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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1883 | 8 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 8 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 7 |
34 stories matching tool
- The Tool Chest Heist
Three young men are caught after stealing tool chests from a construction site and selling them to fund a getaway to Victoria.
- The 1885 Fight to Protect the Workingman’s Tools and Bedding
A proposed territorial law sought to expand property exemptions from debt, shielding everything from a mechanic's tools to a family's bedding from creditors.
- An Inside Job at the County Jail
Two prisoners, a clerk accused of theft and an embezzling stevedore, escaped the King County jail by cutting their way out with tools smuggled from the outside.
- The Silent Delegate: Why Washington Territory Is Falling Behind
While Montana’s representative aggressively lobbies for statehood and investment, Washington’s Delegate Voorhees remains inexplicably quiet, missing crucial opportunities for federal patronage and political clout.
- A Railroad Decision Kills a Town: Prescott Empties Overnight
When the division center moves to Wallula Junction, the mechanics of Prescott pack their tools, close their shops, and watch town lots collapse from $700 to under $100.
- The Jailer's Secret Cache
When nine prisoners attempted a daring escape from the Pierce County Jail, they left behind a strange assortment of contraband that revealed their desperate ingenuity.
- Seattle's Chief Woolery Gives the 'Hard Cases' a Meal and a One-Way Boat
Meeting every steamer from up the Sound, the police chief spots known troublemakers, feeds them, and tells them when the next boat leaves—then finds a valise of safecracking tools and giant-powder cartridges.
- 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.
- The Seattle Meeting of the Irish Martyrs
Pro-nationalist activists gathered at Turner Hall to honor Irish martyrs and condemn British rule.
- The Cascades Rail Standoff
High hopes for the Northern Pacific’s Cascade branch crumble as work on the massive infrastructure project hits a total standstill.
- Vigilantes Raid Chinese Miners in Black Diamond
A mob of armed, masked men forces Chinese laborers to flee their camp, marking a sharp escalation in regional anti-Chinese hostility.
- Legal Chaos and the Chinese Exclusion Era
A convoluted series of arrests and court cases in Seattle reveals the systemic targeting of Chinese residents during the height of the Exclusion era.
- The Shadow Over the Graders' Camp
Two workers in the Cascade wilderness are shot in cold blood by a pair of escaped convicts, fueling local fear and resentment.
- The Mirror in the Half-Dollar: A Gambling Cheat's Downfall
A man arrested for theft in Seattle was found carrying a doctored coin designed to help him win at cards.
- A 'Mantraps' Warning: Building Collapses on South Third
A recently renovated shop collapses into kindling just minutes after workers vacate the premises.
- The Fight for the Railroad Terminal
A scathing address to Congress exposes how Northern Pacific Railroad insiders manipulated land grants to prioritize Tacoma's development over Seattle's growth.
- Clara Colby Urges Seattle to Support Woman Suffrage
A visiting suffrage advocate inspires a local crowd, framing the political franchise as a tool for household and civic management.
- The Railway to Nowhere
Citizens of Seattle fronted $150,000 for a coal railroad, but with the tracks stalled and workers laid off, the project has become a dead-end.
- The Carpenter's Secret Compartment
A crafty smuggler’s hollowed-out tool chest, designed to look like the property of a humble working man, fails to outsmart Seattle Customs inspectors.
- The 'Aristocratic' Drunk of Commercial Street
A rowdy man’s attempt to assert his authority against a local merchant ends in a street fight and a trip to the city jail.
- Grand Jury Reports Overcrowded Jail and Neglect
A critical look inside King County’s criminal justice facilities and care for the vulnerable.
- The New Generation Declares Independence
A newly formed political club for young men organizes in Seattle to oppose the influence of established, corrupt political machines.
- The Chinese Laborers Building Seattle’s Railroad
A reporter visits the line of the Northern Pacific railroad to find the massive, hidden workforce extending the tracks into the city.
- The Failed Promise of Seattle’s Police
A critical editorial reflects on the incompetence of the local force during times of unrest and the corrupting influence of political patronage.
- The Great Soap Bust of South Seattle
A federal raid on a clandestine distilling operation leaves a local man out of soap and out of luck.