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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
32 stories matching backer
- The Tacoma Fight and the Rumors of a Fix
A boxing match at the Tacoma Athletic Association turns into a local scandal as accusations of a 'fake' emerge following a quick knockout.
- Seattle Takes the Pennant as the Pacific Northwest League Folds
Four clubs vote to end a money-losing season; Seattle is awarded the second-half title, and a championship series with Portland is proposed.
- The Council Strikes Back: Seattle Turns on Its Own Power Company
Mayor Humes vetoes saloon restrictions, but the City Council is far more concerned with a corporate power grab. They launch an investigation into the Snoqualmie Falls Power Co., accusing it of using legal injunctions to block the city’s water supply contracts and protect its private interests.
- The Octopus and the Seal: A Local Captain’s War Against a Washington Monopoly
In 1901, Port Townsend resident James G. Swan published affidavits from experienced hunters to debunk Professor Elliott’s claim that seal pups sink like stones, exposing the Alaska Commercial Company’s stranglehold on federal policy.
- The Great Seattle Theater Con: A Swindler’s Exit
A smooth-talking promoter claiming to represent an opera company flees Seattle under the cover of night, leaving behind a baffled police guard and a nearly empty safe.
- The Tacoma Water Swindle Turns Ugly
A forged document leads to a heated confrontation between city officials and powerful local interests.
- The World at War, Felt in Kennewick
As Europe descends into the First World War, Kennewick residents with roots in Germany, Belgium, and Britain watch the news with growing anxiety and divided loyalties.
- The $2 Fee That Sunk a Warehouse: Railroads Tighten Grip on Seattle's Waterfront
A group of local businessmen planned a major grain warehouse at the foot of Battery Street, but Northern Pacific's refusal to budge on switching fees scuttled the deal—and highlighted the railroads' stranglehold on Seattle's shipping future.
- Pierce County Republicans Keep Censure of Canal Backer McGraw
A simmering regional feud between Seattle and Tacoma boils over as Pierce County Republicans move to condemn the proposed Lake Washington ship canal.
- The Mine That Wasn’t? A Captain Denies a Half-Million-Dollar Gold Swindle
An English capitalist’s suit against Alaska millionaires turned a Port Townsend sailing into a Pacific Coast sensation, with charges of swapped ore, gold-soaked drill cores, and a forceful denial from Capt. James Carroll.
- The Ghost-Maker of Buffalo Gets Busted in Tacoma
A traveling spiritualist promising to summon the dead is exposed as a charlatan after an electric battery—and a hysterical scene at a hotel—reveals her 'spirit' tricks.
- The Seventy-Round Brawl at Black Diamond
A high-stakes prize fight between Billy Lynn and Daws ended in a bitter, disputed referee decision after four hours of grueling combat in the mining camp.
- The High-Stakes Duel on Jackson Street
Two prominent Seattle businessmen settled a long-standing rivalry with an elaborate, heavily trained, and well-wagered foot race across a city bridge.
- The Opium Smuggling Ring of Pike Street
A failed nurseryman and a former grocer are arrested in a desperate scheme to smuggle opium in Seattle, orchestrated by a local 'fast young man.'
- The Canal Scandal: A Fabricated List of Prominent Backers
The Post-Intelligencer accuses the Seattle Telegraph of inventing a list of wealthy citizens and firms to support a private canal scheme.
- Deadlock in Olympia: A Governor Says No and the Senate Seat Stays Empty
Governor McGraw refuses a U.S. Senate seat, George Turner is pushed forward, and Ankeny's backers dig in as Populists threaten to break the deadlock.
- The Eight-Hour Day Fight Reaches Fever Pitch
Local machinists are holding firm in a region-wide strike against the Sumner Iron Works and other firms to secure the eight-hour workday.
- The State Insurance Scandal
A legislative standoff ends as Governor Hay forces an investigation into the insurance commissioner’s office.
- The Violent Eviction at the Medical Offices
A landlord's dispute over unpaid rent turned into a street brawl in downtown Tacoma, with professional men resorting to brute force to secure the premises.
- A Muddy Victory at Madison Street
On a rain-soaked field, the Seattle football team slogs through the slime to defeat Tacoma in a gritty, mud-caked exhibition.
- The Failed Promise of Nooksack Oil
A local oil drilling venture stalls as mismanagement and a 'crooked hole' lead to worker layoffs and deep investor suspicion.
- The Football Fever Hits the West
As college football grows in popularity nationwide, Seattle and Tacoma prepare for a highly anticipated Thanksgiving Day rivalry match.
- The sheriff seizes Olympia's streetcars, mid-block, over a bond
A lawyer's objection leaves a Main Street horse car standing stock still at Sixth for hours while the company's backers scramble for a new bond.
- The $750,000 Question Tacoma's Park Board Couldn't Answer
Days before a citywide bond vote, an editorial demanded specifics on parks, playgrounds and boulevards—while a Twelfth Street improvement club secretary insisted the plan had backers.
- The Political Gambler of the Puget Sound
A look back at the life of Captain Marshall Blinn, the independent candidate who once chartered a steamer to campaign for Congress across the territory.
Also about this, in other words
- The Shipbuilder’s Debt of Honor
A Seattle industrialist pays back a fifty-cent loan given to him by a stranger when he was a penniless runaway.
- The Senatorial Backroom Deal
After his defeat in the race for the U.S. Senate, Judge George Turner reveals the 'combination' of political maneuvering and broken promises that cost him the seat.
- Creditors Move to Take Over Seattle's Rainier Railway and Light
A receivership fight ends quietly as the Third Street line, Western Mill and electric plant are slated for sale to a new creditor-owned company.
- 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 Automatic Suitor-Smacker
A fed-up father builds a booby-trapped gate to drive away his daughters' persistent suitors, turning a domestic headache into a mechanical triumph.
- A Banker’s Private Fleet for Returning Soldiers
When the government failed to bring Washington's volunteers home from the Philippine-American War, a local multi-millionaire stepped in to charter ships for their return to Puget Sound.
- The Shadow Candidate
A political editorial argues that the People's Party candidate for Sheriff is merely a 'puppet' for a controversial newcomer.
- Political Backroom Deals in King County
The local press accuses power brokers of attempting to manipulate the Republican county convention to oust a sitting U.S. Senator.