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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 18 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 30 |
| 1893 | 40 |
| 1894 | 62 |
| 1895 | 63 |
226 stories matching written
- A County Treasurer Vanishes—and Turns Up in Honolulu
A defaulting Clallam County official is reportedly living openly in Hawaii, but an old treaty may keep him beyond the reach of Port Angeles authorities.
- Should Women Vote in Church?
A lively debate at Trinity Church in Tacoma explores the controversial question of women’s suffrage within the parish.
- Customs Raid Finds Illicit Opium in Walla Walla
Law enforcement seized $1,000 worth of smuggled opium from Chinese business houses in a coordinated sting operation.
- Puget Sound Timber Kings Eye the Isthmus
Lumber interests lobby for a canal in Nicaragua, hoping to slash shipping costs and boost the value of Washington's vast timber reserves.
- The False 'Reporter' and the Seduction Case
A young man posing as a writer for the 'Post-Intelligencer' is arrested for seduction after a bizarre paper trail of fake confessions and suicide notes is uncovered in court.
- Nellie Holgate’s Account Arrives Postmarked From Nebraska
After vanishing during a rowing trip to Madison Park, a Seattle woman reappears with a fantastical story of abduction by a mule-driving 'Italian' in the woods.
- The Machine That Wouldn't Start
Seattle Democrats outmaneuver an attempt by party insiders to hijack a fake non-partisan movement for their own political gain.
- A Fraudulent Promise of Work
Employment agents defend their reputation after sending laborers on a fruitless, costly trip to British Columbia.
- The White Striker Who Opposed Black Miners, Then Praised Their Community
Three years after opposing the arrival of Black miners at Franklin, a white miner wrote home praising their societies, their Masonic hall, and their Black justice of the peace.
- The Great Railway Bribe Scandal of 1891
When the Northern Pacific Railway sent complimentary transit passes to Washington state legislators to influence a deadlocked U.S. Senate race, the blunder sparked a statewide scandal over corruption and corporate power.
- The Cipher and the Confession: Louis Kostrauch’s Cold-Blooded Gamble
After allegedly faking a death and burning a house to escape a life of poverty, a conspirator explains how a forgotten cipher key and a betrayal of trust landed him in the Seattle city jail.
- Tragedy at the Grand Central Hotel
A stranger is found dead in his room after a suicide note is discovered on a photograph.
- The Mystery of the Two Wills
After the death of Jennie McHugh Brown, two conflicting wills emerge, leading to a complex legal battle over her estate.
- The Nameless Grave by the Tulalip
A grim discovery near Marysville reveals the quiet tragedy of a life ending in the river woods.
- A Mystery in the Northwestern Hotel
A California sheriff inquires about a man who vanished in Seattle, sparking rumors of a dark fate.
- Tragedy in the Woods of Lewis County
A young girl is taken by a cougar during a brutal winter storm near Ethel.
- The Poet and the Plagiarized Verse
A Tacoma man discovers his own lines in a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, sparking a debate over the poet's 'clipping' habits.
- 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 Strange Afterlife of a Murdered Man
Letters from disgruntled ex-wives and rivals surface after a Waterville man is murdered, revealing a long, chaotic trail of failed marriages.
- A Custom Official's Reputation Cleared
A malicious smear campaign against a Seattle official, fueled by Tacoma gossip, falls apart after the accuser retracts his claims.
- The Suicide Machine: An Olympia Pioneer's Meticulous Last Act
A 70-year-old bachelor rigged a gun, a bench and a string in his shed, left a note on a blackboard, and arranged his own death with chilling precision.
- A Mother, a Revolver, and Nux Vomica: Spokane’s Poisoning Trial
Helen Grier stands trial for her sixth husband’s murder, while her daughter testifies that Grier first handed her a gun and then bought the poison herself.
- A Belfast Wife's Letter: Find My Husband in Seattle
Martha Bateson last heard from her husband in 1888. Now she has written Seattle's police chief, hoping someone recognizes a tall, fair wood turner who once sent money home.
- The Captain Who Vanished After the Bottle Cost Him His Ship
Turned out of a Chilean freighter for drunkenness, old Capt. John Maaeke has disappeared from Port Townsend—and his son in Valparaiso is demanding answers.
- 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.