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103 stories matching lawless
- The Myth of the 'Lawless' Frontier
While regional papers fueled rumors of anarchy in Seattle during the anti-Chinese riots of 1885, the local press insisted the city was safer than ever.
- Mayor Claims Safety Amidst Crime Wave
The Times clashes with Mayor Wright’s assertion of civic order following a string of violent crimes.
- The Mob That Stole Justice in Seattle
A federal judge delivers a blistering rebuke to the Seattle vigilantes who lynched three men in January 1882, declaring that the lawless 'Committee of Safety' is a threat greater than the criminals they executed.
- The Political Brawl at the Territorial University
A scathing editorial from 1872 exposes a 'Klux clan' of government officials caught in a web of corruption, bribes, and public dishonesty.
- Hanged in Effigy, Then Gone: The Disappearance at Mica
A Spokane County man who campaigned against the Silver Federation was abducted and is presumed murdered — and an exchange paper lays the blame squarely on the movement's rhetoric.
- The Governor and the 'Commonweal' Marchers
A scathing look at the politics of 'passing the buck' as governors react to the roving industrial armies of the 1894 depression.
- A Seattle Mob Attacked a Deputy Marshal. The Paper Wanted the Police to Answer for It.
After Deputy Marshal Gagnon was set upon by an excited crowd, critics charged that Seattle officers were too cozy with the lawbreakers — and this editorial demanded that heads roll.
- The Jury That Usurped the Bench
After a man accused of shooting a superintendent was acquitted, the Post-Intelligencer launches a scathing critique of 'lawless' juries who favor sentiment over evidence.
- The Deadly Contagion of Mob Law
An editorial reflection on the rising threat of lynch law in the Pacific Northwest and the necessity of the courts.
- The Lawless Frontier
Violence on the Northern Pacific railroad line signals a looming safety crisis as massive construction crews arrive in the Cascades.
- The Mob Rule at Our Doorstep
When an organized society in Walla Walla issued threats against anyone hiring Chinese labor, the press decried the move as a return to the lawless spirit of the frontier.
- The Newcastle Riot: When Labor Turned Mob
An editorial from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer condemns a violent clash in Newcastle, Washington Territory, where Knights of Labor members allegedly used intimidation to stop non-union miners from working.
- The Fracturing of Seattle’s Labor Movement
As industrial tensions simmered in 1886, a local newspaper editorial condemned the radicalization of the Knights of Labor, contrasting them with the more moderate national leadership of Terence V. Powderly.
- The Price of Peace in Seattle's Streets
A local editor argues that the National Guard is the necessary shield against the 'lawless' elements of civil unrest, urging the city to treat protesters not as political actors, but as criminals.
- The Waterfront Showdown: Anti-Chinese Tension in 1885 Seattle
When rumors swirled of a pro-Chinese organization in Seattle, the city’s labor leaders and local officials met to define the limits of the anti-Chinese movement.
- The Struggle for Order in 1885 Olympia
As anti-Chinese riots swept through Tacoma and Seattle, the citizens of Olympia gathered to pass a desperate set of resolutions, hoping to avoid the 'lawless expulsion' of their neighbors.
- The Rogue of the Sound
A smuggler on the Puget Sound recounts a brutal night of human trafficking and violence, offering a chilling glimpse into the lawless reality of the 1880s maritime border.
- The Mob Rule That Swept Tacoma
While city leaders in Seattle urged calm, residents in Tacoma forcibly expelled the Chinese community, marking a dark escalation in the regional movement to purge Asian workers.
- Vice on the Rocks: Seattle's Cleanup
A sweeping, if optimistic, report on the courts cracking down on the city's infamous dens of inequity.
- The Gambler’s Pistol and the Marshal’s Mercy
A violent confrontation on a Tacoma wharf in 1876 reveals the raw, lawless edge of early Pacific Northwest frontier justice.
- The Pullman Strike Collapses — and Seattle Quietly Comes Out Clean
As the great railroad strike of 1894 sputters to defeat nationwide, the Post-Intelligencer pauses to credit Seattle's police and strike leaders for keeping the city free of the violence that scarred the rest of the country.
- The Populist Editor Who Saw Anarchy and Came Home to the Democrats
After a political murder and a season of lawlessness, F. F. Lischke renames his Sprague paper and renounces the People’s Party.
- Mayor Yesler Calls Meeting to Address Anti-Chinese Violence
Following a series of attacks, the Mayor seeks to organize property owners against vigilante methods.
- Pheasant Hunters Ravage Local Farms
Ranchers and farmers in the valley are threatening to close their land to public hunting after a wave of vandalism during the opening of pheasant season.
- The Mayor's Controversial Return to 'Regulating' Vice
Mayor George Wright announces a plan to re-establish police control over prostitution, arguing that recent reform efforts have only worsened conditions in the city's downtown.