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64 stories matching extort
- The Ex-Dog Catcher Who Turned a Liquor License Into a Shakedown
E. W. Bates was bound over for extortion after prosecutors said he threatened to have a man arrested for selling liquor without a license unless he paid up.
- Fugitive Arrested in Tacoma for California Extortion Scheme
A man accused of swindling a California woman under the false promise of marriage is captured by local detectives.
- The Railroad's Greed: How the Northern Pacific Extorted Kittitas County
Newly discovered reports reveal how the Northern Pacific railroad company used its immense corporate power to extort land from settlers and small-town business owners in Kittitas County.
- Dentist Faces Trial for Assault of Young Girls
A Seattle dentist stands trial on serious criminal charges involving minors, amid accusations of a conspiracy to extort money.
- Northern Pacific Accused of Land Extortion by Tacoma-Kalama Residents
Citizens and politicians clash over the Northern Pacific Railroad's monopoly and the holding of immense swaths of land that remain untaxed and undeveloped.
- The Hotel Room Trap
A father and daughter are arrested for an alleged blackmail scheme targeting prominent men in a local hotel.
- The Commissioner, the Gambler, and the Shakedown
A bold blackmail attempt at the Russell House ends in a police hunt for a notorious 'steerer' and his accomplice.
- A Web of Extortion in Seattle
A defense attorney alleges police and lawyers conspired to coerce a fourteen-year-old girl into testifying against her own stepfather.
- Tacoma Councilmen Accused of Extorting Bank Loans in City Funds Scandal
An explosive card from two finance committee members denying kickbacks backfires as the Tacoma Ledger calls for a grand jury to investigate allegations of extortion involving city deposits.
- The Son-in-Law from Hell
A pioneer father-in-law sues for extortion, alleging his relative seized his farm and tossed him out in the rain.
- Tacoma Breaks the Grip of 'Blood Money'
The city council votes to seize absolute control over saloon licensing to stop property owners from extorting payments.
- A Dispute Over a Cleaned Dress Ends in a Brawl
A woman allegedly strikes a dyer with a brass lamp after a heated disagreement over a laundry bill.
- Tacoma Votes Overwhelmingly for Municipal Power
Citizens reject private utility monopoly to authorize a city-owned power plant on the Nisqually River.
- White Mob Hangs Innocent Teen at Nooksack Crossing
A white mob dragged Jimmie Boole from his bed at Nooksack Crossing and hanged him from a tree to force a confession for a horse theft he was innocent of, cutting him down before he died.
- The Fireman Who Accused His Commissioner—Then Sued the City
Oswald R. Vitzthum says Seattle owes him years of pay and that he was never legally discharged after accusing a former fire commissioner of taking money for jobs.
- The Blackmail Artist of Seattle
A man attempts to extort cash from his former employer by sending letters from behind bars, only to find himself trapped by the very schemes he designed.
- The City's Notorious Blackmail Sheets
How unscrupulous publishers coerced local business owners with the threat of public exposure.
- The Northern Pacific Railroad's Toll on Travel
A new restrictive policy forces passengers to pay more by banning alternate routes via the Union Pacific.
- The Persistent Business of Superstition
An editorial from 1877 examines why, despite the march of progress and the printing press, humanity remained obsessed with palmistry, spiritualism, and bad omens.
- Japanese Laborers Defy Armed Extortion at Ashford
Contracted workers at the Tacoma Eastern rail site force a confrontation over predatory wage deductions and fees.
- A Blackmail Scheme at the Statehouse?
Legislators suspect a proposed liquor licensing bill is less about temperance and more about extorting the state's saloon owners.
- The Trial of Ursula Boyd: A Labyrinth of Coercion
A woman stands trial for the murder of the man who, according to her testimony and a cache of intimate letters, forced her into prostitution and systematic blackmail.
- The First Legal Code of Washington Territory
A sweeping 1854 legislative act codified the rules of the frontier, from the punishment of corrupt jailers to the regulation of 'notorious barrators' and illegal gambling.
- The Trial of a Seattle Predator
A harrowing look inside the coercive control and exploitation used by a man against his partner, as revealed through their private correspondence in court.
- The Midnight Extortion at the Cherry Street House
A Seattle restaurant owner claims he was held at gunpoint and forced to empty his bank account, sparking a sensational lawsuit.