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|---|---|
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180 stories matching destitut
- The Women Who Fed Seattle's Unemployed Army
A local auxiliary reported 478 meals served, 36 destitute families supplied, and work found for 23 women and girls—while asking the public to keep the effort alive.
- The Industrial Army's Women's Relief Corps
Working women gather at Third and Cherry to provide aid to the destitute during the economic collapse of 1894.
- Abandoned and Destitute, a Migrant Wife Sues for Maintenance
A Seattle tailor's wife, recently arrived from Russia, petitions the court to freeze her husband's bank assets after he refuses to support her and their child.
- Nineteen Japanese Immigrants Arrested After Trek from Canada
Destitute group walks from Vancouver, B.C., to Whatcom in hopes of finding work in Seattle.
- The Father Who Wanted an Affidavit That the Flour Was Not Poisoned
Seattle's charity superintendent found William Emrich's family living in an old store without food or bedding, the children blistered by their father's poison fears. The case became a window into destitution, paranoia, and who deserved public aid.
- Found Destitute on a Float at the Foot of Franklin Street
Fever takes an infant on Sunday and the mother on Monday, and a subscription pays for the burial.
- The Great Fire That Turned Seattle’s Suburb into Ash
A fast-moving blaze in the early morning hours consumed nearly all of South Seattle's business district, leaving dozens of families destitute and causing over $100,000 in damage.
- The True Cost of Industrial Life in Washington
A scathing look at why injured workers in 1910 were left destitute by a legal system that favored insurance companies over human lives.
- Abandoned and destitute, a woman accuses local fortune teller of exploitation
After collapsing on a Walla Walla street, a young woman details a coerced journey from Boise and a harrowing attempt to force her into sex work.
- Tragedy in South Aberdeen
A community rallies to support a grieving neighbor after a death in destitution.
- The Tragedy of the McDonald Family
A destitute family in Colfax is dismantled by the courts after years of poverty, illness, and local infamy.
- A Desperate End for a Displaced Policeman
James E. Penrod, a former Denver officer left destitute after political shifts, takes his own life in Centralia.
- The Confidence Man’s Tears: How a Thief Fooled His Victim and the Court
In May 1877, Seattle confidence operator Dowd was granted a change of venue after moving his robbery victim to tears with a sob story about his destitute family. The District Attorney’s lenient stance sparked outrage among citizens who feared the law was too soft on crime.
- Showfolk Stranded in South Tacoma
A traveling circus troupe is left destitute on a station platform after a management dispute leaves them without food, funds, or transport.
- Harness Maker’s Mysterious Disappearance Leaves Family Destitute
After vanishing with his life savings, a local craftsman resurfaced in San Francisco claiming total amnesia, fueling rumors of foul play.
- A Coxey Marcher's Family Left Destitute in Seattle
Two barefoot girls beg police for food after their father joins the industrial army marching on Washington and their mother is left unable to work.
- The Dignity of the Oyster Bar
A young woman, destitute after her father's death, finds that the labor market is far more welcoming than her former social circle.
- A Family Found in Desperate Straits
A sick, destitute family in Oakesdale is discovered in squalid conditions by a community member.
- The Misery of the Miser’s Hoard
A destitute family in 1870s Seattle survives a devastating house fire only to unearth a fortune hidden beneath the ashes of their former home.
- The Seattle Charity Credit Feud
After a benefit for a destitute actor turned into a public relations dispute, the Cordray theater company sets the record straight.
- Destitute Families Found in Lake Washington Shack
Two families from Arkansas, arriving in Seattle with no resources, are discovered living in severe poverty and failing health.
- Abandoned with an infant, a woman sues for her livelihood
A Seattle dentist’s wife seeks legal support after he leaves her and their child destitute, exposing the stark financial vulnerability of women in the 1887 frontier.
- Abandoned and Destitute: A Public Plea for Support
When an attorney abandons his wife and child in 1892 Seattle, the legal system proves powerless to help—until a local judge intervenes.
- The 'Destitute' Widow Who Owned $20,000 in Property
A Snohomish woman on the county charity rolls turns out to hold a small fortune in King County real estate — and the commissioners want their money back.
- A Desperate Arrival at Mill Creek
Thirty emigrants from Missouri and Iowa reach the Walla Walla Valley in a state of destitution and sickness.
Also about this, in other words
- Bidding on the Destitute: Seattle’s 1877 Poverty Contracts
Before modern social safety nets, King County put the care of its 'indigent poor' up for competitive bid, seeking the lowest price for housing and medical services.
- A Family's Desperate Winter
A local family faces extreme poverty and illness, highlighting the precarious nature of life in the territory.
- The Indigent Shuttle: Seattle's 'Loathsome' Dumping Scandal
A 1892 report reveals a bitter inter-city blame game, as Tacoma officials accuse Seattle of shipping its impoverished and sick residents south to dodge medical costs.
- A Medicine Man's Death, and a Debt Demanded in Blood
A Nisqually medicine man was killed after failing to cure children. Now his cousin says forty tribesmen will march on the Muckleshoot reservation for customary indemnity — or the killer and his kin may be killed.
- The Science of 'Degeneracy' in the Courtroom
Tacoma experts describe the dubious medical pseudoscience used to argue insanity and 'degeneracy' in high-stakes murder trials.
- A Blind Elder's Suit to Undo a Land Fraud
In 1889, Washington O-dit went to court to void a deed for 160 acres on the Ahtanum, saying it had been taken from him without his knowledge or consent.
- A Runaway Team Charges Down Main Street
A dray team belonging to William DeSpain bolted, leading to a high-speed scene of terror on the main thoroughfare of Ritzville.
- The Human Cost of the Des Moines Boom
A tragic suicide in Tacoma exposes the devastating toll of speculative real estate schemes.