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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
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| 1886 | 1 |
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90 stories matching guilt
- Fifty Murders, Not One Hanging: Seattle Puts Its Courts on Trial
A Post-Intelligencer editorial argues that endless technical appeals have made King County a place where killers walk free — and warns that the resulting public fury is the courts' own fault.
- Acquitted in Five Minutes: The Girl Accused of Poisoning a Child
A packed Seattle courtroom erupts when Hildegard Rundberg is cleared of murdering little Richard Parker with 'Death to Rats' rat poison — the jury needing barely five minutes to set her free.
- The Officer Who Stole From the Poor: A Seattle Cop’s Betrayal
Officer J.E. Doney is arrested for forging receipts and stealing money from Japanese immigrants, shattering his reputation as a trusted member of the police force.
- The Trial of a Fallen City Treasurer
A scathing editorial lambasts former City Treasurer Krug for his 'technical' defense after being caught embezzling public funds.
- A Mother and Baby Slain in South Seattle — and Talk of Lynching
An outraged neighborhood whispers of mob justice for Henry Cramer, but the Post-Intelligencer insists that a circumstantial case must go to an impartial trial.
- A Newspaper Editor's Silence in Court: The Lugrin Libel Trial
C. H. Lugrin, managing editor of the Seattle Telegraph, rested his defense without calling witnesses in a libel trial brought by Police Chief Rogers. The case now goes to the jury.
- God and the Daily Grind in 1878 Seattle
A glimpse into the moral anxieties and spiritual life of a burgeoning pioneer town, where the pulpit met the realities of guilt and sin.
- A Case of Reasonable Doubt
Salvador Pecani, once sentenced to hang for a brutal crime, is set free after the Supreme Court rules the evidence against him purely circumstantial.
- The Judge Who Was Both Defendant and Accused
In a stunning legal double-header, Judge Wickersham is convicted of seduction in one court, then immediately indicted for perjury by the federal grand jury in the very same day.
- Sheriff Solves 1892 Mercer Island Cabin Murder
After the mutilated body of George Richards washed ashore, a confession from an accomplice revealed a desperate struggle and a grisly disposal in Lake Washington.
- The Soldier Who Missed: Why Seattle Is Rooting for a Court-Martialed Hero
Sergeant Mason’s attempt to assassinate the man who killed Garfield has turned him from a mutineer into a martyr, sparking petitions and subscriptions across the Pacific Northwest.
- The Branding of a Child in a Seattle Blacksmith Shop
A young boy, terrorized and silent, comes home with a 'fiery red' brand scorched into his body, allegedly by three men at a local forge.
- The Hangman's Verdict: John Thompson Convicted of Murder in Snohomish
A trial that captivated the entire Territory ends with a death sentence for a man accused of killing his friend during a drunken brawl over a card game.
- The Deadly Gilman Saloon Brawl
After a brief trial, a local man is found guilty in a fatal shooting sparked by a dispute at a Gilman establishment.
- The bloody evidence in the Wilcox murder trial
A courtroom drama unfolds as prosecutors reveal gruesome relics while the defense challenges the integrity of the police investigation.
- The Hammer in the Woodshed: Henry Creamer's Death Sentence
A Seattle jury convicted a foreign-born laborer of Mrs. Meller's murder on circumstantial evidence, while his lawyer insisted the real killer—or at least a missing witness—was in the room.
- The Coal That Built Seattle: How a Strike at Newcastle Mine Shook the City's Economy
A bitter labor dispute between the Oregon Improvement Company and the Knights of Labor has shut down the Newcastle coal mine, halting shipments to Portland and driving up fuel prices across Puget Sound.
- The Mob's Cruel Gamble: A Wrongful Lynching Attempt in Rosalia
A husband and wife were dragged into a horrific ordeal by a lynch mob convinced of their guilt in a missing child case—only to discover the child had been safe all along.
- The Trial of Albert Friedrich: A Deadly Betrayal on the Waterfront
After a night of beer and camaraderie in Seattle, a man is found shot near the waterfront; his friend stands trial for a crime that gripped the city.
- Justice at a Standstill in Seattle
A woman accused of murder walks free while witnesses vanish, exposing a failure of the local court system.
- The Opium Smuggler of the Union Depot
A traveler posing as a hardware salesman is arrested in Spokane after authorities discover 1,300 pounds of contraband in his luggage.
- The Mob is Not a Court of Law
An editorial reflection on the recent lynching of Bill at Colfax, arguing that a community’s failure to maintain a just legal system does not justify vigilante violence.
- King County's Almshouse 'Vindication' Came With a Taxpayer Bill
A committee appointed to investigate charges against King County commissioners billed the public for its own defense—including $10-a-day duty and a detective sent after a newspaper leak.
- The Fire Chief Who Ran for the Border
A telegram from British Columbia, a contested resignation, and a letter to the editor expose the perjury and naturalization fraud case that consumed Seattle City Hall.
- The Toy-Pistol Jailbreak That Left a Killer at Large
A Seattle editorial seethes over technical delays and comfortable cells after confessed murderer Thomas Blanck walks out of the King County Jail with its keys and revolvers.
Also about this, in other words
- Guilty Conscience Returns Satchel
A thief in Bellingham experiences a change of heart, leaving a stolen satchel full of cash and checks in the victim's yard.
- The Juror Who Ate Himself into Jail
A Seattle juror’s hunger at the Occidental Hotel led to an invalidated trial, a stern rebuke from the bench, and three months in the county jail.
- A Family Pattern of Criminal Charges
After pleading guilty to horse theft, a local woman is sent to a reformatory while her mother faces time in the state penitentiary.
- The 'Sot Guilty' Scandal: How a Legal Loophole Freed a Murderer in Washington Territory
A detailed account of the chaotic grand jury proceedings in Port Townsend that resulted in the dismissal of an indictment against a man accused of killing his wife, exposing deep flaws in territorial law.
- Guilty in Two Minutes: The Bunko Man With a Revolver in His Past
Knowlton, alias 'Robert George,' was convicted of swindling an Aberdeen banker with two copper bars sold as gold—then prosecutors unpacked a record that included a murdered minister and a courtroom shooting.
- The Jailer’s Trust: A Domestic Tragedy in Tacoma
A prisoner allowed a day-pass to visit his wife leaves behind a trail of blood and a horrific crime scene after a fit of uncontrollable jealousy.
- Jailed for a Five Dollar Debt
A Spokane barber finds himself behind bars after a landlady uses criminal law to settle a civil board bill.
- A Case of Bad Checks and Regret
M. O. Sinderude is sentenced to prison after passing a worthless check at a local business, citing intoxication as his defense.