Research the archive
Narrow 25,724 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1899 | 3 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
37 stories matching indec
- Street Justice for an Indecent Display
A man without means finds himself working off a public fine after a brush with the local court.
- Spokane Editor Survives Shooting Over Indecent Literature Charges
A local editor was fired upon in the street after a dispute over a rival publication's legal troubles.
- Seattle's Moral Crusade Against 'Indecent' Literature
Local news dealers face legal threats unless they pull racy publications like 'The Police Gazette' and 'The New York Telegraph' from their stands.
- Police Seek Local Man for Harassing Women
A warrant was issued today for a man accused of following and using indecent language toward women on the city streets.
- The Government Bans 'Holy Moses' Mining Claims
A federal ruling in Washington state aims to put a stop to 'tenderfoot' miners who give their claims offensive and profane names like 'Jumping Jesus.'
- The Populist Orator's Family Sues Tacoma Over a Bruising Arrest
James H. Ross and his wife seek $15,080, alleging that police locked up a screaming child and treated the family indecently after a theft charge.
- The Church Revival Gang
A group of young men terrorized a River Park church with indecent songs and laughter, leading to a showdown with a determined pastor.
- The Piano Tuner and the Three-Week Manhunt
A well-dressed man accused of indecent conduct near Seattle schools is arrested at Front and Battery after a detective finds a telltale satchel.
- Vigilante Expulsion in Yakima
After an arrest for public indecency, a mob seized a man from the town jail and forced him to leave the area.
- Spokane’s Populist Pay Fight Turns to Death Threats
Mayor Helt and Comptroller Weed refuse a salary cut while Sheriff Charles F. Glorystein is threatened and placards appear across Spokane.
- An Indecent Display at the Coal Bunkers
Seattle residents take offense as sailors from the barkentine Modoc turn the public waterfront into an impromptu swimming hole.
- Tragedy in Olympia: A Brutal Killing of a Chehalis Man
Chehalis man John Heo was found in Olympia with his head half severed; two drinking companions were blamed.
- A Minister’s Sharp Critique of City Hall’s 'Joinery'
Rev. Wallace Nutting takes the pulpit to call out bureaucratic waste, road-grading failures, and a lack of conscience in police enforcement.
- A Razor, a Fist, and a Wife's Plea for Divorce
Emma L. McKenzie told a Seattle court that her husband threatened to kill her with a razor and beat her in front of their 7-year-old son.
- A Seattle Woman’s Day in Tacoma Police Court
After being arrested for intoxication, a visitor challenges a patrolman's honesty in court before fleeing back to Seattle.
- The 'Whitecaps' of North Yakima
After local authorities arrested a Chinese man on allegations of public indecency, a mob of vigilantes seized him from jail, stripped him, and whipped him out of town.
- Police Raid the 'Whitechapel' District
Justice Miller fines two dozen women in the wake of a citywide vice sweep.
- The City's Indecent Ambulance
A delayed ambulance and a harrowing scene on the city streets reveal the crumbling state of Seattle's emergency services in 1899.
- The Legal Limits of Private Passion
A Skagit County man is fighting a federal indictment for mailing 'obscene' letters to his late lover, claiming that private correspondence does not constitute public distribution.
- The Ousting of Professor Willers
A prominent Tacoma linguist and ordained minister is kidnapped by a group of men following allegations of 'unnatural conduct' with his students.
- The Great Poker Heist: A Man Steals Glass to Escape His Debts
In a bizarre twist of justice in 1872 Seattle, a gambler fleeing a poker loss was caught stealing window panes from a saloon instead of cash.
- The Swift and Terrible Justice of the Gallows
A condemned man is rushed to the gallows in just five days, sparking outrage over the speed of the judicial process in Snohomish.
- The Olympia Scandal: A Town’s Moral Reckoning
A prominent local official’s public affair with a woman known as Mrs. Birdie Maxwell ruptures his household and sparks a criminal trial that captivates the community.
- The Peanut Stand and the Disorderly House
A Seattle husband convicted as a disorderly person produced a Denver marriage license and a tribute to his wife—while police described a peanut stand used as cover for something else.
- The Great Walla Walla Dental Scandal: Did the President Have False Teeth?
A local political feud erupts when the Ankeny organ accuses President Roosevelt of sporting dentures during a private dinner at Senator Ankeny's home.