Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 5 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1903 | 9 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
53 stories matching bogus
- The Wandering Grifter’s Free Pass
A man accused of passing bogus checks across Oregon and Washington walked free after local authorities decided the cost of prosecution wasn't worth the effort.
- The Fake $10 and the Free Meal: Counterfeiters Busted, Then Turned Loose
Two alleged bogus-money passers are caught at a Newport restaurant — but the federal attorney can't even tell if the bill was counterfeit, so they pay for their suppers and walk.
- Eatonville Doctor Vanishes Amid Fraud Allegations
After swindling the community out of hundreds of dollars, a local physician vanishes into thin air, leaving a trail of bogus checks and empty promises.
- A Dramatic Arrest and a 'Whisky Fit' at the Police Station
A suspect arrested for jumping a boarding house bill and passing bogus checks collapses in his wife's arms while in police custody.
- Gunfire in the Streets of Bellingham
A local marshal engaged in a dangerous foot chase and shootout near a boiler works to apprehend a pair of counterfeiters passing bogus bills.
- The Bogus 'Happy Valley' Real Estate Scam
A swindler in Fairhaven has been selling plots in a 'Happy Valley' addition that exists only on paper and a mountain.
- The Battle of Yesler’s Wharf
When an opposition newspaper accused Seattle’s steamboatmen of being 'bogus' voters, the local press fought back to defend the right of the working class to define the city’s political future.
- The Wanted Kidnaper Who Once Walked Our Streets
A Tacoma detective identifies a notorious kidnaper as a local con man who scammed city businessmen a year prior.
- The Land Office Conspiracy: Bogus Papers for Sale to Chinese
A federal inspector's raid in Spokane exposes a ring allegedly forging Chinese registration certificates — with a land-office registrar among the accused.
- The Counterfeiters of Boren Avenue
A Secret Service investigation reveals a family-run forgery ring using 'secrets of wise men' and early forensic fingerprinting to manufacture bogus coins in Seattle and Tacoma.
- The Counterfeiter of Tacoma’s Lodging Houses
A man is back in custody after passing fake gold coins on unsuspecting boarding house operators.
- Six Men, Forged Papers, and the Next Steamer Out
Federal officers in 1895 Seattle ordered six Chinese immigrants deported; four were jailed after entering on bogus certificates, and one tried to bribe a deputy rather than wait for the ship.
- The Counterfeit Gold Dust Panic That Brought Vigilantes to the Valley
A vigilance committee in the Payette Valley smashed a counterfeiters' mill and sent suspects fleeing toward Walla Walla, where fake gold dust began showing up in trade.
- A Forged Check Leads to a Hotel-Room Arrest
A bogus $7.50 check at a Columbia Street drugstore unravels into cocaine, morphine and a man who may have been the "Henry" on the signature.
- The Mysterious Woman Passing Forged Checks
A woman allegedly defrauded five Ellensburg businesses using stolen identities before vanishing.
- The Slug-Makers of Tacoma
Four men accused of manufacturing bogus coins for slot machines prepare for a federal legal showdown.
- Fake Heirs Besiege a Seattle Undertaker for an Avalanche Victim's Body
Jacob Brackmann died in the Wellington slide, leaving $40,000 to $50,000 and an identification problem. Strangers claiming to be family called day and night.
- The Counterfeit Salmon Bait Incident
Two teenagers on Mercer Island find themselves in federal court after attempting to trade a counterfeit dollar for salmon eggs.
- Counterfeit Gold Strikes Aberdeen
A clever swindler floods local businesses with fake five-dollar gold pieces before disappearing on a train toward Tacoma.
- The 'Green Goods' Trap Catches the Prominent
Federal authorities warn that soliciting counterfeit money through the mail is a criminal offense, catching many high-status professionals in their web.
- The Unlucky Forger of Prescott
A small-time fraud artist meets a swift end to his career after failing to convince local merchants of his math.
- The 'Lumberman' Who Swindled Seattle's Elite
A smooth-talking con man gains the trust of the city’s fashionable society before vanishing with thousands in unpaid debts.
- The Bunco Gang’s Wharfside Swindle
Two young women are fleeced by a sophisticated street-con artist on the Seattle waterfront.
- A Mother's Fight Through Three Marriages
After years of manipulation and threats, a Tacoma woman turns to the courts to reclaim her child from a former partner.
- The Mother-Son Counterfeiting Ring
A woman with a criminal past and her son are caught after operating a makeshift mint out of their homes in Des Moines and Tacoma.
Also about this, in other words
- The Bogus Timber Inspector
A man's elaborate fabrication of a government appointment leads to a public scandal and an investigation into fraud.