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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 8 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 10 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 22 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 5 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 9 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
118 stories matching blank
- The Father Who Stopped a Play to Steal His Daughter
A wealthy Indianapolis patriarch tracks his romantic daughter to Seattle in 1876, only to find she has eloped with a lawyer and vanished into the West.
- The Case of the Empty Bond: A Cautionary Tale of Corruption in Walla Walla
When an elected official absconded with nearly $20,000 in public funds, the court had to decide if his sureties were still on the hook—even though they had signed a blank piece of paper.
- The Rural Mail Carrier's War on Irrigation Runoff
An irate rural mail carrier threatens legal action against local farmers for washing out the roads.
- The Mysterious Case of 'John Doe' at the Polls
A crackdown on anonymous, blank warrants used to harass voters during Seattle’s city elections.
- Railroad Operator Arrested for Money Order Forgery
After stealing blank money orders from the Western Express Co. in Usk, a railroad operator was apprehended in a Newport saloon.
- Mill Workers Resist Bank Seizure
When bankers attempted to seize a safe from a shuttered Aberdeen mill, furious workers threatened to 'lick any man' who tried to stop the operation.
- City Hall's Stolen Warrants
Nine hundred and ninety-nine blank city warrants vanish, raising fears of a massive forgery scheme involving city officials.
- A Forged Passage: The Counterfeit Papers That Nearly Smuggled Chinese Immigrants Into Seattle
A ring selling near-perfect imitation government certificates was caught trying to land Chinese immigrants at Tacoma, Seattle and Port Townsend — and the customs collector was not impressed by their craftsmanship.
- The Fake Telegram That Almost Started a Diplomatic Incident
A bored telegraph operator in Blaine sparked a scandal after forging a message from Secretary of State James G. Blaine to a town assembly, causing embarrassment for local officials and leading to an investigation by the Pacific Postal Telegraph Company.
- A Valley Drowns Every Spring—and One Farmer Wants a Better Dike
A correspondent warns that the Pend Oreille freshet has wrecked $50,000 worth of Calispel Valley crops—and argues the proposed diking districts are too piecemeal to save the basin.
- The Smooth-Talking 'Distressed Brother' Who Worked the Masons
An impostor posing as a stranded fellow Mason bilked lodges from coast to coast. Seattle's United Lodge No. 92 — whose safe was cracked last summer — believes it unknowingly armed him with the forged receipts he used to collect.
- Seattle's Election Was Supposed to Draw 8,000. Then the Fraud Reports Started.
With 10,841 names on the rolls, officials expected a big vote—but blank registration certificates were circulating, and Tacoma police found Seattle papers on men arrested as hobos.
- Diva vs. The Property Man
A backstage spat at a local theater reveals the off-stage antics of an amateur dramatic troupe.
- The Registration Catch-22
New legislation forces naturalized citizens to produce hard-to-find documentation, effectively disenfranchising long-term residents and property owners.
- The Hasheesh Defense: A Seattle Murder Trial Turns on a Drugged Cocktail
Harry Fraser was shot dead in a Northern Hotel saloon. The accused insisted the last thing he remembered was dice dancing on the table—and a drink that may have been laced with hasheesh.
- The Trial of Judge Wickersham: A Tacoma Scandal Over Land, Lies, and 'Delirium'
In February 1889, the trial of a powerful federal judge in Tacoma exposed a web of political corruption, land fraud, and sexual scandal involving a young woman named Sadie Brantner.
- The Missing Certificates of Port Townsend
A federal judge probes a mysterious 1,000-certificate shortfall that allowed Chinese immigrants to bypass strict exclusionary laws.
- The Wrongful Conviction of Charles Croames
After serving years for a brutal murder in Tacoma, a man is finally cleared by the Governor, sparking questions about the original investigation.
- Seattle Tries to Buy Its Own Canal
Boosters fan out to raise a $300,000 subsidy for the Lake Washington canal and tide-flat fill, promising work to Seattle men and asking every resident to become a committee of one.
- Vengeance at the Dog Show
A Fox Island rancher executes a bloodhound on the streets of Tacoma to avenge his wife's previous injury.
- The Great Timber Land Heist
Federal investigators uncover a widespread scheme where syndicates used ‘fictitious names’ and paid off desperate men to seize Washington’s valuable timber lands.
- The Pen Is Mightier Than the Pistol
A Tacoma newspaper editor survives a point-blank assassination attempt after writing a stinging column about a local rival's reputation.
- Blood on the Card Table
A festive night at an O'Brien saloon ends in a horrific murder-suicide, leaving the community reeling and questions of old grudges swirling in the air.
- Fatal Shooting at Franklin Coal Mine
A quarrel between roommates at the Franklin coal camp ends in a point-blank execution, leaving the community reeling and the assailant in custody.
- The Forged Deed of Fairhaven
A landmark land title dispute is settled in court after the discovery of a printing date discrepancy.
Also about this, in other words
- The Empty Crib at the Corner of Third and Union
A quiet, haunting reflection from 1876 Seattle on the enduring grief of losing a child and the keepsakes that remain.
- The Unkindest Cut
A young boy's poignant question about inclusion and dignity sheds light on the treatment of people with disabilities in our community.
- The Unwelcome Guest in the Banana Crate
A Black Diamond baker discovers a live stowaway from the tropics in his pantry.
- A Frontier Promise Kept
In an era of rugged isolation, an anonymous immigrant couple reflects on twenty years of marriage, the silence of their home, and the sudden joy of a child arriving on Christmas Day.
- Wealthy Miner Found Stupor-Struck in Seattle Lodging
After arriving from the North with $10,000, a miner is found penniless and in a stupor; his hosts are arrested for robbery.
- A Father’s Hardship and the Telegram That Changed Everything
An overworked, weary business man contemplates his supposed failures until a birthday message from his daughter provides a new perspective on success.
- The Clerk’s Odd Sales Pitch
A farmer learns a strange and aggressive new way to test if his wife is 'sound' while shopping in 1877 Seattle.
- The Lawyer, the Boy, and the Five-Cent Lesson
A shrewd Seattle attorney tests a boy’s integrity with a lesson in promissory notes and the value of a promise.