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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 3 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 20 |
| 1877 | 21 |
| 1878 | 12 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 22 |
| 1884 | 9 |
| 1885 | 32 |
| 1886 | 19 |
| 1887 | 17 |
| 1888 | 15 |
| 1889 | 50 |
| 1890 | 5 |
| 1891 | 27 |
| 1892 | 91 |
| 1893 | 88 |
| 1894 | 91 |
| 1895 | 62 |
| 1898 | 7 |
| 1899 | 13 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1903 | 46 |
| 1904 | 38 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 40 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 5 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
794 stories matching commit
- The Tragedy of the State Asylum
A grim tally of patient deaths at the Washington State asylum sparks questions about the treatment of vulnerable populations committed from King County.
- Jailed for a Malicious Complaint, Freed by the State Supreme Court
A Pierce County jury found George Locke not guilty and decided his accuser, Leonard Permstick, had complained maliciously. The court ordered Permstick to pay $275.85 in costs or stay in jail—until the Washington Supreme Court ruled the commitment void.
- 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.
- The Murder in the Bunkhouse North of Auburn
A young Japanese labor contractor was beaten and killed as he slept in a cabin on J.W. Nails's farm; a roommate was jailed while blood trails, a loaded musket and an opium pipe deepened the mystery.
- A Final Request for Mercy
A desperate railroad worker took his own life in a Second Street hotel, leaving behind a note confessing he was struggling to suppress a violent urge to kill.
- The Uncertain Fate of Tommy Santiago Howard
Convicted of killing Kite Arquette years ago, Howard faces the penitentiary despite lingering doubts about his guilt and a potential pardon effort.
- The Murder Foretold: Three Japanese Laborers Held Without Bail
A witness testifies that one suspect predicted the killing hours in advance, and a bloody butcher knife is found in a kitchen wall. Three Japanese men are ordered held without bail for the murder of a Japanese boss near Christopher.
- The Judge Who Ejected His Own Lawyer: A Tacoma Courtroom Meltdown
In a bizarre turn of events at the Thurston County Courthouse, Presiding Judge Laurence silenced defense counsel Bronston and refused to hear the prisoner's testimony, leaving John Halson to face burglary charges in silence.
- A Tragic End in the Seatco Penitentiary
After her young son stood trial for a killing he committed, his mother took her own life in confinement.
- The Wife Asked Three Times: 'Henry, Where Were You Monday Night?'
Already charged with a double murder in South Seattle, Henry Craemer now stands suspected of a second killing after a cheap silver watch and a pillow-rigged fire surface as evidence.
- The Boastful Prisoner Who Talked Himself Into Federal Custody
Henry C. Grady came to Seattle to pay taxes on his Jackson Street lots and to deliver a mail-fraud suspect. P. C. Pomeroy had bragged his way out of an Oregon jail; the confession sent him straight to McNeil's Island.
- The Meller Murder Trial: A Widower’s Sobs and a Defendant’s Blank Stare
George Craemer goes on trial for the murder of Mrs. Meller, as her husband and two young daughters watch the jury chosen and the prosecutor promises to tie a hammer to the defendant.
- A Tragic End at Sea
A sailor suffering from mental health crises committed suicide by fire while aboard the schooner Siimson.
- The Murder That Made Washington Decide Who Counted as Tribal
In 1903 the state Supreme Court upheld Tommy Santiago Howard's manslaughter conviction for killing Kate Arquette on the Puyallup Reservation, ruling that because he had no tribal ties, state court—not federal court—had jurisdiction.
- The Man Who Couldn't Sleep: A Murderer's Five-Year Nightmare Ends in Seattle
William Devitt, a fugitive from a Pennsylvania railroad murder, surrenders to Seattle police after five years of wandering the South, claiming his conscience has finally caught up with him.
- The Yesler Will Case: A Dead Millionaire, a Missing Will, and a Widow on Trial
In a Seattle courtroom, prosecutors argue that Mrs. Yesler conspired to destroy her husband's will—while defense lawyers call the case a web of speculation and newspaper rumor.
- The Burglar Who Walked Into Tacoma From Everett
A single suspect arrested in Everett for robbing a hired girl at gunpoint is now being investigated by Tacoma police as the prime suspect behind a string of local burglaries that have plagued the city for months.
- The Neighborhood Terror of Kitsap County
A man’s year-long campaign of property destruction and violent threats against his own family members lands him in a King County jail cell.
- In the County Jail, a Prisoner Fashions His Own Rope From a Sash
Awaiting a trip to Auburn to face a murder charge, a Japanese prisoner tries to end his life with the only materials his cell allows — and is found in time.
- The Unlucky Look-Alike
A case of mistaken identity in a Seattle courtroom saw an innocent man nearly extradited for a Pennsylvania forgery because he looked exactly like his cousin.
- Judge Bell’s Hard Line on City Crime
A Seattle judge hands down stiff prison sentences for robbery to deter the criminal element in the city.
- Tragedy of a Man Committed for His Seizures
A local man with epilepsy was ordered to the state asylum after a history of struggle with his health and suicidal ideation.
- Puyallup Man Re-committed to State Asylum Following Breakdown
A young man who struggled after a wilderness ordeal is returned to Western State Hospital after his mother reports fear for her safety.
- The Unauthorized Preacher
A man committed to the state asylum after an erratic attempt to seize a local pulpit is sent back to care.
- The Vicious Old Man of the Jail
After a history of petty crime and violence, a troubled elderly man is committed to the state asylum due to worsening mental illness caused by years of dissipation.
Also about this, in other words
- The Loyalty Oath of Lewis County
Local citizens gather to formalize their support for the Union and renounce the 'Knights of the Golden Circle' during the Civil War.
- A Debt Paid in Full
A Kennewick church celebrates financial independence by burning their mortgage document in a ceremonial act.
- The Recovery of a Suspect
Jacob Sentle is transferred to the county jail to face a first-degree murder charge, as authorities confirm his condition is stable enough to survive incarceration.
- A Municipal Debt Crisis
Chehalis County commissioners find themselves over their legal debt limit, triggering a halt on all warrants and a potential bond issuance.
- The Unlikely Bond Between a Convict and His Keeper
A rare glimpse of humanity inside the grim walls of a frontier jail, where a long-term prisoner and the man paid to guard him found a surprising connection.
- The Lie That Kept a Father in Jail
Clara Sellers, 13, recants her incest charge, freeing A. Sellers after seven months—but not before he sold his farm to pay for his defense.
- Two Men Confess to Burning a Northern Pacific Bridge Near Thorp
Charles Matson and John Goes plead guilty to arson on the railroad; John Green denies the charge as the court postpones sentencing.
- A Counterfeiter's Conscience: How the Salvation Army Led a Seattle Man to Turn Himself In
Thomas Gorman, an iron moulder, confessed to making and passing $190 in counterfeit coin after a religious conversion, telling authorities he didn't care about jail as long as his conscience was clear.