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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 10 |
| 1895 | 4 |
19 stories matching indebted
- The Political Brawl Over Seattle’s Debt
At a heated series of ward meetings in 1892, Republicans and reformers clashed over city finances, corruption, and a controversial proposal to tax 'abandoned women and gamblers.'
- The Tragedy of a Guardian's Greed
A sick pioneer's recovery is threatened by the revelation that his own brother, who managed his affairs, billed him for everything from streetcar fares to tobacco for horses.
- Populists Clash with the Militia
Legislators demand the state militia disband after accounts of drunken revelry at the inaugural ceremonies.
- Fireman Suspended for Unpaid Debts
The Seattle Fire Department takes a hardline stance against members failing to pay their financial obligations to colleagues.
- The Seattle Bazaar Bankruptcy Scandal
Bank sues Samuel Levy, alleging the Seattle Bazaar’s closure and stock seizures were a scheme to defraud creditors.
- The Struggle to Keep the Lights On
A local electric utility faces receivership as debt and equipment failures threaten to leave the city's businesses in the dark.
- The Mystery of the Missing Check
A deep-seated accounting discrepancy involving former City Treasurer W. L. Ames leads to calls for a formal investigation and legal action.
- The Almshouse Arbitration
King County commissioners call upon a committee of prominent citizens to settle long-standing claims over the construction of a new almshouse.
- The Skykomish Land Swindle
A judge censures a predatory agent for defrauding an elderly pioneer farmer out of his land in a mortgage scheme.
- The Five Million Dollar Railroad Grudge
A prominent Walla Walla railroad contractor accuses the Northern Pacific of malicious legal tactics that destroyed his business.
- The Strange Case of the Disputed Horses
A local market company and a private buyer clash in court over the rightful ownership of two horses, proving that even a simple livestock dispute requires a judge's intervention.
- A Principal on Trial Behind a Closed Door
Tacoma's school board barred reporters, witnesses and both professors from its 'war chamber' inquiry into charges against high school principal Roberts, where teachers described a temper and an implied threat.
- The Mill That Asked Workers to Wait for Lumber
A Seattle receiver said the Standard Mill Company could survive only if loggers and mechanics agreed to be paid out of the product of their own labor. The court let 35 cents on the dollar go to labor claims.
- The Diamond Palace Jeweler Who Vanished With the Stock
Simon Rumpf’s 'Diamond Palace' is placed in receivership after creditors allege he conspired to transfer his stock and then disappeared.
- A Plea for the Mariners of Seattle
Chaplain Thomas Reies appeals to the city for a waterfront sanctuary for the thousands of sailors who make the 'Queen City' their port of call.
- The Mill That Vanished Before Its Workers Got Paid
Kent mill hands won wage liens, then found the company's assets allegedly shifted to a new corporation—and the sheriff returning 'No property found.'
- A Drunkard Sold His Mother's Grave for Whiskey Money
Arthur Schmieg deeded the Lake View cemetery lot holding his mother and uncle to a saloonkeeper to cover a liquor debt — and the family went to court to stop the bodies being dug up.
- The Clerk Who Refused to Leave Office—and the Books That Wouldn't Balance
King County and former clerk W. B. Spencer submit a long-running dispute over fees, continuances and a disputed shortage to Judge Humes for a final ruling.
- The Missing Warrants in Tacoma's City Treasury
Ex-city treasurer George W. Boggs swore he had no assets, then gave two contradictory accounts of a mining note and a pencil receipt for city warrants.
Also about this, in other words
- Seattle's Schools Were Running on Borrowed Money—and the Bill Was Due
In 1895, the school board urged voters to ratify a stack of bonds and warrants incurred to build schools, warning that the alternative was a six-month school year—or repudiation.
- Seattle's Schools on the Brink: The 1895 Debt Vote That Could Have Cut the School Year to Six Months
With floating warrants piling up and the tax base shrinking, School District No. 1 asked voters to ratify about $387,000 in debt and refinance it before the school term was cut from ten months to six.