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 | 28 |
| 1889 | 59 |
| 1891 | 33 |
| 1892 | 89 |
| 1893 | 90 |
| 1894 | 82 |
| 1895 | 120 |
501 stories matching fine
- Justice Glasgow Sets New Fines for Dance House Girls
Judge Glasgow increases bail and fines for women working in dance halls and brothels, signaling a harsher crackdown on vice in the city.
- The Price of 'Protection': Judge Glasgow Cuts the Fine for Unlicensed Saloons
A routine municipal court case reveals the city's long-standing 'ninety-day' tax on houses of ill fame.
- The Struggle for Liquor Licensing in the Municipal Court
Mrs. Graham challenges the court's fines, claiming discrimination in the enforcement of liquor laws.
- Contempt in the Courtroom
A defense attorney is fined for arguing with a judge during a high-stakes murder trial in Snohomish.
- A Shift in How Seattle Punished Public Intoxication
A new administrative system for municipal court fines turned a $1 penalty into a three-day jail sentence.
- Judge Glasgow Fines Lake Washington's Beer Sellers by the Barrel
Saloon keepers at Madrona Park and the Madison Street pavilion plead guilty, and the police court scales fines to their liquor bills.
- Teachers Fined for Brutal Discipline
A husband-and-wife teaching team is fined for excessive corporal punishment in a local schoolroom.
- City Attorney Fined for Contempt of Court
A legal showdown over mayoral authority and the power to control city prosecutions leads to a judge fining the city attorney for refusing to act.
- Populist Insult Sparks Contempt Fine
A citizen confronted a judge on the street, accusing him of taking bribes, leading to an immediate court-ordered fine.
- The Union Sailor Fined for Heckling a Nonunion Captain
Joseph Hanson shouted at Captain H. Blekum across a Seattle wharf over lower wages. A justice fined him $5 for language tending to provoke an assault.
- The Carpenter Who Went to Jail on Principle
A local carpenter faces jail time after refusing to pay a poll tax, equating his plight to the political climate of Tsarist Russia.
- Rock-Throwing Crowd, One-Dollar Fine: Ah Sam’s Day in Court
A Chinese man targeted by a Pike Street crowd was convicted of assaulting a boy in that crowd, but the judge reduced the penalty to $1 and costs after hearing the provocation.
- The Street-Side Brawl Over Union Labor
A bakery driver was fined after physically attacking a union member who was picketing his wagon in 1891 Seattle.
- A Seattle Editor's Jail Sentence—and His Gallows Joke
C. H. Lugrin of the Telegram got three months and a $500 fine for criminal libel against Police Chief Bolton Rogers. He appealed—and joked that the judge couldn't hang him.
- The Wild West of Seattle Real Estate
An 1888 advertisement promises 'fine acreage' and quick riches in a rapidly expanding Seattle, highlighting the speculative fervor that defined the city's early growth.
- The Condemned Murderer Who Ran the Jailhouse Court
Thomas Blanck, awaiting execution for murder, was unanimously elected to preside over the county jail's prisoner-run tribunal—complete with fines, lashes, and a Bible in his cell.
- The City's Monthly 'Tax' on Prostitution
A reader questions the 'reform' administration’s police policy of extracting monthly fines from sex workers as a form of state-sanctioned blackmail.
- Seattle's Musicians Union Cracks Down on a Band Accused of Cutting Rates
A union fine against Lancer & Lueben's bandleader opens a widening fight over underbidding, jealousy and the union scale.
- The Neighborhood Nuisance: One Seattle Woman’s Battle with a 'Notoriously Bad Character'
An fed-up Seattle resident contemplates legal action to curb a neighbor's constant, disruptive presence in a battle that echoes today’s urban tensions.
- The High Cost of the Great Seattle Rebuild
A six-week-old restaurant is auctioned off for parts, revealing the volatility of life in post-fire Seattle.
- Smallpox Secrecy at the Convent of Mercy
A Mother Superior faces trial and a fine for failing to report a case of smallpox within the Snohomish convent.
- Gambler Who Preyed on Newsboys Driven Out of Town
After cheating a bootblack and a newsboy on the steps of a local hotel, a 'crooked' gambler is fined and given an informal eviction notice by Seattle police.
- Police Raid the 'Whitechapel' District
Justice Miller fines two dozen women in the wake of a citywide vice sweep.
- The Price of Policing the 'Unfortunates'
A budget report reveals that Seattle’s municipal court revenue plummeted after a policy change regarding how the city policed its marginalized citizens.
- Notorious Land Swindler Gets Prison Sentence
Federal judge sentences N. H. McLean to one year in prison for subornation of perjury in a major land fraud case.