trip, a bizarre and prolonged standoff ensued involving a heavy door and a very frustrated brother.
- The Wage War at City Hall
Mayor Boyd locks horns with the city attorney over a mandatory $2.25 daily wage for city contract workers.
- The Industrial Remaking of Everett's Waterfront
Federal authorities grant permission for a massive engineering project to wall off the Snohomish River delta, transforming a shallow tidal area into a deep-water harbor for industrial commerce.
- A Domestic Dispute Escalates to Official Intervention
A mother locks her son out of the house, prompting a police response in Seattle.
- The Struggle for a Proper Stage
A popular movement takes off to build Seattle its first dedicated grand opera house as performers complain about the city’s cramped, inadequate venues.
- The $6,000 Wallet That Vanished From Under a Pillow
Milton Wood locked his door at the Vendome, left his pocketbook under his pillow, and woke to find $6,000 in cash and notes gone—with no sign of forced entry.
- Tragedy at the Depot
A railroad worker takes his own life inside a company car in Everett.
- A Desperate Leap at Commercial Wharf
After an unemployed teamster jumped into the water, a crowd on the wharf pooled their money to help him, despite authorities questioning his sanity.
- The Dream of Ship Harbor
A speculative report on a new settlement near Fidalgo Island that promised to control the wealth of the Snohomish and Skagit valleys.
- St. Louis Money Was Ready—If Seattle Guaranteed the Canal
In 1895, a citizens' committee moved to raise a public subsidy for locks, bridges and right-of-way so a $7 million tide-flat and canal scheme could begin.