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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 14 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 10 |
69 stories matching lock
- The Sluggers of Yesler’s Wharf
A rough-and-tumble street fight behind a downtown saloon lands two men in the Seattle lock-up.
- The Jailbreak on Commercial Street
A clever prisoner manages to pick the lock of his cell and slip away into the night, leaving the sheriff scrambling for a lead.
- The Jailhouse Remedy for a Bad Case of Whiskey
A desperate man suffering from the effects of alcohol voluntarily surrendered himself to the Seattle sheriff, asking to be locked away until he could regain his senses.
- 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.
- The Beer Hall Heist: A Busted Scheme on the Waterfront
A would-be thief’s plan to float stolen kegs to an Indian encampment ends in a cell.
- The Ghostly Tenants of the YMCA Hall
A religious schism in Tacoma leads to an unusual standoff when Spiritualists are locked out of their meeting place and the Y.M.C.A. finds its rooms at the center of local ecclesiastical drama.
- The Pile-Driver Politics of Tacoma’s Waterfront
When the Tacoma Land Company locked the city’s citizens away from the bay, one local activist took a stand with a pile driver, a small cabin, and a vision for an open waterfront.
- The Wild West Street Brawl Between Two Police Chiefs
A power struggle in Tacoma turned into a street-side standoff, forcing residents to choose sides as two men claimed the title of Chief of Police.
- A Stabbing Outside Mrs. Sullivan’s Saloon
A bartender and a longshoreman fought on Mill Street; one was carried to the hospital with a knife wound to the stomach, and the other was arrested with the bloody knife still in his possession.
- Tragedy in the Woods Near Lone Prairie
A woman experiencing a mental health crisis locked her home and set it ablaze, killing herself and her four children.
- Domestic Violence at the Gas Works
A husband is sentenced to the county jail after a brutal assault on his wife using a grindstone and a revolver.
- The Battle for the Right of Way
The Northern Pacific Railroad and the Postal Telegraph Company lock horns in a legal battle over territory.
- The Great Jailbreak of 1886
After being convicted of a sensational local murder, a Seattle man pulled off a daring escape from the county jail by using clever DIY tools.
- Locked Away for Being a Stranger
A Seattle man traveling to meet his brother in Tacoma finds himself swept up in a case of mistaken identity, thrown into a filthy, unventilated jail cell, and ignored by officials despite his pleas for evidence.
- The Judge Who Demanded Women Jurors
When a grand jury panel ran dry in Walla Walla, the local judge preferred women to 'scrubby' men.
- The Canal That Would Make Seattle an Island
In 1883, surveyors proposed locks and canals linking Lake Union and Lake Washington to tidewater—so coal could move by water and Seattle could 'practically stand on an island.'
- The Collapse of a Pioneer Financial Institution
When the Bank of Seattle shuttered its doors, the local economy faced a sharp, sobering moment as depositors and business owners grappled with the fallout.
- The Great Strawberry Heist of 1885
After the ladies of the Trinity Guild finished their social, two Seattle boys broke into the hall to steal the remaining ice cream and strawberries.
- The Public Shut Out of the 'Floating Palace'
Residents gathered in the rain to welcome a massive new steamer, only to be denied entry by a locked-out policy.
- The Opium Dens of Justice Hammer
A police raid on opium dens and gambling halls nets a large group of Chinese residents and three white men in the heart of Seattle.
- The Last Embrace on the Precipice
A Shoshone hunter discovers the remains of a man and a grizzly bear locked in a final, lethal tangle in the Washington wilderness.
- A Domestic Tragedy in Mount Pleasant
A husband's rage turns fatal when a neighbor intervenes to protect his wife and children.
- The Opium Thief of Port Townsend
A worker entrusted with thousands in opium decides to sell the cargo and flee, setting off a frantic, brief escape that ends in a Seattle jail cell.
- A Deadly Jealousy in Pioneer Seattle
A brutal double murder on a quiet morning reveals the fragility of domestic peace in 1885 Seattle.
- Drunken Brawl at Yesler's Wharf
Two opportunists and their intoxicated victim end up in jail after a chaotic street struggle.