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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 9 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 19 |
44 stories matching audit
- The Battle Over Public Health
A heated public dispute erupts between the Seattle Board of Health and the City Council’s Auditing Committee over the costs of a recent smallpox outbreak.
- A County Treasurer’s Bond With Too Many Holes
Seattle’s newly elected county treasurer filed a surety bond riddled with defects, withdrawn signatures and backers who pledged more than they could justify.
- The $3,430 Hole in Spokane's County Books
A three-month audit finds ex-County Clerk Downing $3,430 short and his records 'kept in a very loose manner.' The National Guard captain and rising Spokane politician is held for embezzlement.
- The Water Works Scandal
Ex-superintendent W. E. Wilson fights back against corruption allegations and his former board.
- The Million-Dollar Water Heist
A scathing audit reveals that Tacoma taxpayers were bilked out of over a million dollars in a rigged water works acquisition deal.
- City Hall's Quarantine Deadlock
As the Board of Health scrambles to map an imaginary quarantine line for cholera, the city's inability to pay for basic sanitation has created a public health crisis.
- A Costly Pursuit of Justice in Clallam County
County commissioners face backlash for spending more on legal fees than the amount they hope to recover from a former treasurer.
- Corruption Charges in Snohomish County
The Snohomish County Attorney charges commissioners with 'malfeasance, misfeasance, corruption, and misdemeanor' in a sweeping legal bid to remove them from office.
- The Mayor's Ultimatum to the Board of Health
Mayor J.T. Ronald demands the resignation of the Health Board after they refuse to fire the health officer for being 'opprobrious.'
- Railroad Giant Swallows Sound Steamship Line
Northern Pacific Railroad absorbs the Puget Sound & Alaska Steamship Company to consolidate management and slash operating costs.
- County Surveyor Ames Accused of Skimming Wages
A scathing editorial calls for the immediate removal of County Surveyor Ames for payroll fraud.
- The City and County Spar Over Who Pays for the Poor
Mayor Ronald and health officials grapple with a budget crisis over the medical care of impoverished residents, highlighting the administrative friction in 1890s Seattle.
- City Treasurer Decamps as Embezzlement Scandal Rocks Seattle
City Treasurer Adolph Krug has fled the city after an audit revealed a $20,000 deficit in his accounts.
- Aberdeen Banker Arrested While Auditing His Own Failed Bank
C. T. Wooding, called in to untangle the defunct Aberdeen bank's books, is charged with perjury — and the town cries foul.
- The Campaign to Defend John H. McGraw
Prominent citizens and former associates testify to the character of the Republican sheriff as rumors of past gambling and dishonesty circulate on the campaign trail.
- The Populist Takes the County Treasury
After a long bond fight, J. W. Maple finally took control of King County's money—and the temporary treasurer resigned rather than stand in the way.
- The Phantom Section Hands of the Northern Pacific
A roadmaster at Cle Elum is arrested for padding six railroad crews with fictitious workers—until a foreman’s conscience, and the auditors, caught up with him.
- The Treasurer’s Bond Had a Hole in It
Seattle’s treasurer-elect filed a $90,000 bond, but wives’ names were penciled in, signatures were missing, and one backer wanted out.
- The Political Hatchet Job That Failed
A Port Townsend city treasurer finds himself the victim of a coordinated, sensationalist smear campaign—only for the local press to walk it back.
- The Great City Printing Graft
Seattle’s local newspapers accused the Telegraph of padding city bills, sparking a political firestorm that reached the city council.
- The Audit Error That Almost Sent a Clerk to Prison
A tragic mix-up of names and a hurried stamp by an overworked clerk led to a major forgery indictment against a Seattle county employee.
- The City Hall Standoff That Left a Man Bleeding
A laborer with a mangled foot was denied hospital care due to a convoluted bureaucratic web between the Health Officer, the police, and the Board of Public Works.
- The Great Seattle Charter Rewrite of 1892
Facing rapid urban growth, Seattle city leaders proposed an overhaul of the municipal charter, redrawing ward boundaries and formalizing the rules for public works and civil service.
- The School Board's Hidden Books
A citizen's attempt to audit the Seattle Board of Education sparks a tense confrontation over transparency and the fear of a local 'poorhouse scandal.'
- The City That Beat the Fraud: Seattle’s Census Integrity
While Portland faces a third recount for dishonesty and Salem inflates its numbers with transient workers, Seattle and Tacoma emerge from the federal census audit with clean records.