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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
29 stories matching eyewit
- The Murder Witness Who Spent 241 Days in Jail
George Gordon’s testimony helped convict Murphy of second-degree murder—but keeping the state’s only eyewitness safe cost King County $733, and the defense said he tried to sell his silence.
- The Only Witness to a Saloon Killing
James Murphy’s second murder trial hinged on the sole eyewitness to a quarrel that began over cocktails and ended with Philip Dawe shot under the eye behind his bar.
- The Arrest of 'Steamboat Liz'
A physical struggle between a plainclothes patrolman and a local woman sparks a near-riot in downtown Tacoma.
- The Murphy Murder Trial Heads to the Jury
A week of testimony in the Lake Washington shooting case concludes, with the jury visiting the saloon crime scene.
- Fatal Collision in Georgetown
A brickyard laborer is struck and killed by a Northern Pacific train after miscalculating the engine's speed.
- A Violent Assault in the Shadows of Third Street
A stranger is brutally beaten in front of a funeral home by an unknown man while a woman watches in eerie silence.
- The Deadly Cost of Intervening in a Street Brawl
A Gilman man dies after a shooting during an altercation outside the Davis house, sparking a murder charge.
- The Ritzville Scandal That Rocked the Town
A small-town mayor faces adultery charges after the school superintendent's wife was caught in a scandalous affair, leaving the community in shock and the 'best society' reeling.
- Creosote Fire in North Seattle
A spectacular industrial explosion at a wood-preserving plant in North Seattle raises alarms about the city's inadequate fire infrastructure.
- The Ghostly Search for a Lost Sailor
When a sailor drowned at the mouth of the Columbia River in 1876, his grieving colleagues turned to a grim folk remedy to recover his body.
- The Perilous Depths of the Newcastle Mine
A rare eyewitness account from 1,000 feet below the earth, where miners fight 'black damp' and underground fires to power a growing Seattle.
- The Mountain That Spilled a Flood
An eyewitness watches a mysterious, cataclysmic burst of water tear through a mountain ravine near Colville, obliterating trees and tracks.
- Trapped by the Skagit River's Winter Fury
An eyewitness account from January 1885 describes the deadly isolation of the Skagit Valley as the river choked with ice, cutting off pioneer settlers from the outside world.
- The Silent Battle of the Salmon Spawning Grounds
An early eyewitness account of the Columbia River’s delicate ecosystem and the struggle to protect a vanishing resource from industrial overfishing.
- The Great Swimmin' Hole Scandal
A group of local boys face the judge for skinny-dipping in the Columbia, sparking a call for a proper municipal dressing house.
- The Final Tribute to Chief Seattle
A rare eyewitness account of the funeral proceedings for the Duwamish leader and the respect paid by local pioneers to his grave.
- The Pen Is Mightier Than the Pistol
A Tacoma newspaper editor survives a point-blank assassination attempt after writing a stinging column about a local rival's reputation.
- A Steamboat Standoff on the Puget Sound
When a captain accused a passenger of skipping town on a fare, two witnesses stepped forward to detail a tense armed confrontation aboard the steamer 'Otter.'
- The Northern Hotel Shooting: A Gambler’s Self-Defense Trial
Paul J. Page stands trial for killing Harry Fraser over a dice game at the Northern Hotel, while his lawyers drag the dead man’s gambling life into court.
- Brawl in the U.S. Land Office
A legal dispute over a homestead claim near Avondale erupts into a violent physical confrontation between rival attorneys in a federal courtroom.
- He Raced the Streetcar—and Fell Beneath It
A boy running beside a Front Street line car slips at the Harrison Street crossing and is crushed before the gripman can stop; the inquest opens that afternoon.
- Six Drowned and the Dead Looted: The Wreck of the Strathblane
Eyewitnesses described a fearful scene off North Beach as the iron ship Strathblane broke apart—farmers rode into the surf to save survivors while others rifled the dead.
- A Jury Played Cards While a Murder Case Hung in the Balance
Convicted murderer Murphy was sentenced to fifteen years—again—as his lawyer attacked a jury that reportedly spent its 42-hour deliberation playing whist and pedro.
- A Man Shot Dead Over a Disputed Chip in a Seattle Saloon
A friendly dice game turns lethal when the stakes are raised a dollar a throw — and the shooter's trial hinges on the character of every man at the table.
- A Sailor's Last Ride on the Duwamish Bridge
Alexander McRae came from New York to take charge of a lumber barkentine. Near South Park he tried to board a moving streetcar, fell twenty feet through a bridge, and died before reaching Seattle.