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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
18 stories matching mcelroy
- The Great Hose Heist: How a Seattle Fire Department Was Almost Scammed by a New York Manufacturer
A peculiar dispute over fire equipment reveals the cutthroat world of late-19th-century municipal procurement, where agents played cities against manufacturers and warrants were used as currency.
- The People’s Ticket: Olympia’s 1891 Caucus Revolt
A printed slate handed out at the door, a mayor booed as 'defeated,' and a second-ward protest meeting: the fight over who would control Olympia's city nominations.
- Taxpayers Overcharged for Sewer Bricks
City Committee member James F. McElroy claims the city is paying nearly double for sewer bricks compared to private market rates.
- The Mysterious Case of the Missing Fan
A high-society mix-up at a Seattle art exposition sparks a frantic search, a secret engagement, and a lesson in the dangers of public gossip.
- The Logging Camp Grifter
A teamster is caught by a deputy sheriff after allegedly swindling a saloon owner with a forged time check.
- Olympia Organizes Aid for Civil War Wounded
Prominent citizens gather to create a territorial support network for Union soldiers.
- The Wheelbarrow Penance
A local landlord settles a lost election wager by wheeling his attorney through the streets of Yakima to the tune of a brass band.
- The Bosses' Sewer Scheme
When an investigation into a brick-buying scandal threatened city officials, they turned to the very workers they employed to save their reputations.
- A Variety Theatre, a Bundle of Testimonials, and the Preachers Who Wanted It Shut
Seattle's theatrical impresario John Considine fights for a Spokane theatre license against a gallery full of clergymen — and answers them with a who's-who of Seattle's leading names vouching for his honor.
- The Seattle Sewer Brick Scandal
A political investigation into allegations that the City of Seattle paid inflated prices for materials used in municipal sewer construction.
- A Mayor, a Rigged Lottery, and the Fight for Olympia's City Hall
A month out from the municipal election, the Tribune accuses Mayor J. C. Horr of quietly fixing his fences for a second term — and the drawing of lots that handed one councilman a longer seat looks to a good many people like a put-up job.
- Heirs Challenge Stubblefield Estate
A legal battle over the late Joseph Stubblefield's will threatens to stall the establishment of an indigent home in Walla Walla.
- The Stubblefield Will Dispute Settled
A long-running legal challenge to the Stubblefield estate is dropped, clearing the way for a long-awaited home for widows and orphans in Walla Walla.
- How Washington Territory's Public Printing Became a Corrupt Political Perk
A Seattle editor rails against the patronage and fraud in the territory's printing contracts, revealing that one printer paid Secretary Smith $2,000 for the appointment.
- A Partisan Dust-Up at the Occidental Block
A power struggle within the King County Democratic Party results in a knife-edge vote and the birth of a rival political club.
- The Battle Over Stubblefield’s Will
Arkansas heirs launch a second equity suit to dismantle a $151,000 charitable trust intended for orphans and widows.
- Seattle and Tacoma Nearly Came to Blows Over the Ship Canal
At the 1892 Democratic state convention, King County's demand for a canal plank turned the floor into a shouting mob — and the vote flipped twice in a single night.
- The Ghost Papers of the Frontier
A deep dive into the volatile, high-stakes, and often short-lived history of early Washington journalism—where printing presses were subsidized by political parties and fires frequently wiped out the record.