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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 15 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 16 |
| 1894 | 24 |
| 1895 | 20 |
92 stories matching preced
- The $300,000 Legal Battle Over Seattle’s Streets
A landmark court decision challenges the city's liability for street grade warrants, threatening to set a precedent for every municipality in the state.
- The President and the Timber Thieves
A political scandal erupted when President Grover Cleveland fired a federal prosecutor who had successfully taken on a powerful railroad monopoly for illegal logging.
- The Boarding House Voter: A Woman’s Letter on Electoral Fraud
In January 1891, Elizabeth Lyle Saxon writes to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer from Whatcom County, arguing that her experience running a boarding house reveals how easily voters can manipulate residency laws to sway contested elections.
- The Trial of the Deadly Gun Trap
A Whatcom man faces trial for setting a lethal snare that killed a man, marking a rare legal precedent for the state.
- The Real Estate Handshake: A Forgotten Legal Precedent
An 1889 court ruling from Kansas reverberated in Seattle, forcing a change in how developers and land brokers accounted for profits.
- The Vagrancy Trap: A Precedent for Exclusion
A Marysville judge shuts down jury trials for those accused of vagrancy, empowering local police to forcibly remove 'bad characters' from the city.
- A Theosophical Dispute Over a $100 Forfeit
A local skeptic challenges a Theosophist’s claim regarding Madame Blavatsky, arguing that the movement justifies evil under the guise of 'Karma.'
- The Sudden 'White Squall' Hits Tacoma
A ferocious storm rips through the harbor with wind, rain, and snow, causing ships to drift and confusing local scientists.
- Contempt in the Courtroom
A defense attorney is fined for arguing with a judge during a high-stakes murder trial in Snohomish.
- The Battle Over Voter Registration at Martin Creek
A local judge rules against the King County commissioners, setting a precedent for voter integrity in a contested territory.
- Foundry Workers Strike for Bi-Weekly Pay
Foundry employees walk off the job at Almond & Phillips after management consistently fails to meet the 10th-of-the-month payday.
- The Elective Franchise Bill Fails—With Indians Explicitly Barred
A proposed constitutional amendment in Olympia would have fixed voting rules for male citizens while writing 'Indians not taxed' out of the franchise; it died on the floor.
- The Strange 'Living' Well of Port Townsend
A dry well dug in an addition to Port Townsend acts as a natural, pneumatic barometer, baffling local scientists.
- A Populist Call to Build the Ship Canal
A citizen offers a radical proposal to jump-start the construction of the Seattle Ship Canal through volunteer labor and public subscription.
- The Pugilistic Excursion to the Sound
A staged prize fight on a remote island ends in a farce, leaving the crowd with nothing but a boat ride and a band concert.
- The Great Seattle Land Boom of 1888
A look at the frenzied real estate market as Seattle's rapid expansion fills the ledger books with record-breaking capital.
- Seattle's Public Library Gets New Quarters
After operating out of the Occidental block, the city’s growing collection finds a new home in the Collins building.
- The Judge Who Refused to Break a Strike
While other courts rushed to silence workers, Judge Henry Caldwell of the U.S. Circuit Court set a radical precedent: railroad workers had the right to strike and the right to be heard.
- The Tragedy in the Shantytown
An elderly woman is beaten to death in her South Seattle home for a small cache of gold.
- The Land That Wasn't: How Washington’s First Supreme Court Ruled on Who Owns the River
In a landmark 1891 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court settled a fierce dispute over Puget Sound real estate, declaring that private property lines stop where the tide begins.
- The Battle for the Snohomish River Claim
A landmark interior department decision favors an ailing settler over a speculator who tried to exploit a technicality in federal land law.
- The Right to Offset Benefits in Land Seizures
A landmark Washington Supreme Court decision settles a heated dispute over whether the city can lower compensation for seized land by claiming the public improvement adds value to the owner's remaining property.
- Seattle Deeds Top $29,000 in a Single Day
Public records from July 1888 detail a frantic wave of property transfers, capturing the speculative fever that defined the city's early expansion.
- The Deadly Spring Gun of Whatcom
A man who set a loaded trap for intruders in his cabin faces a murder conviction, setting a major legal precedent for property defense.
- The Great Railway Freight Revolt
In a 1891 legislative showdown, Washington lawmakers slashed freight rates by 25 percent to combat railroad monopolies, sparking a fierce debate over state versus corporate control.