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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1858 | 4 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 9 |
| 1862 | 12 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 14 |
| 1876 | 50 |
| 1877 | 48 |
| 1878 | 26 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 12 |
| 1882 | 15 |
| 1883 | 64 |
| 1884 | 36 |
| 1885 | 93 |
| 1886 | 42 |
| 1887 | 50 |
| 1888 | 54 |
| 1889 | 123 |
| 1890 | 30 |
| 1891 | 130 |
| 1892 | 343 |
| 1893 | 380 |
| 1894 | 434 |
| 1895 | 91 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 7 |
| 1899 | 68 |
| 1900 | 18 |
| 1902 | 12 |
| 1903 | 197 |
| 1904 | 153 |
| 1905 | 9 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 119 |
| 1910 | 9 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 27 |
| 1915 | 17 |
| 1916 | 48 |
| 1917 | 28 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1922 | 2 |
| 1923 | 16 |
| 1924 | 14 |
| 1925 | 8 |
2,845 stories matching charg
- "All the Devils in Hell Can't Get Me Out of This Position"
Puget Sound steamboat men spent a year trying to oust the federal hull inspector they accuse of padding his travel expenses. Their affidavits went to Washington City and vanished into red tape — and Bryant kept his job.
- 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 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.
- Tacoma’s Whitewash That Wasn’t
A public-works president accuses a newly appointed superintendent of dishonesty—then refuses to put the charges in writing.
- Seattle's Fire Chief Accused as the Council Wrestles a Telephone Franchise and a Paving Bill
Both houses of the city council meet late into the night: charges that Chief Hunt holds office under false pretenses, a twenty-five-year franchise for the Seattle Home Telephone Company, and a fight over who pays for the sick and injured.
- 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.
- Candy, Land Claims and a 'Confidence Man': Arlington's Commissioner Hits Back
George Morrell denies stealing ginger snaps and swindling settlers—then accuses his accuser of running an extortion racket with a Seattle police escort.
- The Judge Who Gambled Away His Office: Soderberg’s Dramatic Resignation
After the grand jury returned five indictments for extortion and malfeasance in office, District Attorney Joseph Soderberg walked into court, tendered his resignation, and declared he would repay every illegal fee to the county treasury.
- Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat Back
Ballard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.
- The Mayor Fires Two Police Commissioners to Keep Blackchapel Shut
In a single day, Mayor Phelps removed two police commissioners, accused them of conspiring to protect a red-light district and oust Chief Rogers, and installed replacements before the House of Delegates could slow him down.
- The Preacher, the Presiding Elder, and the Typewritten Screed
An obscure minister accuses a Methodist leader of seduction and embezzlement, setting off a Seattle church scandal and a criminal-libel warrant.
- The Court-Martial That Laughed Up Its Sleeve
In closed sessions at Olympia, Col. J. C. Haines faces charges of foul and abusive language—but his supporters say the fix is already in.
- The Pastor, the Missing Husband, and the Seattle Libel Trial
A church feud goes to court as Rev. M. H. Nichols is tried for circulating scandalous charges against Dr. T. B. Ford—whose testimony reveals a broken engagement, a vanished first husband, and a dramatic courtroom kiss.
- Tacoma's Water Chief Accused—and the City Hall Feud Behind It
Mayor Orr's appointment of George H. Hollidge to run Tacoma's water and light plants blew up into a public corruption fight, with secret affidavits, anonymous postal cards and a grand jury waiting.
- The Warden Fights Back: Grain-Sack Graft and Cruelty Charges at the State Penitentiary
Accused of skimming from grain-sack sales and mistreating prisoners, Walla Walla's warden dares the state to investigate — and the Post-Intelligencer says it should.
- The Presbytery’s Verdict: A Minister’s Scandal and the Price of Repentance
In a trial that captivated Snohomish County, Reverend H.P. Dunning faced charges of domestic abuse and neglect. The court’s nuanced ruling offers a rare glimpse into the moral policing of 19th-century clergy.
- The Editor, the Chief, and the Libel He Could Not Prove
Seattle’s police chief wins a criminal libel case after the Telegraph’s promised corruption evidence never materializes.
- The Paper War: How Seattle’s ‘Public Thieves’ Exposed a Corrupt Ring
In 1872, the *Puguet Sound Dispatch* accused local officials and the rival *Intelligencer* of extorting taxpayers through inflated advertising rates for tax sales, framing it as a 'Tammany ring' stealing from the public.
- The Customs Collector and the Straw Men of Puget Sound
A Tacoma official accuses Collector J. C. Saunders of padding the customs payroll with political workers—including a no-show inspector—for work never done at the Interstate Fair.
- 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.
- A Seattle Pastor on Trial: 'Attentions' to Another Woman, Harsh Words at Home, and a Public Rebuke
In 1877, the Presbytery of Puget Sound spent six days in Seattle deciding whether Rev. E. P. Dunning had crossed the line with another woman and mistreated his wife — then publicly reproved him and urged him to guard his conduct.
- The Teacher and the Secret Society
The local school board rejects anonymous, secretive charges against a teacher, asserting the right to public accountability.
- The Prosecutor Who Prosecuted Himself: How Aberdeen’s DA Ignored a White Mob’s Attack on Chinese Residents
When a mob drove Aberdeen’s Chinese community out of town and stole $550, the county’s prosecuting attorney charged the victims with libel instead of the perpetrators—sparking a furious editorial defense of civil rights in 1890.
- Guns at the Polls: Seattle’s First Ward Primary Erupts in a Street Brawl
Sheriff Woolery and saloon man John Considine tried to seize a Republican primary by arresting the election judges; Chief Rogers and his police fought back with warrants, clubs and drawn revolvers.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.