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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1916 | 2 |
27 stories matching holdup
- The Boldest Holdup in Years
Five masked, armed men raided the West Hotel in Tacoma, forcing the proprietor to open the safe and escaping with $1,600 and jewelry.
- A Captain's Midnight Wrestle With an Armed Robber
Capt. W.W. Gardner loses a small sum but saves his watch after a holdup at Thirteenth and I streets—part of a burglary wave police cannot seem to stop.
- The Midnight Robbery at the I.X.L. Saloon
A rancher falls victim to a pocket-picking scheme that spiraled into a violent street holdup.
- Two Revolvers, One Patrolman, and a $25 Thank-You
A Tacoma streetcar robbery ends in a downtown saloon gunfight — and the motorman's employer rewards the officer who walked into it.
- A Surprise Guilty Verdict in a Waterfront Holdup
A jury convicts I. W. Tollman of highway robbery, while the trial of John Murphy for the same holdup of John Smith continues in Judge Bellinger's court.
- The Would-Be Holdup Man Who Left a Debt Behind in Sandpoint
A Newport saloon shooting killed the gang's ringleader. In Sandpoint, neighbors remembered Robert Hackworth as a family man who stuck a friend with a $300 note.
- Three Break-ins at One Hardware Store—and an Armed Holdup in the Lumber Yards
Reid Hardware was burglarized for the third time, with guns and knives stolen, while Ralph Kennedy was relieved of $2.80 at revolver-point in the lumber yards.
- Quick Verdict in Waterfront Dock Holdup
A jury finds a man guilty of a robbery near the Commercial Dock in just ten minutes.
- A Failed Holdup on the Streets of Seattle
Two highwaymen with revolvers cornered a pair of locals near the waterfront, only to discover their victims were penniless.
- Bank Robber Outwitted by Local Quick Thinking
A lone gunman attempted to rob the Whitman County National Bank, only to be tackled by the cashier and disarmed by local merchants.
- 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 Dime-Novel Thug Bound for Walla Walla
After a Tacoma streetcar holdup, a convicted robber is sentenced to 14 years at the state penitentiary.
- Late Night Ambush Leaves Tacoma Man Fighting for Life
A lone gunman remains at large after a brutal struggle left a young victim with critical gunshot wounds.
- The 'Ten Cents' Holdup: A Seattle Storekeeper Calls the Robbers' Bluff
Two armed men tried to rob J. B. Johnson's Front Street store, but Johnson told them the till was empty and bolted for the back door as a shot rang out.
- A Train Robber’s Confession From Wales
A fugitive arrested in Wales admits he and a partner held up a Great Northern passenger near Seattle in 1905—a crime local investigators had blamed on the notorious Bill Miner.
- The Midnight Rail Raid in Kennewick
Law enforcement turns a routine freight train inspection into a high-speed chase, leaving hoboes running for their lives.
- The Brutal Toll of 1889’s Public Safety Panic
After a violent prison break and a string of failed robberies, three young men receive decades-long prison sentences—sparking a debate over justice, recidivism, and the city's grim penal reality.
- The Beat Cop's Bad Joke
A police officer on Queen Anne hill faces suspension after fabricating a robbery report as a 'joke'—much to the chagrin of city leadership.
- Showdown in the Bonaparte Country
A reported cabin robbery near the Canadian border spiraled into an armed standoff involving fugitives wanted for a cross-border heist.
- The Bridesville Robbery Trial
An accused train and store robber is sent to jail while the Canadian government works to extradite him across the border.
- Street Robberies Rise in Under-Patrolled Everett
A string of Saturday night muggings in the residential districts has residents on edge, sparking calls to restore police staffing levels.
- Bandits Take the Newport Train and Vanish Into the Night
A mail car is rifled near Hillyard, a frightened hobo raises the alarm, and a $3,000 reward turns up nothing.
- Two Plans, One Spring, and a $25,000 Holdup
Walla Walla's council will let voters choose between a $191,000 pipeline up Mill Creek and a cheaper gravity system at Thomas Springs — but the editor suspects a land speculation scheme is baked into the ballot question.
- A Gun Under His Nose: The North Seattle Highwaymen Go on Trial
John Murphy and two alleged accomplices are identified by the laborer they robbed at Front and Clay, while a second sandbagging case ends in a sealed verdict.
- The Vigilante Committee: Tacoma's Desperate War on Crime
In March 1902, Tacoma’s elite formed a secret society sworn to kill without mercy after police failed to stop a wave of robberies and murders.