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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 4 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1871 | 2 |
| 1872 | 12 |
| 1876 | 32 |
| 1877 | 38 |
| 1878 | 22 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 8 |
| 1882 | 8 |
| 1883 | 31 |
| 1884 | 13 |
| 1885 | 41 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 6 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 50 |
| 1890 | 13 |
| 1891 | 39 |
| 1892 | 86 |
| 1893 | 58 |
| 1894 | 96 |
| 1895 | 91 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 11 |
| 1900 | 2 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 16 |
| 1904 | 20 |
| 1905 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 16 |
| 1909 | 32 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 8 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
825 stories matching character
- The Banker Who Steered Newport Through the Panic of 1907
G. S. Thomas founded Newport's first bank, helped bring the city its water system, and died after guiding the institution through the financial stringency of November 1907.
- The Moral Gatekeeper: Snohomish’s New Battle Over Who Gets to Sell Liquor
A new state law requires liquor license applicants to prove 'good moral character,' turning county commissioners into judges of private virtue and sparking a fierce debate over who gets to define morality in the Territory.
- The Judge Who Was Both Defendant and Accused
In a stunning legal double-header, Judge Wickersham is convicted of seduction in one court, then immediately indicted for perjury by the federal grand jury in the very same day.
- A Kenton Picnic Speech and the Justification of Native Displacement
At a Kenton picnic, Judge Orange Jacobs cast pioneer survival as historical necessity and used dehumanizing rhetoric to defend the displacement of Native Americans.
- A Church Scandal Erupts in a Seattle Libel Trial
M. H. Nichols stood accused of criminally libeling Presiding Elder T. B. Ford. The defense spent the day trading rumors, old grudges, and one complaint about the prosecutor's booming voice.
- The Ball That Shook Seattle: A Night of Masks, Money, and 'Transposed Sexes'
In the damp cold of February 1877, Seattle’s elite gathered for a masquerade ball that defied social norms, featuring cross-dressing performers and a prize for the 'best sustained character'—a rare glimpse into the territory's vibrant, chaotic social life.
- The Trial That Shook Tacoma: The Scandal of Sadie Brantner and Judge Wickersham
A dramatic courtroom battle in the late 1880s reveals a web of sexual politics, professional ethics, and character assassination involving a prominent probate judge and a young woman accused of immorality.
- The Masquerade That Captivated Seattle
At the height of winter, Seattle’s socialites and laborers alike donned disguises for a night of revelry at Brown’s Pavilion, blending classes in a rare moment of community spectacle.
- 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 Wig and the Wire: How a Tacoma Newspaper Owner Tried to Destroy a Judge
In the sensational Wickersham trial of 1889, prosecutor R.P. Radebaugh’s own past and his alleged conspiracy to frame Judge Wickersham for 'immorality' were laid bare in court.
- Jailed on a Ten-Word Telegram: A New Arrival Fights an Arson Charge From Manitoba
Charles F. Ireland moved his wife and children to Puget Sound to start over. The morning after he landed, a Manitoba 'government detective' wired ten words, and he was locked up with 'convicted criminals of every hue.' He wants Seattle to hear his side.
- A Newspaper Editor's Silence in Court: The Lugrin Libel Trial
C. H. Lugrin, managing editor of the Seattle Telegraph, rested his defense without calling witnesses in a libel trial brought by Police Chief Rogers. The case now goes to the jury.
- The Territorial Auditor and the Slander Machine
When the Walla Walla Statesman accused a prominent territorial official of being a fugitive felon, it sparked a local crisis in journalistic ethics and public reputation.
- The Anonymous Libel: A Letter from Chicago Targets Seattle's Legal Elite
An anonymous circular alleging that prominent lawyer J.C. Haines absconded with estate funds in Chicago is circulating through Washington Territory, sparking a fierce defense of his character by local allies.
- The Preacher, the Actress, and the Seattle Theatre Feud
Mrs. Potter and Kyrle Bellew packed the Seattle Theater—then found themselves denounced from a Portland pulpit by a preacher they insisted they had never gone to hear.
- The Circular of Rumors That Landed a Minister in Court
A four-hour Seattle libel hearing ends with Rev. M. H. Nichols bound over after he admits his charges against Rev. Dr. T. E. Ford were built on hearsay.
- The Night Olympia Went to War — and Nobody Shed a Drop of Blood
A touring tragedian closes his engagement with six acts of Shakespearean murder, and the army court-martial in town turns out in force to watch.
- Vagrants or Working Men? The Battle Over Municipal Justice
Seattle's police chief accuses a judge of letting 'dangerous characters' roam free, while the court clerk argues for leniency toward the unemployed.
- A Packed House Watches a Dying Cardinal Bring Down the Curse of Rome
Touring tragedian Keene fills the Olympia Theater with Bulwer's 'Richelieu' — and promises Shakespeare's Richard III for tonight, with 'but a few seats left.'
- The Last Goodbye: A Seattle Widow’s Final Sermon
Rev. I.W. Read delivers a poignant eulogy for Addie Z. Pross at Market Street Baptist, reflecting on her hopefulness and refusal to gossip in the face of sudden death.
- The Vigilante Committee: Tacoma's Desperate War on Crime
In March 1902, Tacoma’s elite formed a secret society sworn to kill without mercy after police failed to stop a wave of robberies and murders.
- The Newspaper Editor and the Political Bruiser
A brutal street assault in Olympia reveals the volatile intersection of frontier politics and an independent press.
- A Missing Man, a Dead Wife, and a Sewing Machine Full of Money
Joseph Von Lingenau vanished after his wife died in childbirth. His friends fear murder; his neighbors remember a man coming apart.
- Five Years on a Fraud's Word
John Bryan was pardoned out of the Walla Walla penitentiary after the real robbers confessed — but his companion was still inside.
- The Seattle Liquor Board's Battle for Moral Standing
A landmark 1886 legal challenge in King County forces a judge to define the limits of civic power when local officials refuse to grant a liquor license based on a claimant’s character.
Also about this, in other words
- The Empathetic Pup of Idol Hill
A local carpenter finds comfort in a loyal companion who mirrors his own physical struggle.
- The Scandal of Character: Defending John McGraw
Prominent Seattle figures, including rivals and old neighbors, rally to defend gubernatorial candidate John H. McGraw against rumors of a shady past as a hotel proprietor.
- The Street Characters of Old Seattle
A profile of the city's unofficial icons, including 'Old Pencils' and the newsboys 'Limpy' and 'Red,' revealing a glimpse into the gritty, vibrant life of Front Street.
- The Deaf Dodge
A local drunkard tries to outsmart a judge by faking deafness, only to be tripped up by the prospect of a free drink.
- A Street Fight Over a Package of Meat
A man attempted to steal a package of meat off the steps of the Golden Gate building, only to face a vigorous drubbing from his victim.
- The Case for Naming an Olympia Street After Judge Hewitt
A memorial sermon for a territorial judge becomes a plea to carve his name into Olympia's street map—and a meditation on what makes a public life worth remembering.
- A Rejected Suitor, a Pistol, and a Tacoma Courtroom
A German servant girl accuses a suitor of drawing a gun on her when she chose another man—and he takes the stand to explain his broken heart.
- The Four Days James McCutcheon Was Someone Else
A Roy butcher vanished on Sunday and reappeared near Auburn with no memory of where he had been—an early-twentieth-century case of “dual personality.”