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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 30 |
| 1889 | 60 |
| 1891 | 42 |
| 1892 | 120 |
| 1893 | 154 |
| 1894 | 169 |
| 1895 | 162 |
737 stories matching wit
- The Hypnotist in the Witness Box
A courtroom drama unfolds in Tacoma as a litigant is accused of using mesmerism to cloud the memory of an opposing witness.
- A Steamboat Inspector on Trial, and the Men Who Kicked
A Seattle courtroom hears masters and pilots defend Capt. Bryant against charges of favoritism—and admit that the men who complain are often the incompetent ones.
- The Opium-Hand Coaching Scheme
A theatrical agent was arrested after authorities discovered a systemic scheme to coach Chinese witnesses in court through signals and physical props.
- The Disappearing Witness in the Minkler Murder Trial
The Lewis County Sheriff orders the release of a key witness against Dr. Minkler, raising local alarms about justice.
- “You Are the Man That Done It All”: A Murder Trial Witness Loses His Temper
The Hayward murder trial turned electric when a stubborn witness faced the accused across the courtroom—and the defense could not shake him.
- A Nighttime Stabbing in Downtown Seattle
A witness reports a violent, unexplained knife attack at a downtown intersection, yet the victim vanished before help could arrive.
- The $5,000 Price of Freedom: Tacoma's Wilcox Trial and the Taxpayers' Burden
A detailed accounting of the Wilcox murder trial reveals the staggering cost of criminal prosecutions in 1899, from $137 for a witness from Los Angeles to the fees for 76 witnesses and a jury.
- The Gas Tester and the Widow: A Franklin Mine Death Goes to Trial
Elizabeth Pugh sued the Oregon Improvement Company for damages after her husband died in the Franklin mine. The defense spent a full day examining witnesses, including the mine's gas tester and a district inspector.
- The Murder Witness Who Spent 241 Days in Jail
George Gordon’s testimony helped convict Murphy of second-degree murder—but keeping the state’s only eyewitness safe cost King County $733, and the defense said he tried to sell his silence.
- The Self-Defense Trial of James Murphy
A Seattle murder trial hinges on claims of a 'dangerous man,' witness bribery, and a life-or-death confrontation in a saloon.
- The Roslyn Bank Heist Goes to Trial
Trial enters third day for two men accused in the Roslyn bank robbery, with witness IDs contested.
- The Banker Who Let His Subordinates Do the Stealing—and Bet the Jury Wouldn't Believe the Witnesses
At North Yakima, Banker Edmiston is mounting no defense of his own, betting instead that the prosecution's witnesses—including a bootblack who once fired five shots at him—will be discredited.
- The Victim Behind Bars
An assaulted woman, held as a state witness against her abusers, suffers in the city police station.
- The Copper Chief Saloon Killing Goes to the Jury
After days of testimony, a Seattle jury weighed James Murphy’s fate as an eleventh-hour bootblack witness contradicted the state’s star in the 1894 saloon shooting of Phil J. Dawes.
- The Wright Trial Turns on a Fall in the Night
A brother's testimony and a missing state witness unsettle a Seattle assault-and-robbery case as the jury nears a verdict.
- A Tacoma Murder Case Opens Again—With a Fight Over the Prosecutor’s Opening
W. T. Taylor stands accused of killing E. R. Capron on Christmas Eve. As the second hearing begins, lawyers clash over how much of the state’s story the jury should hear before any witness takes the stand.
- The Wickersham Scandal: A Judge’s Honor on Trial
In a Tacoma courtroom that captivated the Pacific Northwest, Miss Brantner takes the stand for days, detailing alleged improprieties with Probate Judge Wickersham. The trial exposes a web of land fraud, cocaine use, and social climbing, culminating in a judge’s furious rebuke of a laughing crowd.
- The Kidnaping of Sam
A witness speaks out against the detention and deportation of a Chinese laborer by a local official.
- The Day Justice Went Mad: A Proprietor’s Threat and a Drunkard’s Triumph
In a Tacoma courtroom in January 1890, the owner of the Lomar House threatened to kill a man accused of drunkenness. The court watched, entertained, and ultimately acquitted the accused after witnesses proved he was sober.
- A Fist Shaken in Open Court
A reputation suit turns personal when a witness calls the defense attorney a liar — then threatens him on his way off the stand.
- The 'Chicken Oath' in Municipal Court
To ensure truthful testimony, a Seattle courtroom turns to a traditional Chinese oath involving the decapitation of a rooster.
- The Ballot Box Was Too Full in Franklin
Populists brought witnesses to court to show that votes in Franklin precinct were pushed, shaken and crammed into an overflowing box—irregularity, they argued, even if not outright fraud.
- The Unsolved Boyd Murder and the Disappearing Witnesses
A woman accused of murdering Henderson Boyd remains free as the prosecution’s case crumbles due to missing witnesses.
- A $10 Bill, a Loaded Dice Game, and a Fatal Shot at the Hotel Northern
Paul K. Page's preliminary hearing lays out how a friendly dice game in a Seattle saloon turned deadly when a disputed ten-dollar bill ended in murder — and how the state's star witness had secrets of his own.
- Violence Erupts at the Whatcom Express
A newspaper editor finds himself in a street brawl after reporting on a local motorneer's alleged misconduct.