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36 stories matching hostag
- A Hostage Standoff on the First Road
A historical account of the 1858 construction of Whatcom County’s first road, involving an armed confrontation with Indigenous locals.
- The Hostage Crisis of the Teanaway Woods
A territorial dispute over two Japanese women in North Yakima turns violent, forcing a desperate appeal for help in Seattle.
- The Bee-Sting Justice of Kiona
A group of young vandals terrorizing the countryside found themselves outgunned and forced to pay a heavy price after targeting a local man's beehives.
- The High Price of Speculation
Real estate owners in 1872 Olympia are holding vacant lots hostage, refusing to sell or lease, effectively strangling the city's economic growth.
- The Price of a Right of Way
Aberdeen negotiates for a rail line, but land prices and local skepticism hold the project hostage.
- The Collapse of the Hop Corner
Ezra Meeker breaks a massive market manipulation scheme that threatened to hold Pacific Coast hop farmers hostage.
- The Bellboy Who Held the Elevator Hostage
A Seattle hotel worker wins a pay raise by staging a one-man sit-down strike between floors.
- The Bank Clerk Who Stole a Quarter-Million to Prove a Point
A bank employee holds his own employer's cash hostage to force a change in labor relations and banking ethics.
- A Yakama Chief Falls as the Territory's Indian War Ends
Col. Wright's campaign is declared over; Owhi is shot near the Snake River, and the Herald celebrates executions and hostages as peace.
- The Boarding-House Ransom
When a sailor fell deathly ill in Tacoma, his boarding-house proprietor held him hostage, hoping to claim the dying man's life savings as an exorbitant medical bill.
- A Monopoly Grabs the Tap
When the irrigation company took control of the water company's annual meeting, local farmers realized their rights to the water were being held hostage.
- The Mother, the Boarding House, and the Hostage Baby
A mother is forced to involve the police when a boarding-house keeper attempts to hold her four-year-old son as collateral for an unpaid debt.
- Seattle's W.H. White Takes Settlers' Case Against Railroad Land Grab
A Seattle emissary confronts the House Committee on Public Lands over the railroad's massive, multi-decade obstruction of homesteading in Washington Territory.
- Washington Territory Urges Congress to Reclaim Railroad Lands
A scathing editorial from 1886 demands the forfeiture of unearned railroad lands, accusing the Northern Pacific of holding the territory hostage for profit.
- The Timber Monopoly Holding Everett Hostage
A fiery editorial calls out the Puget Mill Company for hoarding vast tracts of land and artificially inflating timber prices while ignoring the welfare of the local community.
- The Lumber Town That Held Worker's Luggage Hostage
A Grays Harbor mill company is exposed for a predatory scheme that left hundreds of laborers stranded without their personal belongings.
- The Town Held Hostage by the Railroad
When the Northern Pacific Railroad bypassed an established town to create a company-owned rival, the residents were left in a fight for their city’s survival.
- The Battle for the Iron Horse
Aberdeen’s civic leaders clash over property rights, local industry, and the high-stakes ultimatum from the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Contract Squabble that Held Seattle Baseball Hostage
In 1891, the Pacific Northwest League’s amateur-professional status was in disarray, and a tug-of-war over star player Abner Powell became a litmus test for Seattle's rising civic pride.
- When a Railroad Held the Territory Hostage: The 1877 Fight Over the Northern Pacific Land Grant
Governor Ferry's message to the Legislature proposes a 10-year extension for the Northern Pacific—but warns the territory will be crippled if the western terminus lands in Portland instead of Puget Sound.
- The Newspaper Monopoly Holding Seattle Hostage
In 1887, the Post-Intelligencer exposed a 'printing ring' between rival newspapers that artificially inflated the cost of public contracts.
- Tacoma’s Open Letter to the Railroad Monopoly
A scathing council memorial accuses the Northern Pacific Railroad of breaking its promises, stalling city growth, and holding the harbor hostage.
- A Mill Owner Held Hostage by His Own Unpaid Crew
When John Tuilock threatened to shut his Rainier shingle mill without paying his hands, the men seized him, marched him back, and forced him to write checks at the point of their anger — until a deputy sheriff rode to the rescue.
- The Bank Robbers' Wild Escape in Ellensburg
Two notorious robbers jailed in Ellensburg staged a daring jailbreak, shot a local boy, and held a family hostage during a chaotic afternoon standoff.
- The Whitewashing of Snohomish: A Town’s Cosmetic Makeover
In a display of civic vanity and political maneuvering, local officials have undertaken an elaborate 'whitewashing' of the town, leaving residents to wonder if the fresh coat of paint hides more than just grime.