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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 5 |
| 1880 | 1 |
18 stories matching reput
- The Skunk of the Press
A bitter 1877 public feud erupts in the Seattle Weekly Dispatch between an editor and a physician accused of editing a scandalous rival paper.
- The Wild West of Washington Journalism
When the courts declared they had no power to punish libel, Seattle editors went to war with their pens—and their reputations.
- The Brutal Politics of the 1878 Press
A Seattle editor rails against 'poisoned shafts of calumny' after a local newspaper attacks prominent citizen H.G. Struve, labeling the lawyer a 'deserter' and a 'perjurer.'
- A Night of Music and Politics in 1872 Seattle
A town gathering for a local official reflects a brief moment of unity in a territory weary of 'Carpet Bag' appointments.
- A Night of Political Fervor at Yesler's Hall
Hundreds pack the Seattle venue to hear Judge Thomas Burke and local speakers rally support for the Democratic ticket.
- The Rotten Beef Scandal of 1872
When a local market was accused of selling diseased meat, the ensuing war of words revealed the thin line between journalism and extortion in early Seattle.
- The Widow’s Last Ledger
On her deathbed, a thrifty farm wife attempts one final audit of the neighborhood’s debts, only to find her husband’s memory suddenly failing when it comes to money she owes others.
- The Great Impersonator: Vivian Takes Seattle by Storm
In August 1872, the 'Grammatical Comic Impersonator' Chas. Vivian captivated the Pacific Northwest with his vocal mimicry and costume changes, performing alongside a dancer from the Paris Opera.
- The Panic Over 'Free Love' and Women's Rights in Early Seattle
An editorial from the Puget Sound Dispatch decries the growing suffrage movement, labeling advocates as threats to the 'sanctity of the marriage relation.'
- The Territorial Auditor and the Slander Machine
When the Walla Walla Statesman accused a prominent territorial official of being a fugitive felon, it sparked a local crisis in journalistic ethics and public reputation.
- The Scandalous Governor Who Never Was
A political fixer with a reputation for bribery and forgery was appointed Governor of Washington Territory, triggering a national outcry that exposed the deep corruption of the era's patronage system.
- Walla Walla Debates County Bonds for Railroad
An 1877 debate over public bond issues for the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad reveals a city hungry for connectivity and skeptical of the 'blood money' demands of big capital.
- The Newspaper War of Port Townsend
When a local political faction decided they needed a newspaper organ, the resulting publication became a scandal-mongering scandal itself.
- The Mail Must Go Through: A Fatal Storm on the Coast
A dedicated mail carrier and his father lost their lives in a treacherous storm off the Washington coast while attempting to deliver the mail from Montesano to Chehalis Point.
- The Price of Reputation in Early Seattle
A local editor defends the city's power brokers against 'malicious' newspaper attacks, arguing that persistent personal vituperation drives away the capital needed for infrastructure.
- The Vice Capital of the Sound: Seattle's Moral Crisis
An outraged local editorial condemns Seattle as a haven for gambling and prostitution, blaming the influx of 'dissolute classes' and corrupt officials for the city's scandalous reputation.
- The Mayor Who Bought His Seat with Lottery Money
In Seattle’s first hotly contested municipal election of 1876, the newspaper publisher who ran for mayor lost to Dr. Weed—not because he lacked support from mechanics and laborers, but because his opponent mobilized the city’s notorious lottery gamblers.
- How Washington Territory's Public Printing Became a Corrupt Political Perk
A Seattle editor rails against the patronage and fraud in the territory's printing contracts, revealing that one printer paid Secretary Smith $2,000 for the appointment.