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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 12 |
| 1894 | 11 |
| 1895 | 15 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
97 stories matching liabl
- The Supreme Court Rules on City Debt
A landmark decision clarifies that Seattle is not liable for 'grade scrip' debts, protecting the city treasury but leaving contractors in a precarious position.
- The Fight Over Corporate Liability
Prominent businessmen gather at the courthouse to debate if shareholders should be personally liable for corporate debts.
- The Mayor's Veto: When Seattle Tried to Make the City Pay for Street Improvements
A 1892 legal battle over funding street infrastructure shows that Seattle’s struggle with municipal debt and civic improvement bonds has been brewing for over a century.
- The City’s New Bonding Power
New legislation grants Seattle the authority to issue local improvement bonds, shifting the financial burden of street and sewer projects directly onto benefited property owners.
- The Price of Forced Payment
A local court ruling clarifies the legal weight of a promissory note signed under the duress of property attachment.
- The Fire That Saved Us: A Call for a Second Steamer
A Seattle resident writes to the Post-Intelligencer arguing that the recent downtown blaze proves the city’s single fire engine is no longer enough—and demands an immediate duplicate.
- The Great Seattle Homestead Fraud
A whistleblower exposes how workers were swindled out of their hard-earned money by a predatory land development scheme.
- The Yacht That Stirred Up International Trouble
A Seattle yacht owner returns home to rumors of arrest after a six-week hunting trip to Vancouver Island.
- The Sidewalk That Wasn't There
Madison Street pedestrians face a five-foot drop into darkness as structural supports vanish, leaving only a 'shaky' plank over the void.
- The Price of a Glass of Beer
A Seattle man faces legal consequences for a small, unthinking gesture that violated the territory's strict and discriminatory liquor laws.
- The Treasurer’s Bond Had a Hole in It
Seattle’s treasurer-elect filed a $90,000 bond, but wives’ names were penciled in, signatures were missing, and one backer wanted out.
- Papers, Please: The Chinese Certificate Canvass
Federal inspectors sweep Washington to find Chinese residents without the new certificates, warning that those lacking papers face arrest and deportation.
- A One-Letter Typo That Cost a Telegraph Giant $6,000
A misplaced 'a' in a cable address sent a lumber shipment's sale instructions to the wrong man, and a Seattle jury made Western Union pay.
- The Nurseryman's Deception
A local farmer recounts the frustration of buying fruit trees that failed to grow true to their labels.
- A Deadly Lift Leads to Heavy Judgment
A Seattle gardener faces financial ruin after a jury finds him liable for his friend's death following an intoxicated ride in his truck.
- Seattle’s Desperate Need for Modern Firefighting
As the city rapidly expands, the Common Council scrambles to replace inadequate, antiquated fire gear before a disaster strikes.
- Seattle’s Rotten Garbage Problem
A health official warns that the city's sewage scow is falling apart, proposing a permanent incinerator.
- Smuggling at the Railroad Tracks
A local man is held on charges for attempting to smuggle 32 Chinese immigrants via rail boxcar.
- Deported for Being Poor: A Seattle Mother and Her U.S.-Born Children Ordered to Canada
A young woman who married a British subject, separated after a quarrel, and was deemed likely to become a public charge is turned over by the juvenile court for deportation—along with her two American-born children.
- The Myth of the Land Monopoly
An 1877 Seattle newspaper sets the record straight for prospective homesteaders: unlike California, Washington Territory is free from the crushing weight of Spanish land grants and speculative hoarding.
- The Loophole Arsonist
A man accused of burning down his own house escapes conviction because the law failed to define arson as a crime when committed against one's own property.
- The Milk Riots: How Seattle’s Dairymen Threatened to Spike Prices Over a Dog Ban
When the city council proposed banning pigs and limiting livestock to three cows per family, local dairy farmers didn't just complain—they warned that milk prices would skyrocket to 15 cents a quart.
- Shareholders Forced to Pay Debts of Insolvent Mill
A judge rules that the owners of the failed Fremont Manufacturing Company are personally liable for the firm's unpaid debts.
- The Steamboat 'Fleetwood' Over-Packed
A federal seizure looms after the steamboat Fleetwood is caught hauling dozens of passengers over its legal limit between Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.
- The City Council Grants Massive Streetcar Monopoly
A sweeping new ordinance grants a local transit company the right to lay tracks across vast swaths of Seattle's downtown, prioritizing private infrastructure over the city's future growth.