Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 7 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 8 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 15 |
| 1895 | 23 |
67 stories matching blank
- Mill Workers Resist Bank Seizure
When bankers attempted to seize a safe from a shuttered Aberdeen mill, furious workers threatened to 'lick any man' who tried to stop the operation.
- The Mysterious Case of 'John Doe' at the Polls
A crackdown on anonymous, blank warrants used to harass voters during Seattle’s city elections.
- A Gun Goes Off in a Passing Hand and a Fox Island Rancher Dies
Handing her husband his gun as he stepped into a boat, a Fox Island woman accidentally discharges it at point-blank range, killing him in front of her.
- Fatal Shooting at Franklin Coal Mine
A quarrel between roommates at the Franklin coal camp ends in a point-blank execution, leaving the community reeling and the assailant in custody.
- City Hall's Stolen Warrants
Nine hundred and ninety-nine blank city warrants vanish, raising fears of a massive forgery scheme involving city officials.
- The Fake Telegram That Almost Started a Diplomatic Incident
A bored telegraph operator in Blaine sparked a scandal after forging a message from Secretary of State James G. Blaine to a town assembly, causing embarrassment for local officials and leading to an investigation by the Pacific Postal Telegraph Company.
- The Registration Catch-22
New legislation forces naturalized citizens to produce hard-to-find documentation, effectively disenfranchising long-term residents and property owners.
- A Bloody Midnight Encounter on Pearl Street
A patrolman's desperate shootout with two burglars leaves a helmet shattered and a trail of blood leading into the dark.
- Blood on the Card Table
A festive night at an O'Brien saloon ends in a horrific murder-suicide, leaving the community reeling and questions of old grudges swirling in the air.
- The Forged Deed of Fairhaven
A landmark land title dispute is settled in court after the discovery of a printing date discrepancy.
- The Deadly Cost of a Failed Train Robbery
A desperate shootout between a local sheriff and two convicts on the tracks outside of Walla Walla leaves one man dead and another in chains.
- Diva vs. The Property Man
A backstage spat at a local theater reveals the off-stage antics of an amateur dramatic troupe.
- The Smooth Swindler of Springbrook
A serial con artist attempts to swindle hotel keepers and produce merchants with worthless paper.
- A Deadly Encounter on Beacon Hill
A nineteen-year-old hotel worker miraculously survives a point-blank shooting after refusing to surrender to a highwayman in the dark cuts of early Seattle.
- A Forged Passage: The Counterfeit Papers That Nearly Smuggled Chinese Immigrants Into Seattle
A ring selling near-perfect imitation government certificates was caught trying to land Chinese immigrants at Tacoma, Seattle and Port Townsend — and the customs collector was not impressed by their craftsmanship.
- Banking on Seattle’s Resilience
When the First Presbyterian Church laid its cornerstone in 1893, they buried a message of defiance against the global financial panic.
- The Smooth-Talking 'Distressed Brother' Who Worked the Masons
An impostor posing as a stranded fellow Mason bilked lodges from coast to coast. Seattle's United Lodge No. 92 — whose safe was cracked last summer — believes it unknowingly armed him with the forged receipts he used to collect.
- The 'Green Goods' Confidence Trick
A Tacoma woman narrowly avoids a total swindle only to have her money snatched in a daring streetcar exchange.
- A Trapper Walked Into the Snow and Never Came Back
William McKeiver’s cabin was found in good order, his rifle untouched, and his diary blank since November. Cougar tracks circled the traps.
- Ten Cottages and 110 Lots in an 1888 Seattle Drawing
In 1888, real estate developers in Seattle drummed up interest in a new subdivision by raffling off modern cottages to property buyers.
- The Price of a Clerical Error
A contractor’s slip of the pen costs him a major city street grading contract.
- Embezzlement Scandal Rocks Spokane Insurance Firm
The secretary of the Washington Farmers’ Industrial Insurance Company is accused of missing funds and chaotic bookkeeping.
- The Struggle for a Proper Stage
A popular movement takes off to build Seattle its first dedicated grand opera house as performers complain about the city’s cramped, inadequate venues.
- Five Cottages Lured Buyers to 1888 Seattle Lots
A real estate promotion promised a 'small fortune' by raffling off five luxury cottages to buyers of building lots near the burgeoning Jackson Street cable line.
- The Mail-Order Marriage from Hell
A lonely rancher and a widow seeking companionship found only a farcical and bitter end to their long-distance romance.