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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 7 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1891 | 10 |
| 1892 | 20 |
| 1893 | 46 |
| 1894 | 34 |
| 1895 | 45 |
170 stories matching telegram
- The Scandal of the Anti-Wallace Telegram
A political storm erupts as local figures scramble to disown a telegram sent to the President, exposing a fractured front against Wallace.
- The Rival Reporters of Spokane
A bitter feud between rival newspapers in Spokane turns into a bizarre scheme involving fake telegrams, impersonated police, and a plot to drug a colleague.
- The Fake Telegram That Almost Started a Diplomatic Incident
A bored telegraph operator in Blaine sparked a scandal after forging a message from Secretary of State James G. Blaine to a town assembly, causing embarrassment for local officials and leading to an investigation by the Pacific Postal Telegraph Company.
- The 'Sullivan Thugs' and the Battle for Seattle's Soul
On the eve of the 1892 mayoral election, a local political scandal involving hired enforcers and intercepted telegrams brings Seattle to the brink of chaos.
- The Price of a Business Failure
A telegram from creditors forces a frantic, 'regardless of cost' liquidation sale of R. Simon's men's clothing store in downtown Seattle.
- 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 Fair, the Band, and the Union Telegram
When Tacoma's Interstate Fair hired an out-of-town military band, the local musicians' union balked—prompting an angry telegram and a last-minute scramble to catch the train.
- The Handsomest House in Snoqualmie Burned While Its Owner Was in Seattle
O. D. Guilfoil learns by telegram that his family fled a two-story showplace as it burned; the $7,000 loss was uninsured.
- A Candidate’s Character and the 'Fallon Orphans' Scandal
Gubernatorial candidate Henry J. Snively faces accusations regarding unpaid funds meant for orphaned children, sparking a heated war of telegrams and character attacks.
- The Forger Who Could Not Outrun the Telegraph
A determined sheriff tracks a cunning forger from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest by leveraging a new network of law enforcement telegrams.
- Tacoma Sealed Its Waterfront Deal With a Telegram
The city council approved a tide-land plat after railroad and land-company officials promised rights-of-way and waterways—over dissenters who wanted more than long-distance assurances.
- Tension and Violence at the Colville Reservation
Settlers at Colville petition for military intervention following reports of burned hay fields and armed conflict with local Indigenous people.
- A Senator’s Gift of Stone
Senator Watson C. Squire offers the city free rock from his Duwamish River quarries to help jumpstart local street paving efforts.
- The Groom Who Vanished: A Tacoma Bride’s Wedding Day Turned to Ashes
A Chicago furniture manufacturer arrived in Tacoma with a 'pretty bride' and a request for cash. By the next morning, he was gone, leaving behind a suspicious telegram from his employers and a trail of fraud that spanned the West Coast.
- Tacoma Man Sets the Record Straight on the Northern Pacific Land Grant
Paul Schulze writes to correct a special telegram claiming the Supreme Court annulled the railroad's land grant from Portland to Tacoma, arguing the decision was narrow and fears of a land rush are overblown.
- Minors Gain Right to Own Land in Port Angeles
Federal ruling confirms that young people can hold title to government land, ending a ten-week legal standoff.
- The Widow of the Windsor Hotel
A newly arrived immigrant faces sudden motherhood and a confusing financial drama with a husband she hasn't seen in months.
- A Preacher's Attack Becomes Free Publicity for Seattle's Potter-Bellew Run
A Portland minister accused the touring actors of scandalous church behavior; telegrams from Victoria said he had the wrong couple, and Seattle theatergoers got a four-night engagement to judge for themselves.
- Fraternity Stiffed by City and Chamber
Local Odd Fellows lodges footed the entire bill for entertaining the visiting Sovereign Grand Lodge after the city and Chamber of Commerce reneged on their promises to split the costs.
- 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 Vanishing Boys of Seattle
While the city grew rapidly, parents found themselves in a recurring panic as children repeatedly 'flitted away' from home, triggering police searches and frantic reunions.
- St. Louis Money Comes to Dig Seattle's South Canal
A telegram to Eugene Semple announced that the Ames brothers and their St. Louis backers were on their way to take charge of the South Canal, as engineers surveyed the tide flats and a dredger headed west.
- Mining Accident in Palmer
A laborer dies following a roof collapse at the Kangley mine, sparking a routine inquiry by the coroner.
- Tragic Fall at the Iron Bunkers
A young worker’s life ended by a workplace accident at the Seattle Coal and Iron Company.
- The Seattle Election Telegrams: When Political Operatives Ran the Show
Leaked ciphers from 1892 reveal a scheme where out-of-town 'detectives' and thugs were imported to manipulate local elections and manufacture scandals.