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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 3 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1891 | 11 |
| 1892 | 50 |
| 1893 | 70 |
| 1894 | 68 |
| 1895 | 59 |
| 1899 | 20 |
| 1903 | 8 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
338 stories matching detect
- The Self-Appointed Officer
A private detective finds himself behind bars after harassing a local merchant.
- The Spirit Who Socked the Detective
A seance in Seattle turns into a brawl when a detective catches a ‘spirit’ in the act of fraud.
- The Detective Who Sued His Way Back to the Force
After being fired for searching a home without a warrant, a Seattle detective spent over a year battling the police department in court, finally securing his job and back pay.
- A Jeweler's Fight Against Police Brutality
A Seattle jeweler files a $6,000 lawsuit after being shot at, assaulted, and wrongfully imprisoned by city detectives who mistook him for a criminal.
- The Gambling Den Dilemma: Why Seattle’s Top Detective Fought the Ban on Vice
When City Council shut down gambling houses to clean up the streets, Detective Corbett warned that vice wouldn't disappear—it would just scatter and hide.
- The Escape of 'Big Nose Pete'
A notorious Chicago burglar makes a narrow escape from a Seattle detective after an intense foot chase through a downtown saloon.
- The Street Corner Justice
A detective fires into the sidewalk on South Second Street, wounding a fleeing shoplifter.
- The Insurance Scheme of the Mary Parker
A courtroom drama unfolds as a detective’s undercover sting operation faces accusations of coercion and bribery.
- The Piano Tuner and the Three-Week Manhunt
A well-dressed man accused of indecent conduct near Seattle schools is arrested at Front and Battery after a detective finds a telltale satchel.
- The Burglar Who Hid Evidence in His Shoes
Detectives tracking a prolific Seattle house-breaker finally cornered him in a Second Avenue drug store, discovering a curious stash of keys hidden in his footwear.
- Police Raid Faro Game at 'Siorah's Old Home'
Detectives arrest a dealer after breaking up a gambling operation in a Commercial Street saloon.
- The Hotel Room Assault That Sent Seattle Detectives on a Weeklong Manhunt
After Ruby Stanley was found beaten and bloodied at the International Hotel, police hunted John Diegan until a Tuesday-night struggle ended in his arrest.
- Detective Chief Cleared of Corruption Charges
After a contentious police board hearing, the city's detective chief beats accusations of theft and graft, while the board simultaneously disciplines subordinates.
- The Barber Who Ran for Mayor: A Dream of Detective Work
When an unsuccessful mayoral candidate applied for a municipal detective job in 1891, his bizarre, globe-trotting proposal sent the Ballard City Council into fits of laughter.
- The Clerk Who Pocketed the Change
A grocery clerk is caught red-handed by a private detective after being suspected of skimming from the till.
- A Messenger Boy, a Pawned Watch, and Badge No. 21
Detective Philbrick traced a stolen gold watch through Seattle pawnshops to a 17-year-old messenger who confessed to taking it while a woman slept.
- The Hunt for the Copley Train Robbers
Detective agencies converge on Seattle in search of three men accused of a brutal train heist and murder in California.
- The Detective Who Watched a Stenographer—and the Doctor Who Paid Him
A Seattle lawsuit over unpaid surveillance opens a window onto Dr. J. Eugene Jordan’s relationship with Margaret Deboe, the young woman who killed herself with his revolver.
- Gasoline in the Second-Hand Store
A fire at the Great Western second-hand store on South Third Street was ruled incendiary after two fire chiefs detected gasoline; the stock carried $3,000 in insurance.
- The Chemist Who Couldn't Name the Killer's Weapon
In a Seattle courtroom drama, defense attorney John Y. Torum argues that the poison used in a murder was too obscure for any professional chemist to have selected—unless the killer had access to something far more common.
- The Shack at the Foot of Blanchard
After arresting three burglars, detectives discover a cache of stolen goods in a North Seattle shanty, linking the suspects to a series of housebreaking crimes.
- An Hour From Canada: The Kansas Fugitive Caught in a Bellingham Barber Shop
Frank Greenwood fled Kansas after a seduction charge, hoping to disappear into Washington and then British Columbia. A persistent Kansas detective tracked him to New Whatcom, where he was arrested in his brother’s barber shop—just an hour before he meant to be gone.
- The Con Artist Who Played Barber on Marion Street
A fake detective who swindled his way through Seattle with a short-lived barber shop is now wanted for attempted murder in New York.
- The Sad Return of a Known Petty Thief
After seven years away, a notorious local pickpocket drifts back into Seattle only to be arrested for stealing a neighbor’s laundry.
- A Brutal End for a Balky Horse
A North Seattle man kills his horse after it refuses to move, drawing the attention of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.