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1. The Great Tacoma Spring Cleaning

   Mayor Linck threatens arrests as the city scrambles to scrub up before an upcoming exposition.

   Mar 17, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

2. City Hall Forces Transit Upgrade

   After years of complaints about 'rattletraps,' the City Council orders the Tacoma Railway & Power Company to replace its McKinley Park fleet.

   Mar 18, 1909The Tacoma TimesMcKinley Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

3. Midnight Explosions Rock Pacific Avenue

   A late-night blaze at the Robinson Clothing Company forced hotel guests to flee into the streets in their nightclothes.

   Mar 19, 1909The Tacoma TimesPacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

4. Judge Overrules Jury in Controversial Assault Case

   Despite a guilty verdict for assault with a deadly weapon, the judge intends to sentence the defendant for a minor charge.

   Mar 23, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

5. The Gift of an Elegant Era

   Tacoma club women receive a historic windfall as the W.R. Rust family donates the entire contents of their mansion for a new clubhouse.

   Mar 27, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money

6. Tacoma’s War on Rubbish

   The Anti-Compulsory Vaccination society leads a citywide cleanup campaign, deputizing police to hunt down vacant-lot litter.

   Mar 29, 1909The Tacoma Times505 South I Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

7. The Bid to Open the Puyallup River to Deep-Water Shipping

   Tacoma business leaders testify before the U.S. Engineer, arguing that dredging the river is the key to transforming the city into a manufacturing powerhouse.

   Mar 31, 1909The Tacoma TimesPuyallup River, Tacoma, Pierce CountyBoom & Bust

8. The Wanted Kidnaper Who Once Walked Our Streets

   A Tacoma detective identifies a notorious kidnaper as a local con man who scammed city businessmen a year prior.

   Apr 1, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

9. The Return of the Devotee

   Rose Karasek returns to Tacoma after a stint abroad following the 'radio-active' teacher Josua Klein.

   Apr 2, 1909The Tacoma Times625 South 25th Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyLocal Legends

10. The Groom Who Never Arrived

    A Tacoma feed broker vanishes mysteriously just days before his wedding to a Seattle teacher.

    Apr 5, 1909The Tacoma Times726 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

11. A Toddler’s Cough Saves a Family from Fire

    An 18-month-old infant is credited with waking his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Joslyn, just in time to escape a house fire in South Tacoma.

    Apr 5, 1909The Tacoma Times2319 South Ash Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

12. The Grand Jury Probes the 'Restricted District'

    Tacoma investigators hunt for proof of who really profits from the city's red-light district properties.

    Apr 6, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · True Crime

13. Electrician Lost in Narrows During Gale

    A Seattle man is presumed dead after attempting a perilous rowboat crossing of the Narrows during a storm.

    Apr 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesThe Tacoma, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

14. Lost at Sea in the Narrows

    An electrician vanishes while attempting a dangerous crossing during a windstorm, leaving little hope for rescue.

    Apr 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesThe Narrows, Tacoma, Mason CountyTrue Crime

15. The Hidden Wife of Tacoma

    For years, friends protected a woman from her abusive husband, keeping her location secret even while he offered a massive reward for her return.

    Apr 7, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

16. The Curious Case of the Stolen Vermillion Wagon

    A stolen express wagon is found abandoned, but the horse thieves remain at large.

    Apr 9, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

17. The High-Speed Chase Between Seattle and Tacoma

    A chauffeur chases his stolen $5,000 Pierce Arrow across the county lines only to lose the trail in the dark.

    Apr 10, 1909The Tacoma TimesPuyallup Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

18. Tragedy in a South Tacoma Bedroom

    After an evening of drinking, a Tacoma woman dies in a fire at her home while her husband, also intoxicated, fails to save her.

    Apr 14, 1909The Tacoma Times611 South Yakima Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce CountyDisasters

19. A High-Speed Crash Into a Saloon

    After a harrowing collision on Puyallup Avenue, a local couple sues their driver for reckless speed.

    Apr 14, 1909The Tacoma TimesPuyallup Avenue, Tacoma, Pierce County

20. The Phantom of Tacoma Avenue

    A man disguised in women's clothing assaulted two residents, sparking fear and a police search in a quiet neighborhood.

    Apr 17, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

21. Old Town Miner Fights Off Attackers

    An elderly miner in Old Town successfully resists a mugging in a dark alley, leading to the arrest of three suspects.

    Apr 19, 1909The Tacoma TimesOpera Alley, Tacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

22. Hilltop Residents Rebel Against Contagious Hospital

    A bombshell announcement that contagious disease wards would be built at the county hospital site ignited a neighborhood protest.

    Apr 23, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

23. The Unintended Survival

    A man survived a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the brain for a year before succumbing to a long-term complication.

    Apr 23, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

24. A Mother Stands Her Ground Against the Law

    When an irate father tried to have his son arrested, his wife stepped in to stop the police in their tracks.

    Apr 24, 1909The Tacoma Times2935 South J Street, Tacoma, Pierce CountyScandal

25. The Bakery Betrayal

    A local baker is swindled out of his life savings in a classic confidence game at the edge of Wright Park.

    Apr 27, 1909The Tacoma TimesWright Park, Tacoma, Pierce CountyTrue Crime

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