Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 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 |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1908 | 1 |
19 stories matching lenient
- A Murderer’s Risky Gamble for Freedom
After being convicted of a brutal killing, a man wins a new trial, only to face the possibility of a harsher sentence.
- The Price of a 'Bad Man's' Temper
A Seattle newspaper editorial rails against a lenient verdict for a saloon regular who murdered a bartender over a perceived slight.
- The Commonwealers Ride the Rails
Across Washington and the West, the 'Industrial Armies'—unemployed men marching on Washington—capture freight trains, clash with marshals, and scramble for food as the government cracks down.
- A 13-Year-Old Stole $7. He Got Five Years in Reform School.
A Springdale meat cutter's missing change led to a child's five-year sentence — a window into early-1900s juvenile justice.
- The Confidence Man’s Tears: How a Thief Fooled His Victim and the Court
In May 1877, Seattle confidence operator Dowd was granted a change of venue after moving his robbery victim to tears with a sob story about his destitute family. The District Attorney’s lenient stance sparked outrage among citizens who feared the law was too soft on crime.
- The Prizefighter’s Penance: John L. Sullivan in Seattle
After his high-profile prizefight in the Pacific Northwest, boxing legend John L. Sullivan faces a harsh judicial reality in a Seattle courtroom.
- The Paper War of Snohomish: How One Man’s Canoe Trip Launched a Newspaper
In January 1876, editor Eldridge Morse navigated the Snohomish River by canoe to secure his printing press, launching the *Northern Star* amidst fierce competition from rival publishers.
- The Price of a Manslaughter Verdict
A convicted man sentenced to twenty years after a jury trial that Judge Humes believed was lenient.
- The Sunday Closing War
A grocery store proprietor is the first target in a new legal battle to enforce Sunday closing laws in Tacoma.
- The City Council’s Fireproofing Farce: How Seattle’s ‘Renovations’ Are Destroying Property Values
An editorial scolds the local government for allowing cheap, temporary repairs to old buildings within fire limits, arguing that these 'shells' are disfiguring the business district and raising insurance rates for everyone.
- The Dreamer of the Lodging House
A laborer arrested for a barroom scuffle wakes in jail, convinced he committed a murder he only dreamt of.
- Republicans Drum a Populist Out of the Nest
A mistaken delegate from Star Lake is unanimously expelled from the King County Republican committee before the state convention.
- The Governor Vetoes Debt Relief, and the Paper Cheers
A bill meant to soften deficiency judgments after foreclosure is killed — on the theory that frightened capital would simply stop lending, hurting the very debtors it was meant to save.
- A Filthy Milk Trial, a Lenient Judge, and a Convention's Disgust
The state dairy commissioner lost his Tacoma case against two milkmen whose cows were caked in manure — and the delegates wanted to know what kind of milk the judge kept on his own table.
- Seattle to the Railway: Pave Your Share of Pike Street
The city council pressed the Seattle Railway Company to live up to its franchise and pave between its tracks on Pike Street, after hearing that the road's receiver was in no hurry.
- The License Law: Who Gets to Drink in Snohomish?
A new interpretation of the Territory's temperance laws gives local boards sweeping power to deny liquor licenses based on 'moral character,' effectively letting neighbors veto their neighbors' businesses.
- The Hop Fields of the Kent Valley
A report on the hop harvest around Kent and Auburn, highlighting the labor conditions and the influx of pickers.
- Tacoma’s Epworth League Wants the Bible in Public Schools—and the Saloons Gone
A thousand church reformers gathered in Tacoma planned a moral crusade against liquor and for Bible reading in the public schools.
- A Desperate Theft in Wallula
A hungry drifter is sentenced to ten months in the penitentiary after stealing from a Chinese household in Wallula.
Also about this, in other words
- The High Price of Ninety Cents
A jury finds a man guilty of stealing less than a dollar from an intoxicated victim, recommending leniency to the judge.
- A Young Man’s Fall from Grace
A Colfax native faces justice in Spokane for a jewelry sales scheme, sparking a debate on leniency versus punishment.
- The Repeat Offender and the Judge
A habitual offender known as 'Patsy' is back in court shortly after being ordered to leave Seattle, sparking a curious exchange with Judge Glasgow.
- Vigilantism in Wiser
A deputy sheriff takes three men into custody for the targeting of Chinese laborers.
- The Strange Leniency of a Supreme Court Murder Verdict
After two trials and two death sentences, the Washington State Supreme Court abruptly commuted Albert Friedrich’s murder conviction to second-degree, sparking legal confusion and outrage from the defendant himself.
- The Deaf Dodge
A local drunkard tries to outsmart a judge by faking deafness, only to be tripped up by the prospect of a free drink.
- The Strict Moral Geometry of the Schoolroom
Teachers debate the merits of strict discipline, the threat of school suspensions, and the 'moral atmosphere' of the classroom.
- Former County Clerk Sentenced for Embezzlement
William P. Fenimore receives the minimum sentence after a jury recommends leniency due to his 'exemplary character'.