Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1876 | 26 |
| 1877 | 17 |
| 1878 | 17 |
| 1879 | 2 |
| 1880 | 5 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 21 |
| 1884 | 7 |
| 1885 | 36 |
| 1886 | 24 |
| 1887 | 27 |
| 1888 | 13 |
| 1889 | 62 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 21 |
| 1892 | 96 |
| 1893 | 73 |
| 1894 | 45 |
| 1895 | 6 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 20 |
| 1900 | 4 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 20 |
| 1904 | 26 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1909 | 26 |
| 1910 | 8 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 2 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 2 |
650 stories matching desper
- The Tragedy of a Desperate Courtship
A jilted suitor’s attempt to force a marriage ends in violence and a desperate shooting near Seattle.
- A Desperate Dash from the Marshal
A United States prisoner attempts a daring escape from a carriage in Spokane, leading to a high-stakes chase.
- Sheriff Solves 1892 Mercer Island Cabin Murder
After the mutilated body of George Richards washed ashore, a confession from an accomplice revealed a desperate struggle and a grisly disposal in Lake Washington.
- A Desperate Escape in a Boarding House
After years of alleged domestic abuse, a young woman in a Third Avenue boarding house attempts to end her life.
- Rancher Joseph Amerd Fatally Shot at Marble Mound, 1892
A long-standing feud between a rancher and a laborer culminates in a violent end on New Year's Day near the confluence of the Skagit and Cascade rivers.
- The Brutal Winter of 1893
A historic freeze and heavy snows devastate livestock across the region, while Seattle's own marginalized residents struggle to survive the record-breaking cold.
- A Mother's Desperation in Spokane
After a family quarrel and a daughter's night away, Mrs. Jacob Schoder swallowed carbolic acid; her 18-year-old daughter Hattie found her and told the story from St. Luke's Hospital.
- The Political 'Sucker' and the Price of a Pint
After insulting local German-Americans, a desperate campaigner tried to buy forgiveness with free beer at Turner Hall—and failed miserably.
- A Desperate Night at the Clifton House
A Clallam County resident struggling with alcoholism and personal heartache attempts to end his life in a downtown hotel.
- The Paradise of Thieves: Seattle’s 1876 Corruption Crisis
When the Territorial Legislature legalized gambling to fund a mountain road, Seattle residents warned that the city was becoming a lawless playground for criminals.
- The Vampire Panic of Seattle
A grim, gothic account of a 'vampire' outbreak in a local immigrant community, documenting the desperate, violent lengths to which villagers went to protect their own.
- The Night They Were Left in the Brush: A Highway Robbery on Third Avenue
Two desperate men held up three victims at gunpoint near the Union Trunk Hotel, binding them in the cold wet brush while a fourth escaped. One victim’s wife walked within twenty feet of the scene, unaware her husband was lying bound nearby.
- The Match That Killed: A Seattle Woman’s Desperate End
Maggie Borchers, 30, died in agony after ingesting sulfur matches because her family had locked away all other means of suicide.
- The Tragedy at Virginia Street
A grisly discovery on the Seattle waterfront exposes the hidden desperation of 1889.
- The Tragic Last Notes of L. R. Shaw
A desperate local resident details his financial ruin, drug dependence, and final instructions to his family in a series of haunting letters before taking his own life in Seattle.
- The Great Train Escape
A federal prisoner leaps through a train window at 30 miles per hour while handcuffed, sparking a desperate manhunt in the woods near Pasco.
- A Mental Health Crisis in North Yakima
A young Scandinavian immigrant struggles with radical political theory before a desperate suicide attempt at the McGlothlen House.
- The Thief Who Left His Loot Under the Wharf
A desperate ex-convict confesses to a string of violent robberies after being tracked to a dark, desolate crawlspace beneath Seattle's waterfront.
- A Desperate Jailbreak in Colfax
While awaiting trial for the embezzlement of grain, a local warehouse manager leads a daring escape from the county jail, resulting in a foot chase and a sheriff's pursuit.
- The Desperate Plea of a Crippled Sailor
A man smashes a streetcar window to force the city to provide him with basic care.
- The Wreck of the Bark Archer
After a violent storm capsized their ship off the coast of Cape Flattery, the crew faced fire and rising seas in a desperate struggle for survival.
- The Great Escape Attempt at the King County Jail
A desperate dig through the ceiling of a Seattle jail cell ends with the sheriff turning fire hoses on the inmates to quell the chaos.
- A High-Stakes Gamble at the Front Street Poker Table
A desperate gambler nearly takes his own life after a losing streak in Seattle's underworld, only to be saved by a sudden twist of fortune.
- Tragedy at the Waterfront: A Drowning and a Desperate Rescue
A deckhand and a sailor attempted a harrowing, cold-water rescue of a drowning man near the construction site of the new Colman Building in Seattle, only to meet with heartbreak.
- A Violent Prison Break in Early Seattle
A brutal struggle erupts in the King County jail as desperate inmates ambush the jailer in a failed escape attempt.