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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 3 |
20 stories matching fletcher
- The Tragedy of the Chico Gulch
A minor dispute over a killed pet dog escalates into a brutal, fatal shooting in the quiet community of Chico, revealing the violent tensions lurking behind rural neighborly relations.
- The Saloon That Wouldn't Leave
A legal war erupts over a property lease, testing whether a landlord is responsible for ousting a tenant after selling the building.
- The Dog Dispute That Led to Murder
A trivial argument over a shot dog escalated into a brutal killing at a remote logging cabin near Chico.
- The Tragic Death of a Great Northern Laborer
A railroad worker dies following a brutal brawl at a Third Street saloon, leading to the arrest of a local proprietor.
- The Sudden Flight of Ballard's Prominent Citizen
A local businessman flees to Chicago, leaving unfinished projects and a cryptic telegram behind, out of a sensitive fear of public scandal.
- The Tragedy at the Bridge
A jury in Kitsap County convicts a man of murder in the first degree, despite his claim that the fatal shooting of Billy Fletcher was a tragic accident sparked by a dispute over a dog.
- The Squatters of Front Street
When a building’s rent price surged following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, the owner tried to renege on an existing lease—leading to a tense standoff and a vigilante guard force.
- The San Mateo Blown Apart in Semiahmoo Bay
A coal-hauling steamer is rendered a floating wreck by a sudden gas explosion, leaving the crew battered but alive.
- The Trial of Severus Ratten
A murder trial proceeds in Kitsap County despite defense arguments that local prejudice makes a fair hearing impossible.
- The Jailer Lost the Key
A murder trial in Kitsap County is stalled after a clumsy jailer heads downtown with the only key to the prisoner's cell.
- The $12.50 License That Became a $300 Shakedown
Expressman J.A. Fletcher said a license inspector never asked him to renew, then had him arrested, searched, and thrown into a steel cage with seven prisoners—over a $12.50 fee he says he would have paid.
- Ballard’s Shingle Mills Roar Back to Life
After months of silence due to litigation and economic uncertainty, the neighborhood's mill economy gears up for a busy winter.
- The Mayor Who Refused to Apologize: A Retiring Councilman’s Bold Farewell
In a rare display of civic integrity, R.C. Macon tells Seattle's City Council he has 'no apologies to make' for his tenure, setting the stage for a contentious battle over the city clerkship.
- A Libel Trial Over 'Sweet-Scented Houses' Puts Seattle's Police on Trial
Newspaperman C. H. Lugrin stands accused of criminal libel for printing that gambling and vice flourish under police protection — and the hunt for a jury drags from morning into night.
- The Great Shingle Train of 1892
A record-breaking shipment of 5,000,000 red cedar shingles from Ballard mills highlights the rapid industrial growth of a young Seattle.
- When 500 Knights Paraded Through Seattle: The 1893 Pythian Bash
The Knights of Pythias marked their 30th anniversary with a grand parade, a ball for 1,500 at Armory Hall, and a secret ritual—while scouting land for a proposed Pythian home.
- A Wooden Pistol Emptied the King County Jail
Thomas Blanck, awaiting appeal for murder, locked the night jailer in a cell and walked out with eight other prisoners—armed with a black wooden fake.
- The Typo That Made Seattle the Most Taxed City in America
A comptroller's misplaced decimal turned a $1.36 tax rate into $12.60 in the World Almanac. By the time the Chamber of Commerce ran it down, Congress was quoting it — and Tacoma was begging the newspapers to stop trashing both cities.
- The Wooden Revolver That Sprung Tom Blanck
A murderer awaiting appeal in the King County jail used a hand-carved fake gun to force his way past the night jailer, then vanished into the Black River woods as a sheriff's posse rushed south by special train.
- The Railroad Man Who Gave Seattle Its First Real Baseball Team — Then Lost Everything
W. R. Thornell organized the Pacific Northwest League and the 'Seattle Reds,' then lost his bank job over a forged note. Bright's disease took him at Paddock Memorial Hospital in Tacoma; he was buried in the city that once cheered him.