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 | 24 |
| 1889 | 48 |
| 1891 | 21 |
| 1892 | 61 |
| 1893 | 70 |
| 1894 | 145 |
| 1895 | 183 |
552 stories matching talk
- A Mother and Baby Slain in South Seattle — and Talk of Lynching
An outraged neighborhood whispers of mob justice for Henry Cramer, but the Post-Intelligencer insists that a circumstantial case must go to an impartial trial.
- A Murder Near Auburn, Two Suspects Freed, and a Sheriff Still Waiting for Someone to Talk
Zenga Maseda was killed near Auburn. Two Japanese men were arrested, then released for lack of evidence, while deputies kept hunting the murderer.
- The Puyallup Protest Against Land Commissions
Indigenous leaders unite to condemn fraud, bribery, and intimidation by federal land commissioners.
- The Outlaw's Only Friend Comes Home to Seattle
Tom Blanck's sole confidant returns from Victoria and tells a reporter what the notorious Northwest criminal was really like — a killer who never touched liquor or tobacco, and who swore he'd never be taken alive.
- The Forbidden Book That Survived the Fire
A rare, centuries-old volume of Martin Luther’s 'Table Talk' was miraculously salvaged from the ashes of the Great Seattle Fire, having been smuggled across the ocean and hidden away by generations to escape religious persecution.
- The Hustle Returns: Seattle’s Economic Pulse Picks Up
After weeks of talking 'hard times,' local merchants report a sudden shift toward optimism and consumer spending.
- The Ghost-Hunter Comes to Seattle
Notorious spiritualist Anna Eva Fay visits the New Seattle Theater to perform a scientific séance, bringing tales of talking heads and astral projection.
- The School Clerk Feud
A neighborhood dispute over a school clerk election resulted in a woman hitting a man with her umbrella.
- The Old Man and the Confidence Men
An elderly traveler is swindled out of his watch and checks by a pair of smooth-talking con artists in a Seattle saloon.
- Three Bullets, Then Silence
James J. Holt survived W.N. White's gunfire, but hospital staff sealed him off from questions while White's body was carried back to Olympia.
- Hard Times Force Railroads Toward a Monopoly
Financial desperation drives the competing lines of the Pacific Northwest to consider an end to expansion and a new era of joint operation.
- The Tragedy at the Ellensburg Hotel
A newly married rancher takes his own life in a hotel room, sparking a mystery as his wife remains in a state of shock.
- A Populist Orator, a Sidewalk, and a Penknife
Tacoma police arrested 68-year-old party leader Dolph Hannah for blocking Pacific Avenue with a campaign speech, then released him on his own recognizance after a scuffle.
- The Death at Steilacoom They Would Not Let Be Explained Away
After an asylum superintendent told the public that a grieving family had accepted the official account, the parents of A. Shadle wrote to the Post-Intelligencer to say they believed their son was poisoned — and that nothing had changed.
- The Senatorial Tug-of-War
As the legislature gathers in Olympia, Northern Pacific lobbyists and political hopefuls fight for control over Senator John B. Allen’s seat.
- Tragedy in Hillyard
A Spokane saloonkeeper takes his own life following rumors of his involvement in an arson case.
- Tacoma’s Missing Warrant Book and the Forgery Scandal at City Hall
A former assistant city clerk had already been sent to prison. Now his talk of accomplices had Tacoma officials eyeing a missing warrant book and city paper selling at a steep discount in Chehalis.
- The Day Tacoma’s Streetcars Stood Still
When the streetcar workers of Tacoma laid down their tools to demand fair pay, a showdown at the rail house sparked a tense labor confrontation.
- Arrested for Standing on the Corner
A Seattle man is hauled off to jail for the simple crime of engaging in a public conversation that obstructed the sidewalk.
- The Detective, the Forger, and the Silverton Fiancée
Detective Sam Sumner captures a smooth-talking con man who posed as a Northern Pacific railroad official and nearly married into a Silverton family.
- Insurance Agent Vanishes After Passing Spurious Checks
A smooth-talking insurance agent charms his way through Seattle's business community before disappearing with premiums and bad checks.
- The Real Estate Swindler Who Fooled Seattle
A smooth-talking con artist masquerading as an 'Eastern capitalist' swindled multiple Seattle banks by weaving himself into the city's booming real estate market.
- The Smooth-Talking 'Distressed Brother' Who Worked the Masons
An impostor posing as a stranded fellow Mason bilked lodges from coast to coast. Seattle's United Lodge No. 92 — whose safe was cracked last summer — believes it unknowingly armed him with the forged receipts he used to collect.
- The Forger Who Called Himself 'Apache George' Dies in the County Jail
George Wendelin, a smooth-talking check passer who left Seattle firms holding worthless paper, is struck down by apoplexy before his case can go further.
- The Trial of 'Old Man' Robinson
A jury acquits a man accused of orchestrating a brutal ambush murder, leaving a partner to face the gallows alone.