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1. The Day the Bridge Fell: A Tramp’s Fatal Ride and a Railroad’s Collapse

   A westbound freight train on the Northern Pacific line was derailed when a stowaway fell under a car, triggering a chain reaction that plunged nine cars into Hangman's Creek. One man died; the rest were spared.

   Jan 22, 1889The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyDisasters

2. The Cattle Rustlers of Hangman Creek

   A Spokane sheriff’s posse orchestrates a midnight stakeout to bust a sprawling meat-theft ring, leading to a tense, violent shootout in the woods.

   Jan 10, 1891The Seattle Post-IntelligencerHangman Creek, Spokane, Spokane CountyTrue Crime

3. The Vigilantes’ Bones: Seattle Dug Up Its Most Notorious Lynching

   Thirteen years after a mob hanged three men on James Street, a county doctor exhumed their skeletons for anatomy students— ropes, necktie and all.

   Mar 4, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime · Gone Forever

4. A Hanging in the Armory: The Unpopular Corporal and the Men Who Stuffed His Uniform

   Company E turned a grudge into theatre — an effigy rigged with an electric-light wire, a pair of odd-coloured glasses and a chalked gravestone — and a military court may follow.

   Aug 13, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyScandal

5. A Boulder on the Track Nearly Sends a Passenger Train Down the Hill

   A westbound train strikes a fallen boulder near the Hangman Creek bridge, throwing its engine trucks off the track within feet of a steep drop. A nearby pay-car locomotive pulls the disabled engine free.

   Sep 22, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyDisasters

6. The Hangman Creek Snake Bite

   A young girl is saved from a rattlesnake strike by a desperate, high-stakes remedy of local folk medicine.

   Jun 21, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerHangman Creek, Spokane, Spokane CountyStrange But True

7. 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.

   Feb 24, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish Jail, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyTrue Crime

8. A Plea to Spare the Hangman's Noose

   Citizens and legal officials petition the Governor to commute a death sentence, highlighting the tragic complexities of a lethal clash in King County.

   Feb 12, 1904The Leavenworth Echo (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-CurrentSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

9. The Fight to Save Nordstrom: Money, Friends, and a Legal Race Against the Noose

   Convicted of murder and sentenced to hang, C. Nordstrom finds a network of supporters—including the Swedish consul—raising funds for a last-ditch appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

   Aug 17, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyTrue Crime

10. Three Days Lost in the Timber

    A local rancher survives a harrowing ordeal after losing his way and his pony near Farmington.

    Feb 16, 1900The Colfax GazetteLittle Hangman Creek, Farmington, Whitman CountyStrange But True

11. In the County Jail, a Prisoner Fashions His Own Rope From a Sash

    Awaiting a trip to Auburn to face a murder charge, a Japanese prisoner tries to end his life with the only materials his cell allows — and is found in time.

    Aug 21, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerKing County jail, SeattleStrange But True

12. She Met the Intruder With a Six-Shooter and a Rawhide

    When a stranger entered J. A. Zangrell's tent and insulted his wife, she did not scream or faint. She grabbed a pistol and a whip and chased him into the street.

    Aug 11, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyStrange But True

13. A Loaded Rifle Turns a Spokane Hunting Trip Into a Fatal Accident

    Warren Clark, a recent arrival looking to invest in the city, dies in ten minutes after his own gun fires as he climbs back into a wagon.

    Oct 13, 1883Spokane Falls ReviewSpokane, Spokane CountyDisasters

14. The Night the Chickens Sang Backup: Spokane’s Poultry Show

    Spokane’s annual poultry exhibition drew hundreds of birds, a towering silver trophy, and an orchestra the chickens refused to let finish alone.

    Jan 22, 1898Ranche and RangeSpokane, Spokane CountyStrange But True

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