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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 18 |
| 1893 | 22 |
| 1894 | 19 |
| 1895 | 18 |
88 stories matching acquit
- The Legal Definition of Animal Abuse
A jury acquits a man who killed a 'balky' horse, raising questions about the threshold for animal cruelty in the 1890s.
- Lodging House Feud Escalates in Seattle Courts
Seattle jury acquits lodging-house manager Henry Williams, who then has accuser Louis Martin arrested for assault.
- The Jury That Usurped the Bench
After a man accused of shooting a superintendent was acquitted, the Post-Intelligencer launches a scathing critique of 'lawless' juries who favor sentiment over evidence.
- The Kangaroo Court’s Cruel Joke
J.J. Sander, acquitted by insanity, was mocked by jailhouse 'kangaroo court' with forged love letters.
- Acquittal After a Fatal Crap Game
A man is acquitted of murder in the second degree after a street game of craps turned into a deadly knife and gun fight.
- The Hop-Picker’s Trial
A jury acquits a young laborer following a violent camp dispute that exposed the raw realities of life in the hop fields.
- The Long-Running Liquor Case of Patrick Scullin
After nearly a year of evasion and promises to plead guilty, a jury finally acquits the Lake Washington tavern owner of selling liquor without a license.
- The City Treasurer's Banker Walks Free
After a dramatic trial, Henry Fuhrman is acquitted of charges related to city funds, sparking a debate on institutional corruption and the blurred lines between public finance and private banking.
- The Union Club's Roulette Wheel
A judge rules that a seized roulette wheel isn't necessarily a gambling tool, sparking a debate over the city's power to destroy property.
- The Chicken-Head Oath Was Not Used in This Seattle Courtroom
Chin Chew was acquitted of beating and robbing a fellow Chinese laborer, but the case is remembered for a judge's refusal to repeat a rival jurist's 'chicken oath' experiment.
- The Unbreakable Cycle of Juanita Blake
After weeks of prayer and reform attempts, a young woman acquitted of larceny heads straight back to the 'Blackchapel' district.
- Police Raids Falter in Jury Trials
A string of acquittals for women charged with running disorderly houses highlights the gap between police ambition and courtroom evidence.
- The Mother Who Defended Her Daughter
A Seattle jury acquits a mother who shot the man who married her 14-year-old daughter against her will.
- The Trial That Nearly Triggered a Lynching
A Whatcom jury's acquittal of George Bwiloos for a brutal murder left the town in an uproar, sparking a desperate, failed manhunt by local citizens.
- The Deadly Farce of Frontier Justice
When a Whatcom jury ignored the law to acquit a man who murdered his wife and her lover, the press decried an epidemic of 'momentary insanity' defense.
- Acquitted in Five Minutes: The Girl Accused of Poisoning a Child
A packed Seattle courtroom erupts when Hildegard Rundberg is cleared of murdering little Richard Parker with 'Death to Rats' rat poison — the jury needing barely five minutes to set her free.
- The Trial of 'Old Man' Robinson
A jury acquits a man accused of orchestrating a brutal ambush murder, leaving a partner to face the gallows alone.
- Vigilante Mob Targets Ballard Policeman
A vigilante mob descended on a Ballard home demanding that an acquitted police officer flee the county within 24 hours.
- The Mercer Slough Fugitive
After escaping Steilacoom asylum by turning blankets into a rope, William Miller—a man once acquitted of a high-profile Lake Washington murder—is on the loose, sparking terror in the homes near Mercer Slough.
- The Man Who Wrote His Name Twice: How J.C. Haines Cleared His Name in Seattle
A federal jury in New York has acquitted Colonel Haines of opium conspiracy charges, vindicating the prominent Washington Territory lawyer and Republican leader against a politically motivated plot.
- The Trial of Banker Edmiston
A North Yakima banker faces trial for allegedly accepting deposits while knowing his bank was insolvent, sparking a debate over corporate accountability.
- Free on His Birthday—and Still Guilty in the Detective's Eyes
After 18 months in jail, William A. Wilcox is acquitted of Charlotte Feiting's murder on his 25th birthday, but the detective who built the case refuses to accept the verdict.
- One Verdict Away From a Second Murder Charge
William A. Wilcox's Seattle murder trial neared its end as defense witnesses placed him at Tacoma gambling tables and boarding houses on Labor Day—and Pierce County waited to prosecute him for James King's death if Seattle acquitted him.
- The High Price of Ten Cents
A local man sued for damages after he was arrested, fired, and deserted by his wife over a petty accusation of wood theft.
- The Police Force Throws a Grand Ball
Seattle officers trade their nightsticks for dance partners at the Armory to raise money for a sickness and death relief fund.
Also about this, in other words
- A Murder Trial Ends in Tears and a Whispered Verdict
After eighteen months in a felon's cell and a second trial, William Wilcox walks free — and a courtroom erupts.
- Seventeen Hours in the Jury Room, Then 'Guilty'
Rev. M. H. Nichols is convicted of criminally libeling Rev. T. B. Ford after an all-night jury fight; his lawyers promise a new trial.