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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
16 stories matching caper
- Eighty-Five Portland Boosters Take Kennewick by Storm
A trade excursion rolls into town for four hours of speeches, store visits, and open-river boosterism — with the mayor, the railroads, and a 'cocktail' cherry orchard all in on the fun.
- The Great Smuggled Salmon Caper
When federal agents boarded the steamer Idaho, they didn't just find barrels of fish—they found a desperate, high-stakes attempt to smuggle opium into the Pacific Northwest.
- The Midnight Saloon Heist in Ilwaco
When a business dispute turned into a border-crossing caper, one saloonkeeper decided to settle the ownership question by boat in the dead of night.
- A Fire Trap in the Making
Carelessness with ashes and exploding lamps threaten to consume a downtown business block.
- The Tinsmith Who Dug His Way Into a Dry-Goods Store
A Spokane tinsmith allegedly tunneled under a neighboring store to steal merchandise, in a caper that rivaled the era's famous bank robberies.
- The Tugboat Race to a Distant Sail
Off Cape Flattery, crews raced rivals for incoming ships and went months without seeing home — while rum-drunk gulls kept them company.
- The Sheriff’s Refusal to Arrest a Gun-Toting Reveler
A town rumor alleges local officials were too intimidated to confront an armed man in a Ritzville saloon, sparking a fierce editorial debate on equity before the law.
- Aberdeen Boys Crush Montesano in Baseball Showdown
A rivalry game ends in a 23-10 rout, followed by a peace-making ball at Koehler's hall.
- A Rabies Scare Set Finley’s Dogs on Notice—and Its Poet to Rhyming
A cow and a pig died after violent fits near Finley in November 1916, prompting a state veterinarian, chained dogs, and a local poet’s curfew verse.
- Rising from the Ashes in Centralia
Despite losing his building in a recent fire, Richard T. Dabney is already planning a larger, more modern brick block.
- Hunger Drives Coyotes to the Front Porch
A harsh winter in Benton County leaves wildlife starving and emboldened, leading to strange encounters in White Bluffs.
- The Great Strawberry Goat Caper
A backyard dispute over a fence-breaking goat results in a police court standoff.
- The Great Yakima Duck Caper
A wild northern bird is lassoed in the middle of town by electric light, leading to a spectacle at the local hotel.
- The Great White Bluffs Trunk Caper
A missing trunk leads to a frantic search, revealing only the power of a friendly favor.
- The Counterfeit Gold Caper
A confidence man who passed imitation gold coins in Aberdeen has been tracked down by federal authorities.
- The Subscriber’s Revenge
A reader cancels a decade-long subscription after the editor has the audacity to send a bill.
Also about this, in other words
- 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.
- The Con Artist Who Played Barber on Marion Street
A fake detective who swindled his way through Seattle with a short-lived barber shop is now wanted for attempted murder in New York.
- Filipino Sailors Arrested Over Card Game
A festive dinner in a Chinese chop suey house ended in jail time for nine sailors when police mistook a casual game of cards for gambling.
- An Ambush in the White River Valley
A local store owner and his daughter narrowly escape a violent attack by three assailants.
- The Dance-Hall Dandy: A Thief Undone by His Own Vanity
A railroad laborer steals a valise of clothes, then wears his finest stolen outfit to a dance hall—where a sharp-eyed policeman spots him.
- Vigilantism in Wiser
A deputy sheriff takes three men into custody for the targeting of Chinese laborers.
- The Clerk Who Stole His Boss’s Fortune to Gamble Away
Leander Miller returns from a political trip in Olympia to find his confidential clerk, J.H. Corcoran, has drained his accounts through gambling debts.
- The Monte Cristo Dynamiter
A saloon and gambling house near the Monte Cristo railroad is targeted by bombers for the second time in a week.