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102 stories matching gordon
- The Bullet That Ended a Bully: A Seattle Man’s Deadly Stand on the Walla Walla
Michael Emerick, a former Seattle job wagon driver, faces murder charges after killing Joe Gordon in self-defense during a long-simmering land dispute.
- A Saloon Shooting, a Bottle Blow, and a Defendant’s War Record
Murphy takes the stand in Seattle, claiming self-defense, while the prosecution’s only eyewitness faces accusations of being bought off.
- The Copper Chief Saloon Killing Goes to the Jury
After days of testimony, a Seattle jury weighed James Murphy’s fate as an eleventh-hour bootblack witness contradicted the state’s star in the 1894 saloon shooting of Phil J. Dawes.
- 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.
- A Carpenter Walks to the Hospital to See His Sick Wife and Vanishes
After the fire, Gordon had cared for four children with typhoid while his wife lay in the hospital. On Sunday he left to visit her, said he was going straight home — and was never seen again.
- The Silver Fight Waiting Inside Spokane’s Republican Convention
Nine Supreme Court hopefuls, three congressional candidates, and a free-silver bloc turn Washington’s 1894 state convention into a backroom brawl before it even opens.
- 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 Deadly Christmas Eve Dispute in Willapa
A drunken argument over railroad work ended in a shooting at a gravel pit, leaving a respected foreman dead and his killer in jail.
- The Trusted Watchman’s Secret Life
After 16 years of loyal service, a Hoquiam mill watchman is caught red-handed with a secret kit of burglary tools.
- The Office Siege: King County’s Standoff Clerk
After an election dispute, the outgoing county clerk refuses to vacate, leading to a surreal occupation of the King County office that continues through a locked safe and a cold-shoulder standoff.
- Defeated King County Clerk Refuses to Step Down
A political standoff ensues at the King County Courthouse after the incumbent clerk refuses to vacate his office for his successor.
- The Misery of the Miser’s Hoard
A destitute family in 1870s Seattle survives a devastating house fire only to unearth a fortune hidden beneath the ashes of their former home.
- The Man Who Stopped the Sparks: Seattle’s Invisible Safety Net
When a fallen trolley wire killed two horses on Front Street, local engineer W.D. Gordon built a mechanical brain to save lives—and it worked every time.
- Scandal at the Soldiers' Home
A commandant of the Washington Soldiers' Home faces accusations of improper conduct, sparking a defensive manifesto signed by his comrades.
- The Judge, the Railroad and the Case That Fell Apart
Prosecutors in Spokane can barely get evidence before the jury as M. J. Gordon, a former Washington chief justice, stands accused of embezzling $9,200 in railroad settlement money.
- Spencer Refuses to Hand Over County Clerk Office
William B. Spencer claims a constitutional technicality allows him to keep his job, sparking a standoff with his elected successor.
- The Clerk Who Wasn't Invited to the Election
A judicial showdown in a bizarre constitutional struggle over whether an election for county clerk was actually legal.
- The City Wants Its Fair Share: Republican Wards Revolt Over Delegate Math
Three ward clubs storm the county Republican committee to protest an apportionment that hands the countryside outsized power — and the committee adjourns without budging an inch.
- The Night They Walked to an Indian Village: A Shipwreck Survivor’s Tale
After the steamer *Port Gordon* smashed against rocks near Destruction Island, four men survived a nightmare of broken lines and drowning comrades by building a raft from hatches—and then walking ten miles through the brush.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Corruption of the Bench
A scathing look at alleged corporate influence over the Washington State Supreme Court and the systemic capture of justice.
- The Curious Case of a Seattle Man’s Electrical Delusions
A local veteran was apprehended for insanity, claiming his body was charged with electricity he caught while living in an asylum.
- The Fee Fight at the Courthouse
A legal battle over court costs reaches the superior court as the Clerk faces a mandate to lower his prices.
- The Clerk Who Refused to Leave Office—and the Books That Wouldn't Balance
King County and former clerk W. B. Spencer submit a long-running dispute over fees, continuances and a disputed shortage to Judge Humes for a final ruling.
Also about this, in other words
- A Heroic Rescue at the Ocean Dock
Former Police Chief Geo. C. Monroe clarifies his role in rewarding a young man who saved a girl from drowning in Seattle harbor.
- A Hero at the Waterfront
An elderly boatswain risks his life in the dark to pull a man from the frigid waters of Elliott Bay.
- The Great University Feud: A Lawmaker’s Stand
Gordon C. Moores breaks with local sentiment to support a contentious bill restricting academic duplication between Washington State College and the University of Washington.
- The Self-Made Mayor: Robert Moran’s Rise from Machinist to Seattle’s Leader
As Seattle prepares for a pivotal mayoral election, the press rallies behind Robert Moran, a self-made millionaire whose journey from working-class machinist to head of Moran Brothers is held up as the ultimate American success story.
- The Tragedy of the Wandering Unitarian
A brilliant but troubled clergyman's search for peace in the Pacific Northwest ends in a lonely death far from home.
- A Judge, a Railroad, and a Grand Jury: Spokane's 1909 Corruption Sweep
Judge M. J. Gordon faces six indictments over a $28,000 bad check and embezzlement from the Great Northern, while the state insurance commissioner and secretary of state are pulled into the grand jury's net.
- The End of the Road for the 'Manitot' Bunco Ring
After weeks of shadowing, Spokane detectives cornered three notorious confidence men in a hotel room, closing the book on a string of swindles that had plagued the city.
- The Seattle Doctor’s German Inheritance
After years in exile for his political views, a prominent Seattle physician reclaims a massive family estate.