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1. The Prisoner Who Sawed His Shackles and Blamed the Spirits

   Convicted of a daylight knife attack on his wife, Thomas McGee nearly escaped a Seattle hospital jail after a guard discovered his chains had been filed through.

   Mar 7, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

2. Rabid Coyotes Terrorize Richland Farmers

   A bold coyote invades a local ranch, biting livestock and triggering a community-wide alarm over a potential rabies outbreak.

   Nov 2, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyDisasters

3. The Commissioner, the Gambler, and the Shakedown

   A bold blackmail attempt at the Russell House ends in a police hunt for a notorious 'steerer' and his accomplice.

   Aug 2, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

4. Bold Coyotes Haunt Richland Streets

   Predators are creeping into town limits at night, forcing residents to arm themselves after a man was bitten in the fields.

   Aug 16, 1917The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyStrange But True

5. The Street Parade That Scandalized Victorian Seattle

   A boisterous variety theater's promotional procession—featuring 'bold and painted women'—ignited a fierce public outcry in 1892, highlighting the era's clashing views on morality and civic decorum.

   Apr 1, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Nightlife

6. Anacortes Mayor Quits in Protest Against 'Subsidy Brokers'

   A.P. Sharpstein steps down, accusing the city's powerful corporate interests of stifling growth and ignoring the needs of local citizens.

   Jun 8, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerAnacortes, Skagit CountyCity Hall

7. The New Year’s Baby Snatcher

   A Seattle caller attempts to kidnap a child during a New Year’s visit, marking a disturbing escalation in his annual crime spree.

   Jan 4, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

8. Armed Posse Kills Store Robber at Palmer

   A bold attempt to hold up a merchant in Palmer resulted in a violent confrontation where local citizens tracked and shot the masked intruders.

   Mar 31, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerGreen River, Palmer, King CountyTrue Crime

9. The Butter Bandits of West Street

   A bold group of petty thieves used a sophisticated 'sampling' scheme to systematically loot Seattle merchants.

   Jan 9, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWest Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

10. The Bold Burglars of Front Street

    A brazen daylight robbery at the home of Mr. Charles Hopkins leaves a family missing jewelry, cash, and a return ticket to Portland.

    Jan 4, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

11. The Railroad Map That Erased Seattle

    A Northern Pacific map circulating in 1883 omitted Seattle entirely—while granting bold capital letters to towns of fewer than 100 people—and the city's paper took the insult personally.

    Dec 19, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

12. The Chicken Hustle of Old Seattle

    An enterprising pair of thieves managed to con a local woman out of her own dinner in a brazen backyard heist.

    Nov 3, 1877Puget Sound DispatchSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

13. The Bold Smuggler of the 'Ina'

    A Victoria-based steamer brazenly docks at the city landing in broad daylight to coal up, while its captain blurs his ship's identity to evade detection.

    Jun 21, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle waterfront, Seattle, King CountyFollow the Money · Exclusion & Resistance

14. The Great Rebuilding: How the Great Seattle Fire Forced a Modern City

    In the smoldering aftermath of the 1889 Great Seattle Fire, city leaders and engineers seized the catastrophe as a singular opportunity to abandon the crooked, cramped street grid for a rational, expanded future.

    Jun 9, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPioneer Square, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall · Disasters

15. The Seattle Press Defends its Role During the Anti-Chinese Riots

    An editorial response to outside critics claiming local newspapers incited the February 7th expulsion violence.

    Feb 23, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyExclusion & Resistance

16. The Day Farmers Blew Up a Dam

    In a bold act of agrarian rebellion on the Fourth of July, Stuck River farmers used dynamite to destroy the White River dam, draining the muck and reclaiming their land.

    Jul 5, 1899The Seattle StarPuyallup, Pierce CountyFollow the Money · Gone Forever

17. The Nighttime Predators of North Seattle

    A string of alarming street assaults in the North end has women running for their lives, while local police claim to be in the dark.

    Jan 29, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

18. Seattle Rises Against the Northern Pacific

    A capacity crowd at Yesler's Hall demands the federal government reclaim unearned lands from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.

    Mar 28, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyFollow the Money

19. The Man They Called an Informer

    After learning English in the county jail, a Chinese Olympian announced he would cut his queue and become 'American.' His community branded him a snitch—and the Tribune turned his peril into an anti-Chinese exposé.

    Apr 20, 1892The Olympia TribuneOlympia, Thurston CountyExclusion & Resistance · Nightlife

20. The Vigilantes' Ghost: Seattle's Dark Secret in Two Maple Trees

    A poem published in the *Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer* reveals the city’s foundational myth: that its current 'peaceable' order was bought with the blood of six men hanged by a secret committee when the law failed to act.

    May 28, 1882Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · Gone Forever

21. The Capitol Riots: How a Bribery Scandal Shook Washington’s First Legislature

    In the halls of Olympia, Republican lawmakers turned on each other with fists and threats over a U.S. Senate seat, exposing a brazen attempt to buy votes that disgraced the young state.

    Jan 21, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerState Capitol, Olympia, Thurston CountyCity Hall · Scandal

22. The Railroad’s Big Heist: Northern Pacific Claims Indian Land It Doesn’t Own

    As the Puyallup Reservation faces a legal siege from the Northern Pacific Railway, federal officials warn that a treaty-protected land grab could strip thousands of acres from Native families for pennies on the dollar.

    Jan 24, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPuyallup Reservation, Tacoma, Pierce CountyExclusion & Resistance

23. The Six Who Vanished: Tacoma’s Senatorial Scandal and the Art of Political Silence

    In the wake of a bitter Washington State Senate race, the six key allies of defeated candidate Judge Calkins have disappeared from public view, leaving behind a trail of bribery allegations and a furious debate over whether the election was stolen or won by superior strategy.

    Jan 26, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerTacoma, Pierce CountyCity Hall

24. The Unchecked Crime Wave in Blackchapel

    A criminal gang operating in broad daylight in Seattle's south end finds total immunity while the police ignore victim reports.

    Sep 7, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyCity Hall · True Crime

25. The Brutal Winter of 1893

    A historic freeze and heavy snows devastate livestock across the region, while Seattle's own marginalized residents struggle to survive the record-breaking cold.

    Feb 9, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSammamish Lake, Sammamish, King CountyExclusion & Resistance · Disasters

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