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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 16 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 21 |
| 1895 | 16 |
83 stories matching libel
- Crew of Steamer Idaho Sues for Unpaid Wages
Fourteen mariners file a federal libel suit against their own vessel, alleging the ship's owners failed to pay their wages.
- A Rescue at Sea: The Wellington Libeled for $15,000
A historic salvage claim surfaces as the captain of the San Pedro sues for payment after a dramatic ocean rescue.
- The War of the Everett Editors
An arrest for criminal libel turns into a public spectacle as two rival newspaper editors battle over a municipal bridge contract.
- The 'Orting Bank Thief' Libel Case
A political war of words between Populists and the establishment leads to a dramatic arrest for criminal libel in Tacoma.
- 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 Ballad of Mrs. Mattie: A Seattle Streetcar Scandal
When a drunken motorman tried to force his way into a woman's streetcar car, the resulting courtroom drama exposed the raw power dynamics of early Seattle transit—and left the defendant claiming he was libelled by the press.
- The Whistleblower Who Won
A Seattle man is acquitted of criminal libel for writing a letter warning labor organizers against a corrupt local official.
- A Foggy Night on the Sound
A collision between two steamships leads to a libel lawsuit and the suspension of a captain.
- Two Tacoma Papers Go to War Over a Bank Blackmail Charge
The Ledger accuses the News of shaking down local banks, both dailies dare each other to sue for libel, and the insults turn spectacularly personal.
- The Knights of Labor Civil War
A bitter internal dispute within the local Knights of Labor spills into the courts as a libel suit.
- A Libel Trial Among Ministers Promises a Scandal in Open Court
Rev. M. H. Nichols faces a criminal libel charge over accusations against Rev. T. B. Ford, and a California witness has arrived to testify about old “irregularities” in Arkansas.
- The Editor and the Chief
The editor of the Seattle Telegraph is charged with criminal libel after publishing a scathing exposé on the police chief's alleged protection of gambling dens.
- The Editor, the Chief, and the Libel He Could Not Prove
Seattle’s police chief wins a criminal libel case after the Telegraph’s promised corruption evidence never materializes.
- The Great Everett Libel Feud
A theatrical legal battle between an Everett editor and his rival unfolds, characterized more by grandstanding lawyers than actual injury.
- A Newspaper Editor's Silence in Court: The Lugrin Libel Trial
C. H. Lugrin, managing editor of the Seattle Telegraph, rested his defense without calling witnesses in a libel trial brought by Police Chief Rogers. The case now goes to the jury.
- The Boycott of the Famous Shoe House
Nine clerks are arrested for libel after attempting to organize an 'early closing' movement by boycotting a merchant who refused to shut his doors at 6 p.m.
- Sloop Louisa Seized in 1891 Over Accusation of Landing Chinese Workers
Federal authorities seize a vessel in Elliott Bay for the alleged smuggling of Chinese laborers in violation of federal restriction acts.
- Ballard’s Political Feud
A bitter public dispute erupts between a former treasurer and a local editor, trading accusations of criminal fraud and libel.
- Three Barks, a Yesler Mortgage, and a Race to the Courthouse Door
A federal judge ordered the Tidal Wave, Northwest and Vidette sold to satisfy a mortgage from Henry Yesler's estate. Hours later, unpaid suppliers slapped liens on the hulls — raising a question in admiralty law no court here had faced.
- The Unlucky Fate of the Steamer City of Ellensburg
Creditors protest a forced sale of a river steamer, claiming the vessel was sold for a pittance in a 'farce' of an auction.
- A Gambling Charge, a Judge, and a Libel Threat in Whatcom
A Tacoma Ledger correspondent claims a superior court judge and a customs deputy lost Democratic Party money in a Seattle saloon. The accused demand a retraction as a faction fight boils over.
- The Libel Pamphlet That Ended With Psalm 52
Rev. M. H. Nichols, already convicted of libeling Elder T. B. Ford, circulated a new attack on Dr. W. P. George—and Judge Humes fined him $25.
- The Trial That Wasn't: Tacoma’s Libel Case Collapses Into Farce
A high-profile libel trial in Tacoma devolves into legal sophistry and personal insults, revealing the chaotic state of territorial justice.
- A Rabbi Fights Back: Spokane's Dr. Schreiber Sues Newspapers for Libel
After a sensational rumor circulated about him, Rabbi Schreiber was exonerated by his congregation and now plans to sue the Seattle Telegraph, Tacoma Ledger, and San Francisco Examiner for defamation.
- The Price of Independent Journalism
The Post-Intelligencer faces a libel suit for investigating city contract corruption.
Also about this, in other words
- A Church Scandal Erupts in a Seattle Libel Trial
M. H. Nichols stood accused of criminally libeling Presiding Elder T. B. Ford. The defense spent the day trading rumors, old grudges, and one complaint about the prosecutor's booming voice.