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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 3 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 46 |
| 1877 | 31 |
| 1878 | 12 |
| 1879 | 5 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 36 |
| 1884 | 9 |
| 1885 | 33 |
| 1886 | 22 |
| 1887 | 30 |
| 1888 | 24 |
| 1889 | 59 |
| 1890 | 9 |
| 1891 | 54 |
| 1892 | 168 |
| 1893 | 154 |
| 1894 | 167 |
| 1895 | 176 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 10 |
| 1899 | 28 |
| 1900 | 8 |
| 1902 | 5 |
| 1903 | 69 |
| 1904 | 40 |
| 1905 | 5 |
| 1907 | 3 |
| 1908 | 24 |
| 1909 | 66 |
| 1910 | 18 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 8 |
| 1915 | 12 |
| 1916 | 28 |
| 1917 | 20 |
| 1923 | 6 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 5 |
| 1929 | 2 |
1,437 stories matching former
- The Two Mrs. Van Valkenburghs
A Seattle restaurateur's elopement with a Napa woman brought a forgotten first wife out of San Francisco, claiming his divorce was fraudulent and that she was still his lawful spouse.
- A Son Takes the Stand Against His Father in a Seattle Murder Trial
Prosecutors in the second Wilcox trial alleged that Charlotte Fetting's murder was a conspiracy involving her son-in-law—and the witnesses included the son-in-law's own teenage son.
- The Northern Pacific Offers Strikers a Last Chance—With Strings Attached
General Manager Kendrick says former employees can reapply after the Pullman strike, but only if they were not leaders or agitators—and they will rank behind the men hired to replace them.
- A Chinese Merchant Lost His Store. The Judge Said He Still Had Rights.
When hard times turned Chin Chew Coy from shopkeeper to laborer, federal officials moved to deport him. Judge Hanford ruled that his treaty rights—and his Portland property—still protected him.
- Seattle Gives New York Millionaires Another Year to Fix Yesler Avenue
A council committee lets the cable road off the hook while riders wade through mud—and a stockholder accuses City Hall of standing in with railroads.
- The Scholar Who Became a Burglar
A University of Washington athlete turns to a life of crime, only to be processed into prison by a former classmate.
- The University’s Wish List: New Departments, New Money
In 1895, UW regents asked King County legislators for laboratories, professors and a geological survey—and argued that the whole state would benefit.
- The Case of the Substituted Diamond Rings
A famous Seattle divorce settlement turns petty and strange when ex-Senator Dyer says his former wife returned the wrong rings—twice.
- The Dairy Commissioner’s War on Adulterated Food
A Washington dairy official warns that fake honey, poisoned candy, oleomargarine and brewers’ grain are cheating farmers — and demands stronger pure-food laws.
- When the Great Railroad Strike Reached Seattle
In July 1894 the Pullman boycott finally tied up the Lake Shore road in Seattle — local switchmen walked out in sympathy, and the company answered with firings, Winchester-armed deputies and a federal judge.
- The Missing Will That Would Have Given Seattle a Library
Henry Yesler's widow and two doctors are arrested, accused of burning a will that left the pioneer's fortune—and his mansion—to the city.
- The $163 Bender: How a Saloon Owner Allegedly Drunk a Laborer Out of His Wages
Andrew Gilberg says Frank Lindquist, former owner of the Mint saloon, plied him with whisky for days until he signed away a $163 labor claim for $17—then put him on a train to Ballard.
- The Mayor Fires Two Police Commissioners to Keep Blackchapel Shut
In a single day, Mayor Phelps removed two police commissioners, accused them of conspiring to protect a red-light district and oust Chief Rogers, and installed replacements before the House of Delegates could slow him down.
- Seattle Mayor and Police Chief Indicted for Bribery
Mayor Hiram C. Gill and former Sheriff R.T. Hodge face charges for an alleged conspiracy to violate federal liquor laws.
- The Warden Fights Back: Prison Labor, Jute Sacks and a Seattle Newspaper Scandal
Accused of selling prison-made sacks to middlemen and brutalizing convicts, Walla Walla’s warden answers his critics with a detailed defense—and a challenge to inspect the prison.
- 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.
- Former Supreme Court Justice Arrested for Embezzlement
A high-profile scandal hits the local legal scene as a former Supreme Court judge faces charges involving thousands of dollars in missing railway funds.
- A Judicial Feud Erupts in Whitman County
A former prosecutor and a sitting judge trade public accusations of deceit, perjury, and misconduct involving a prisoner and a local jail scandal.
- The Boom That Wasn't: 350 Workers Stranded in Newport
As the Idaho & Washington Northern extension stalled, contractors shipped in men before camps were ready; saloons fed and sheltered the stranded workforce.
- The Bookkeeper Who Played Lawyer
A former insurance company clerk, accused of forgery, stunned the King County courtroom by ditching his defense counsel to argue his own case.
- The University’s Dilemma: Should UW Sell Its Prime Seattle Land?
In 1890, the University of Washington’s regents warned that its current campus in the heart of the city was a financial and educational liability, urging the state to sell the valuable property and move to quieter grounds.
- The Railroad Land Agent Who Chose Death Over Ruin
Paul Schulze, the Northern Pacific’s former land agent and a promoter of Tacoma streetcars and Yakima irrigation, shot himself as receivers took over his enterprises.
- A Sailors' Union Man on Trial for Murder
William Gohl, former agent of the Sailors' Union in Aberdeen, is accused of killing Charles Hadberg. His trial is postponed to May 2 in Montesano as union members reportedly raise $5,000 for his defense.
- Hasheesh, Absinthe, and a Human Pelvis in the Page Murder Trial
Defense experts told a Seattle jury that a drug could explain Page's condition on the morning he shot Fraser, while the state argued he remembered everything.
- At 99, She Goes Back to Court: The Rent Is Hers, and the Agents Are at Her Door
Mary Steele already won a decree and the income from a $45,000 property portfolio stretching from Yesler Avenue to Kansas City. Now she says her husband's agents are pocketing the rents, selling her furniture and trying to put her out of her own house.
Also about this, in other words
- A Former Governor Settles Scores
Ex-Governor Moore takes to the press to defend his political record and fire back at a rival newspaper.
- The Ex-Governor and the Courtroom Grudge
A former Washington territorial governor is found in contempt of court over a tangled dispute regarding a fire clay mining company's records.
- A Ladies’ Aid Society Paid to Bring Him Back
When a former Aberdeen resident fled to Wisconsin accused of seducing a young woman under promise of marriage, local women raised the money to extradite him.
- A County Treasurer Vanishes—and Turns Up in Honolulu
A defaulting Clallam County official is reportedly living openly in Hawaii, but an old treaty may keep him beyond the reach of Port Angeles authorities.
- The Ex-Geologist's Con Game
Former State Geologist George A. Bethune allegedly swindles Los Angeles investors in a fraudulent gold mine deal.
- The Ex-Mayor’s Long Road Back to the Courthouse
After three years on the run, former Seattle Mayor Thomas J. Burke has finally been apprehended in Port Townsend.
- A City Hall Boodler Falls: Whatcom's Ex-Deputy Clerk Convicted of Forgery
Eighteen grand jury indictments, and E. Y. Grassett is convicted on one — with a perjury charge still to come and other indicted ex-officials waiting for the February term.
- The Ex-Chief's Last Stand
After his firing, Seattle’s police chief J.C. Mitchell fired back against Mayor Moran and the City Council, exposing a city hall scandal involving alleged gambling kickbacks and corrupt 'star chamber' politics.