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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
31 stories matching foil
- Jailer's Rounds Foil Burglars Digging Through Cell Wall
Two burglars nearly tunneled out of the King County Jail, thwarted only by a sharp-eared jailer and an unfortunate musical choice.
- The Sheriff’s Son and the Jailbreak
A quick-thinking schoolboy foils a planned escape at the Vancouver county jail.
- A Daring Nighttime Intrusion on Fourth Street
An attempted burglary at a private residence in Seattle is foiled by a sharp-eyed family member, sending a large suspect fleeing into the darkness.
- The Day the Streets of Tacoma Went Dark
Burglars cut through the rear door of the city's post office in the Masonic Block, only to be foiled by a vigilant night watchman who heard the glass shatter.
- The Burglars Who Rang the Doorbell
In a brazen early morning attempt to rob W. I. Thompson’s Broadway residence, thieves cut telephone wires and rang the front door bell—only to be foiled by Mrs. Thompson’s sharp eyes.
- A Desperate Escape Attempt in Whatcom
A clever plan to cut through jail cell bars with a smuggled file is thwarted by the county attorney.
- The Hotel Fife Arson Plot
Police foiled a coal-oil arson attempt at Tacoma’s Hotel Fife with 150 guests inside; J.L. Lewith was arrested.
- A Railroad Detective’s Inside Man Foils a Cle Elum Train Robbery
Two men were bound over in Ellensburg for an attempted holdup near Cle Elum after an informant exposed their plans.
- The Janitor Who Foiled a Ten-Man Jailbreak in Ellensburg
Prisoners had almost tunneled out of the county jail when a janitor sleeping in the sheriff's office heard the scraping—and made a promise they believed.
- Anatomy of a Jailbreak
Sheriff Woolery foils a plot to escape the King County jail, uncovering acid and a sharpened knife.
- The Counterfeiters of Front Street
A keen-eyed local expert foils a pair of dubious transactions in a Seattle saloon, exposing a suspected ring of master counterfeiters operating in the Pacific Northwest.
- Vigilant Operator Foils Train Robbery
A night operator at the Northern Pacific depot stops three armed train robbers in their tracks after a daring heist on a moving freight train.
- 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.
- Longshoremen and Strike-Breakers Clash on the Docks
Tensions boil over as union members and non-union laborers brawl at the Ocean Dock in Seattle.
- The Firebug's Last Exit: A Tacoma Lodging-House Owner Hangs Himself
After firemen foiled his attempt to burn his own lodging house for insurance, Carl Haesbseche walked out before breakfast, rigged a twine noose, and stepped off a platform.
- The Laundry Cashier Who Outsmarted the Bunko Gang
Laundry cashier Julia Folsom foiled four men's short-change scam, snatching back the money before they could take it.
- Colfax Burglar Foiled by Quick-Thinking Resident
When a stranger confronted Mrs. A. Coolidge in the night, she bypassed the directory to summon help via telephone.
- The Narrow Escape of the Portland Express
When armed bandits flagged down a Northern Pacific passenger train near Roy, the engineer made a split-second decision to keep the throttle open.
- “You Are the Man That Done It All”: A Murder Trial Witness Loses His Temper
The Hayward murder trial turned electric when a stubborn witness faced the accused across the courtroom—and the defense could not shake him.
- A Violent Reckoning at a Seattle Import Shop
After embezzling over $600 from his partners, a treasurer at a local Chinese merchant firm attempted to strike down his employer with a sword-knife, sparking a chaotic pursuit through the city streets.
- Two Boys, Two Open Switches, and a Train Barely Saved
Jimmy Francis and Johnnie Harrier, ages 11 and 12, were sent to reform school after opening railroad switches near Snohomish and nearly wrecking a passenger train.
- The Broomstick Revolver: How a Seattle Inmate Whitted a Pistol in His Cell
Behind bars in the Seattle city jail, prisoner Henry Blanck carved a convincing revolver from a broom handle, stove wood and tobacco foil — a jailhouse bluff that detectives called a new chapter in the city's criminal history.
- The Uncultivated Yankee and the Professor's Sword
A late-night brawl breaks out in the rotunda of Seattle’s most prestigious hotel after a visiting musician insults an American sea captain.
- The Carpenter's Secret Compartment
A crafty smuggler’s hollowed-out tool chest, designed to look like the property of a humble working man, fails to outsmart Seattle Customs inspectors.
- The Widow, the Ranch, and the Groom Who Lost His Nerve
A Woodinville bachelor agrees to marry a persistent widow, takes her $1.50 for the license—then cannot bring himself to ask for one, setting off a new $10,000 breach-of-promise fight.