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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
16 stories matching impostor
- The Impostor and the Army
A man posing as a member of the Salvation Army was caught panhandling for personal gain, drawing a stern rebuke from the organization's local leadership.
- The False Priests of Tacoma
Two con artists passing themselves off as Catholic missionaries hoodwinked a congregation in Buckley, performing masses and collecting offerings before being chased down and arrested in Tacoma.
- The Mystery of the Man Called Buckskin
A local homestead is mired in scandal as neighbors allege the owner is an impostor hiding a dark past.
- The Circus Impostor
A grifter posing as a Ringling Brothers advance man is caught in Astoria after swindling local meat merchants.
- The Confidence Man Who Conned the Farmers
A smooth-talking impostor fleeced fruit growers by posing as a corporate representative, leaving behind a trail of bad checks and unpaid bills.
- The Bitter Fight Over the Kenyon Estate
Second cousins challenge the will of a Seattle pioneer, alleging madness and manipulation by the family who cared for him.
- The Smooth-Talking 'Distressed Brother' Who Worked the Masons
An impostor posing as a stranded fellow Mason bilked lodges from coast to coast. Seattle's United Lodge No. 92 — whose safe was cracked last summer — believes it unknowingly armed him with the forged receipts he used to collect.
- The Confidence Man of Colby
An elderly immigrant family arrives in Washington only to be swindled of their life savings at the docks.
- The Salvation Army's Mission of Mercy
Facing mounting poverty in 1893, the local Salvation Army opens a dining room for the city’s destitute, planning a woodyard to trade labor for meals.
- The Strange Disappearance of the 'Gillum' Impostors
A man claiming to be a life insurance salesman and his mysterious, poker-playing 'wife' flee a hotel just as his actual former wife arrives to claim alimony.
- The Sailor Who Sold the Editor
A seafaring impostor weaves a tale of tragedy and shipwreck to con a meal out of local journalists, exposing the desperate vulnerability of the early Seattle news beat.
- The Strange Impostor of the Secret Societies
A concerned member of a legitimate Victoria-based lodge warns Seattle that a grifter is posing as an I.O.O.F. organizer to swindle local recruits.
- Whatcom's Democrats Eat Their Own: 'Thieves, Fakirs and Impostors'
A county Democratic club meets to denounce its own officeholders — accusing a candidate of selling his nomination to the highest bidder and the party machine of swapping votes for cash — until a motion to adjourn ends the night in pandemonium.
- The Man Who Spent Like a Lord—and Might Have Been Nobody
A mysterious newcomer at Seattle’s Northern Hotel flashed gold and convinced much of the lobby he was Lord Sholto Douglas, brother of Oscar Wilde’s lover—until a skeptic began asking questions.
- 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 Seal Pup Wars: A Local Naturalist vs. The Smithsonian’s ‘Sense-Keeper’
James G. Swan, a long-time Neah Bay resident and customs inspector, challenges Henry W. Elliott’s decades-old claim that newborn fur seal pups sink like stones, offering eyewitness testimony from Captain Elijah McAlmond that they swim.
Also about this, in other words
- The Mourning Imposter
A restaurant owner in the Atkins Block learns a hard lesson about generosity after being duped by a street beggar's elaborate tale of grief.