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24 stories matching benson
- The Cattle Boom That Was Selling Off Its Own Future
A Northern Pacific land examiner warns that Nebraska buyers are sweeping up Washington breeding stock, prices are surging in Yakima County, and an Adams County artesian well could open a new grazing frontier.
- The 'Mercer Girl' Divorce Case
A seventy-two-year-old pioneer sues his wife of twenty-two years for divorce, complaining of her 'slipshod housekeeping' and a lack of clean bedding.
- The Case of the Missing Two Hundred
A cable-splicer out on a drinking spree accuses his companions of lifting his life savings in a downtown hack.
- The Mother Who Disowned Her Son for Crossing the Picket Line
When a young foreman chose to break a strike rather than stand with his union, his mother publicly rejected his 'blood money' and reminded him of the solidarity that had saved their family.
- Three Days Adrift: A Ferryman's Rescue Off Point Wilson
A German sailor in an open skiff, barely able to speak or move, is pulled from the water by Mr. Benson and brought to Port Townsend.
- Bridge Collapse Inquiry Mired in Secrecy
A tenth victim has died following a bridge collapse on the Great Northern line, as company officials actively obstruct the inquest.
- The Hanford Irrigation Crisis
With the receiver out of funds and water users refusing to pay excess charges, the future of the Hanford irrigation project hangs in a precarious legal balance.
- The Looming Water Wars of the Yakima River
Prosser Falls Irrigation Company threatens litigation against upper-valley users, claiming their senior water rights are being drained by newcomers.
- The Teenager Who Swindled Seattle’s Banks
A seventeen-year-old impersonator uses forged signatures and a smooth story to walk away with five hundred dollars from city financiers.
- A Gavel, a Roar, and a Populist Ticket Born in Chaos
King County's People's Party convention at Turner Hall turned into a shouting, proxy-fighting, faction-splitting marathon—and buried Dr. J. Eugene Jordan and Jack McDonald on the way to nominating a ticket.
- The Detective, the Forger, and the Silverton Fiancée
Detective Sam Sumner captures a smooth-talking con man who posed as a Northern Pacific railroad official and nearly married into a Silverton family.
- Colfax Burglar Foiled by Quick-Thinking Resident
When a stranger confronted Mrs. A. Coolidge in the night, she bypassed the directory to summon help via telephone.
- Prosser Bets $3,000 of Its Own Money to Land a State Experiment Farm
The college regents accept 80 acres from E. F. Benson and the Northern Pacific — but only if the town's businessmen can raise the cash to break ground first.
- Washington Farmers Petition Hoover to Stabilize Potato Prices
Facing a massive surplus in the 1917 crop, state agriculture officials scramble to prevent a market collapse.
- Armed Hold-up in Wright Park
A Tacoma resident reports being robbed of his last 50 cents by two masked men near the bandstand in Wright Park.
- Yakima Sheepmen Stand Together Against Railroad's Strings-Attached Lease
Two dozen Yakima-area sheepmen signed a pact to reject Northern Pacific's demand that all their wool and sheep ride its rails—only to hear the company might hand their range to outsiders.
- A Wall of Smoke and Flame Across Puget Sound
Forest fires from Hood Canal to the Nooksack Valley left dozens of families homeless in 1894, while smoke turned steamboat travel blind and daily life in Seattle into a gray haze.
- Brutal Highway Robbery Outside Spokane
A Hungarian farmer is fighting for his life after being attacked and robbed by three men on his way home from town.
- Medical Standoff at the Courthouse
Colfax physicians go on strike against the county commissioners over pay for mandatory insanity examinations.
- A 'Mantraps' Warning: Building Collapses on South Third
A recently renovated shop collapses into kindling just minutes after workers vacate the premises.
- The Brick Blocks That Told Olympia It Had Arrived
In 1891, three pressed-brick buildings rose along Olympia’s business streets—and boosters read them as proof the wooden capital was becoming a real city.
- The Mint Saloon Loses Its License—and City Hall Braces for Court
The council confirmed a new police commissioner, reappointed officials, revoked the Mint Saloon's license over loud legal objections, and set Pike Street on the road to vitrified brick.
- The Perils of Early Automobiling
When Joe Bonn took his new Ford out for a spin in White Bluffs, he discovered that driving, unlike the locust trees lining the road, is not something you can just run into.
- Populists Nearly Come to Blows Over Their Own Platform
Fifty-five delegates, a hall full of converted Republicans and Democrats, and two competing sets of resolutions in Mount Vernon — the new People's Party of Skagit County almost wrecked itself before it named a single candidate.
Also about this, in other words
- A Rash of 'Skips' in South Bend
Local business owners face a string of losses as customers flee town without paying their bills.
- The Precarious Wealth of a Marcus Bachelor
A wealthy settler in the Colville Valley suffers a public health scare, highlighting the risks of frontier isolation and the burden of managing an estate.
- Rejected from the Front
A local young man's enlistment dreams are shattered by a minor physical disability just before his unit deploys for WWI.
- The Grain Expert Who Confessed to an $11,250 Coast Swindle
A former Utah mayor and postmaster admits fleecing coast grain dealers, then losing the proceeds in promotion schemes.
- A Warning to the Shanghaiers of Tacoma
A notorious boarding house keeper is sent to prison for his brutal, predatory business practices.
- Vigilante Justice in Shelton
A local dispute over stolen money devolves into a gunpoint standoff on the water near Shelton.
- The Road Supervisor's Vindicated Record
W. A. Joyce clears his name after accusations of auditing illegal claims in Grant County.
- The Miner Who Hung by His Teeth
A coal miner's miraculous survival after a terrifying fall through a trestle near Palmer highlights the dangers of early industrial work.