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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1858 | 3 |
| 1859 | 7 |
| 1860 | 3 |
| 1861 | 7 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 74 |
| 1877 | 63 |
| 1878 | 35 |
| 1879 | 6 |
| 1880 | 10 |
| 1882 | 7 |
| 1883 | 42 |
| 1884 | 18 |
| 1885 | 44 |
| 1886 | 23 |
| 1887 | 30 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 74 |
| 1890 | 15 |
| 1891 | 67 |
| 1892 | 128 |
| 1893 | 132 |
| 1894 | 156 |
| 1895 | 182 |
| 1897 | 4 |
| 1898 | 15 |
| 1899 | 22 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 51 |
| 1904 | 49 |
| 1905 | 9 |
| 1907 | 4 |
| 1908 | 29 |
| 1909 | 43 |
| 1910 | 13 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 9 |
| 1916 | 20 |
| 1917 | 14 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 6 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
1,475 stories matching account
- The Land Office Money That Never Reached the Books
Register Isaac W. Smith accuses Receiver Selucius Garfielde of holding land-claim payments on private deposit and refusing to account for them—an 1861 public audit fight in Washington Territory.
- The Quartermaster’s Arithmetic: Scrip, Pork, and Profiteering in Washington Territory
A detailed audit of Quartermaster General W. W. Miller’s books exposed inflated prices, unexplained payments, and scrip issued for vouchers the commissioners had already disallowed.
- A $100,000 Hole in the Railroad's Land Books
Northern Pacific's land accounts were being audited in Tacoma amid rumors that the late land agent left a six-figure shortage—and a second company's books were under scrutiny.
- The Executor Who Tore Down the House
When a court ordered an executor to account for an estate, he decided to simply remove the buildings from the land entirely to bypass the judge.
- "All the Devils in Hell Can't Get Me Out of This Position"
Puget Sound steamboat men spent a year trying to oust the federal hull inspector they accuse of padding his travel expenses. Their affidavits went to Washington City and vanished into red tape — and Bryant kept his job.
- Ballard’s Ex-Treasurer Takes the Stand Over a Missing $500
John Keane blames a tax collector who failed to turn over receipts, as the city of Ballard tries to recover an alleged shortage from its former treasurer.
- The Ring of Corruption: How King County’s Auditor Hid the Books
A scathing editorial in the Puget Sound Dispatch exposes Gardner Kellogg for refusing to explain thousands of dollars in missing county funds, accusing him of treating public office as private property.
- The Treasury Scandal of 1887
A team of expert auditors discovers that King County’s former treasurer, George V. Hill, systematically pilfered thousands of dollars using creative accounting and 'lost' tax records.
- County Corruption Scandal
Auditors find discrepancies in the accounts of King County officials, sparking fears of thousands of dollars in losses.
- The Disappearing Superintendent
A scathing editorial accuses B.F. Kendall of mishandling over $35,000 in public funds and ignoring his successor's demands for an accounting.
- The Mining Promoter Who Told Would-Be Miners to Stay Home
Col. W. Thomas Hart has bonded claims and cut a trail in the new Slate Creek district, but he begs the press not to inflate the strike: there is no work, no mill, and too much snow for prospecting.
- 651 Bills, 13 Laws: Inside Olympia's Frantic Last Two Weeks
A deadlocked local-option fight, a women's eight-hour bill that ended in fisticuffs, and a marriage law barring 'drunkards' and the 'feeble-minded' — the 1909 legislature's chaotic home stretch.
- The $1,500 Hole in Clallam County's Books
A second look at Clallam County's accounts turned up altered figures, a $1,500 shortage and bondsmen who refused to keep paying. The treasurer was arrested.
- The Six-Story Mill Built on a Rock in the Spokane River
In 1883, S. G. Havermale and B. F. Davis began raising a flour mill and elevator on Little Island, betting that water power and wheat would make Spokane Falls a grain capital.
- Olympia Moves to Outlaw the Insanity Defense — and Gag the Press on Murders
With the 1909 session half gone, Washington's legislature advances local option and an anti-racetrack gambling bill, while a sweeping new criminal code would strip juries of the insanity plea and bar newspapers from covering homicides before trial.
- The Mystery of the Missing Check
A deep-seated accounting discrepancy involving former City Treasurer W. L. Ames leads to calls for a formal investigation and legal action.
- The Clerk Who Refused to Leave Office—and the Books That Wouldn't Balance
King County and former clerk W. B. Spencer submit a long-running dispute over fees, continuances and a disputed shortage to Judge Humes for a final ruling.
- Seattle's Fruit Brokers Declared War on the Shrinking Apple Box
In a market where every Puget Sound mill cut its own crate, Seattle commission men pushed a uniform standard—and growers demanded $5,000 bonds to keep the middlemen honest.
- The Perils of Poor Bookkeeping
A stern warning from the 1876 Seattle business community on the dangers of sloppy accounting and the virtues of labor.
- City Treasurer Decamps as Embezzlement Scandal Rocks Seattle
City Treasurer Adolph Krug has fled the city after an audit revealed a $20,000 deficit in his accounts.
- A Dead Man’s Name on the Payroll
A Walla Walla ex-employee files twenty charges against L. T. Erwin, accusing the Yakima Indian agent of fraud, perjury, and turning the agency into a private larder.
- Mystery Shooting at the Washington National Bank
A bank accountant is found with a gunshot wound to the chest, but the circumstances behind the incident remain disturbingly unclear.
- The Great Seattle Audit: When the Mayor Defended the Ledger
Facing down accusations of corruption and fiscal recklessness, Seattle’s outgoing mayor releases a meticulous—and defensive—account of his administration's massive infrastructure push.
- King County Hires Outside Auditors to Chase 'Dark Hints' in the Treasury
Commissioners order a four-year examination of the treasurer's books, over the protest of the prosecuting attorney who wanted his own expert on the committee.
- The Bank President’s Private Till: Walla Walla’s Savings Bank Scandal
An expert’s report finds that J. K. Edmiston used the failed bank’s money for personal claims, had the books “fixed,” and left more than $151,000 in worthless notes.
Also about this, in other words
- The Cashier’s Downfall
A Seattle Transfer Company employee’s descent from competence to embezzlement begins with a simple, hidden accounting error.
- The Auditor's Ledger: A Financial Scandal in Pioneer Seattle
When tax-payers demanded answers about vanishing funds, the county auditor offered only vague excuses—and a newspaper editor called for a total house cleaning.
- The 'Dodo' in the Account Book
A wife catches her husband in a suspicious expense record, leading to a domestic misunderstanding over slang.
- The Expense Account Scandal
An investigation by the state bureau reveals that the Industrial Insurance Commission chairman was padding his vouchers to cover personal travel and family expenses.
- A Belligerent Patient at the Steilacoom Asylum
- A Case of Bad Checks and Regret
M. O. Sinderude is sentenced to prison after passing a worthless check at a local business, citing intoxication as his defense.
- The Bookkeeper Who Played Lawyer
A former insurance company clerk, accused of forgery, stunned the King County courtroom by ditching his defense counsel to argue his own case.
- The Bank Clerk Who Stole a Quarter-Million to Prove a Point
A bank employee holds his own employer's cash hostage to force a change in labor relations and banking ethics.