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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 2 |
19 stories matching torch
- A Trail of Fire Through Port Townsend
When four hundred torch-bearers paraded the bluff at night, they turned the seaside town into a spectacular display of political theater.
- The Torchlight Parade for 'Prosperity'
Thousands of Seattle residents packed the streets and an armory in 1889 to cheer Republican candidates, a political display that felt more like a frantic race for jobs and survival.
- The Democracy of Seattle Lights Up Pioneer Place
Torches, bonfires, and fiery rhetoric define a raucous political rally for Grover Cleveland.
- The Senator Who Stood on the Train
In the dead of night, a torch-lit mob marched through Spokane to greet U.S. Senator Warren G. Squire. But as he stepped onto the platform to deliver his victory speech, the rails betrayed him: the train pulled away before he could finish, leaving only his voice echoing into the dark.
- The House That Burned for Insurance Money
A jury denies a fire insurance claim after evidence reveals valuables were moved out and the owner likely torched the home.
- The Corpse, the Fire, and the Vanishing Policy
William Radloff disappeared after putting a corpse in his house and torching the structure. With his life-insurance policy now lapsed, his wife has filed no claim—leaving Seattle to wonder what really happened.
- Ritzville Under Siege by a Serial Arsonist
After a failed attempt to torch a warehouse, the town council posts a reward for an elusive firebug terrorizing the business district.
- The Governor’s Rally in Snohomish
A political procession of 1,000 torchbearers marches through Snohomish to support John H. McGraw’s gubernatorial bid.
- The Smoke That Choked Seattle
A Seattle timber investor returns from the Puget Sound to find the region shrouded in disaster as forest fires consume the landscape.
- The Night They Burned the Bridges: Sprague Makes Its Stand
A mob stones the returning militia, torch-wielding strikers destroy trestles on both sides of town, and a governor wires back orders to 'use all force at your command' to disperse the rioters.
- He Burned the Deed to Prove His Love — Then Sold Her House for $1
A Tacoma wife says her husband coaxed her into signing away the family home, torched the paper to win her back, and secretly sold the property to his son.
- Railroad Workers Torch a Notorious 'Dive'
Vigilante laborers in the Cascades take matters into their own hands, using dynamite to destroy a saloon they claim was robbing their comrades.
- The Apple Orchard Bandit
An Olympia fruit thief develops a bizarre, tactical routine to raid orchards under the cover of night, only to be stopped by a shotgun-wielding guard.
- An Arson Plot Unearthed in a Rented Shack
A struggling family, searching for kindling in their attic, discovers a lethal trap set to torch their home.
- The Arsonist Who Burned the Books: A Tacoma Cover-Up?
An attempt to torch the U.S. Custom House in Port Townsend raises eyebrows as officials fear a whistleblower’s evidence of corruption was destroyed.
- The Smoke That Choked the Sound
As Seattle rebuilds from its Great Fire, a more insidious disaster—the annual torching of Washington’s vast forests—threatens the region’s economic future.
- The Seattle Literary Club’s Debate on the Future of Womanhood
In an era of rapid transition, local voices gathered to debate whether women should practice law, medicine, or politics—or if they should be spared from the 'mire' of public life.
- Populists Told: Stay Off the Street Corners or Get Arrested
With a promised debate opponent a no-show, Seattle's Fourth Ward Populists argued among themselves about unity, the Pullman strike and whether corner speeches win votes or just fill the police blotter.
- He Paid a Man $12 to Burn His Own House
A barber and the man he hired confess to torching 128 Rollin Street for the insurance money — a house that had already burned once, and whose policy had already been cut in half.