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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1864 | 3 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 10 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 7 |
| 1892 | 24 |
| 1893 | 26 |
| 1894 | 17 |
| 1895 | 27 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 10 |
| 1904 | 8 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 24 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
223 stories matching cell
- The Jailbreak on Commercial Street
A clever prisoner manages to pick the lock of his cell and slip away into the night, leaving the sheriff scrambling for a lead.
- The Jailbreak That Never Was: A Seattle Jail Security Crisis
When guards discovered tunneling and hidden tools in the city jail, the potential for a mass breakout triggered a city-wide security lockdown.
- Seattle's Jail Was Overcrowded and Waiting on Steel Cells from St. Louis
Sheriff Winger held eleven prisoners in the county jail, including four sailors and two Puyallup men sentenced for assault, while unfit close cells had to be used until new steel cells arrived.
- The Ghostly Note of Joe Davis
After his wife’s death in Oregon, a man jailed in Seattle took his own life in his prison cell, leaving behind a haunting, misspelled confession that claimed they had died for each other.
- The Jailbreak That Almost Toppled the Penitentiary
A clever prisoner uses his talent for locksmithing to craft duplicate keys, nearly sparking a mass escape at the Walla Walla prison.
- Death in the County Jail Cell
A man suffering from delirium tremens has died in the Tacoma jail after falling from a steam pipe.
- A Mystery in the County Jail
A man suffering from delirium tremens was found with both legs broken just hours after being locked in a secure cell.
- Neglect of Duty Leads to Jailbreak
A night jailer is suspended for ten days after a lapse in security allows an inmate to escape the city jail.
- The Fortress at Walla Walla
After two years of labor, the Territory's new penitentiary stands finished—a 15-foot high stone-and-cement stockade built to hold the region’s criminals.
- The Last Prisoner of the Thurston County Jail
While the territory debates the future of its legal system, one man finds a solitary rhythm in his cell.
- A Battery Factory in the Pines: Newport Bets Its Future on Dry Cells
One of only two dry-cell battery plants west of the Mississippi opens in Newport, promising 25 jobs by September and a thousand cells a day by fall.
- The Persistent Jailbreaker of Seattle
Bob Matthews, imprisoned for stealing lard, proves to be a one-man wrecking crew for the local jail’s security.
- The Blackmailer's Dark Hole
After smuggling contraband into his jail cell, a defiant inmate is forced into solitary confinement.
- Two Convicts Escape Thurston County Jail
A pair of prisoners utilized a stolen bolt to force their cell door open and escape custody Saturday night.
- The Jailhouse Mimic
A soft-hearted jailer is driven to madness by what he assumes is a distressed feline, only to find a prankster in a cell.
- The Jailbreak Plot That Rocked the County Jail
A notorious gambler and blackmailer led a group of dangerous inmates in a scheme to seize the jailer and escape through the steel tank.
- Jailer's Rounds Foil Burglars Digging Through Cell Wall
Two burglars nearly tunneled out of the King County Jail, thwarted only by a sharp-eared jailer and an unfortunate musical choice.
- The Looming Crisis at the State Penitentiary
Washington's state prison faces overcrowding and inadequate facilities as the inmate population outpaces projections, forcing guards to rent rooms in town.
- The Grand Jury's List of Complaints
In 1885, Seattle’s grand jury turned its attention to everything from jail conditions to the 'inhaling or smoking' of opium, highlighting a city struggling with the growing pains of a frontier boom.
- The Saw and the Jailer
A petty thief's daring attempt to escape the county jail ends in a swift, unsuccessful pursuit.
- Newport's Battery Makers Go Big
Local investors incorporate the Newport Battery Co., raise $7,000, and plan to turn out 1,000 dry cells a day for the Inland Empire.
- Inside the New King County Jail
A detailed look at the 'infallible' brick and iron lockup built to replace older, makeshift holding cells in 1870s Seattle.
- The Shame of the King County Jail
A scathing report from a grand jury reveals a 'standing disgrace' where prisoners are packed into windowless cells and the county government operates in squalid, cramped quarters.
- The Jailbreak at the Thurston County Courthouse
A prisoner awaiting trial for larceny makes a daring escape from the county jail, leaving authorities scrambling.
- Jailbreak in Walla Walla
Emil Bordeneuf escapes county jail, leaving behind a bizarre, rambling farewell letter.