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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1887 | 6 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 6 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
50 stories matching mess
- A Spilled Bowl of Soup, a Fatal Shot at Camp Murray
A mess-tent quarrel between two young soldiers ended with Private Thomas Vandiver shot through the body and Private Frederick Stubbs in the county jail, claiming self-defense.
- The Thief Who Stopped for a Drink
A theft at a Cosmopolis mess house led to a pursuit across Grays Harbor and an unusual roadside discovery.
- The Unfinished Railroad to Nowhere
Construction on the Northern Pacific line stalls as contractors fire workers and shutter mess halls.
- The Community-Funded Battery
Kennewick rallies to outfit its local volunteer artillery unit with a 'mess fund' as they prepare for the trenches of Europe.
- The Political Mess of 1880
A biting, satirical critique of the factions coalescing around the Republican party's nominee, James A. Garfield.
- The Mud-Bound Stash
After stealing hundreds of dollars from a mess house in Cosmopolis, a thief uses a clever ruse involving a fake fall to bury his loot.
- The Railway Gold Rush: When Every Line Wanted a Piece of Seattle
In 1890, Seattle was the ultimate prize for three competing transcontinental railroads, leading to a tangled mess of franchise wars, tide flat terminal deals, and high-stakes corporate maneuvering.
- The Flight of a Crooked City Treasurer
When the city press exposed deep corruption in the treasurer’s office, Adolph Krug didn't wait for the trial—he fled.
- The Party Says Not Guilty—and Cheers the Man It Removed
Seattle Democrats put their scandal-scarred administration on trial at Haake's Hall, buried a First Ward delegate fight, and sent David E. Durie into the mayor's race while J.M. Wolfe got the ovation.
- The 'Industrial Army' Mobilizes at Mapel’s Hall
Unemployed men marching across Washington are shadowed by federal marshals and local militia as tensions rise over the threat of train seizures.
- The Great Telephone Switchboard Fire
A tangled mess of high-voltage arc light wires sends fireworks cascading through the central telephone exchange, nearly incinerating the entire plant.
- Suspicion of Murder in the O’Brien Hop Fields
An Indigenous man is found dead in his cabin, sparking a desperate plea for justice from his grieving family.
- The Warden Fights Back: Prison Labor, Jute Sacks and a Seattle Newspaper Scandal
Accused of selling prison-made sacks to middlemen and brutalizing convicts, Walla Walla’s warden answers his critics with a detailed defense—and a challenge to inspect the prison.
- The Political Trading Floor in Mission
A backroom bargain in Chelan County pits local ambition against the governor's power, revealing the high-stakes chess game behind early 20th-century endorsements.
- The Day the Sloop Fired on a Federal Cutter
In 1860, twenty-four Port Townsend citizens chartered a sloop to save $5 on fares to Olympia. When intercepted by a revenue cutter, their captain opened fire with a brass howitzer—only to discover he’d just threatened the U.S. government.
- The Dream of a Seattle Ship Canal
Proposals to link Lake Washington, Lake Union, and the Puget Sound via canals promised to unlock vast timber and coal riches, but the path forward remains a tangled mess of congressional bills and engineering hurdles.
- The Street Improvement Fiasco
Workers left penniless and street projects stalled as city contractors vanish without pay.
- City Engineer Fired Amidst Political Pressure
A storm of public indignation follows the board of public works' decision to remove the city engineer at the behest of shadowy political 'wreckers.'
- The Banker Caught in the City's Money Mess
As the corruption trial of Henry Fuhrman unfolds, his defense argues that his private financial dealings with the city treasurer were not criminal, but essential maneuvers to keep city payroll running.
- The Jury That Called Out King County’s Corruption
A scathing 1887 report from the Grand Jury exposes the mismanagement, dangerous roads, and broken record-keeping systems of pioneer-era Seattle.
- The Great Fourth of July Fireman’s Brawl
A celebratory fire competition in Tacoma turned sour as fire companies from across Washington Territory clashed over disputed rules and near-riotous crowds.
- The City Hall Scandal: A Contractual Nightmare in 1887 Seattle
City council members and contractors clash over botched public works, leaving taxpayers and laborers holding the bag in a classic tale of civic mismanagement.
- The Water Superintendent’s Public Feud
Seattle’s Water Superintendent fires back at claims of mismanagement, launching a sprawling, finger-pointing defense of his department’s books.
- The Bustle That Ambushed a Gentleman
A chivalrous attempt to help a lady on Main Street goes hilariously and disastrously wrong.
- The Great Tax Assessment Mess of 1887
Seattle and King County property owners find their tax rolls hopelessly entangled in errors, leaving public officials to question if the entire assessment should be scrapped.
Also about this, in other words
- Scandal and Manners at the Grange Hall
An April Fool's party gone wrong triggers a public airing of grievances regarding youth behavior and adult etiquette.
- The Scandal of the University Boarding House
A war of words erupts over hygiene and management at the University of Washington boarding house after a student committee raises concerns.
- Cleaning House at Olympia
A political scandal involving 'boodlemen' and an anti-corruption push in the Washington State legislature.
- The Daily Struggle: When Seattle Was Made of Mud
A local pedestrian finds himself literally stuck in the muck of Mill Street, illustrating the primitive state of 1885 infrastructure.
- The Price of a Settlement Gone Wrong
A contract to manufacture shake posts turns into a criminal trial after a partner is accused of embezzling funds.
- A Breakfast Tragedy at Pacific Avenue
A local woman’s accidental encounter with a cable car turns the intersection into an omelette station.
- Tragedy at the Sinnott House
A waiter at a variety theater is arrested and charged with manslaughter following the death of a domestic worker.
- A Furniture Store Fisticuff
A social slight between families led to a curse-filled brawl inside a Second Street furniture shop.