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59 stories matching metcalf
- The Sting That Toppled a Representative
When Washington state lawmaker John L. Metcalfe accepted a bribe to expose corruption, the legislature responded by trying to expel him instead of the briber.
- The Man Who Would Be Mayor: How Spokane’s Elite Saved a Local Hero from Political Ruin
When John Metcalfe was accused of bribery in the fight for state senate, twenty prominent citizens rose to defend his character. The verdict? He wasn't just innocent; he was a pillar of moral integrity.
- The Attorney's Brawl: A Legal Dust-Up in Probate Court
Two well-known Seattle attorneys settle a probate dispute with a flurry of fisticuffs in the courtroom.
- The Man Who Exposed the Bribe: Metcalfe’s Stand Against Olympia’s ‘Boodle’ Gang
In a rare display of moral courage in Washington's early political history, Representative Metcalfe turned a bribe into evidence, sparking a war with corruptionists that the paper defends as necessary for good government.
- The Bureaucratic Feud Over a Federal Appointment
A bitter letter to the editor exposes a local Seattle political scandal involving broken promises and secret applications for a federal office.
- The Whistleblower Who Risked It All on the House Floor
When Washington legislator Metcalfe turned in a bribe, his colleagues turned on him. In a dramatic trial for expulsion, he dared to tell them their political machine was 'as corrupt as hell.'
- The Man Who Took the Bribe to Expose It
Representative Metcalfe’s daring sting operation against Senatorial corruption has turned him into a hero for reformers and a target for powerful enemies.
- The Senatorial Bribery Scandal Rocking Olympia
A state judge admits to soliciting votes for the Senate through promises of state institution locations, casting a shadow over the political corruption of the 1891 legislative session.
- The Phantom Bribe: A Legislative Ghost Hunt in Olympia
A state representative demands an investigation into a 'phantom' briber, while the legislature becomes deadlocked by scandal and partisan maneuvering.
- The $500 Vote: How a Spokane Judge’s Bribery Plot Exposed Seattle’s Political Rot
In the winter of 1903, Washington’s legislature was paralyzed by a scandal involving bribed senators and a desperate governor. When Representative Metcalfe revealed he was paid to vote for Judge Calkins, the resulting investigation tore through Olympia’s elite, revealing a web of corruption that threatened to define the state’s young democracy.
- The Smooth Talker of Tacoma
A persuasive con man leaves a trail of bamboozled businessmen and empty wallets.
- A Courtroom Brawl Over a Mining Fortune
John R. Wolcott loses his bid to control the Persinger group of mines in Kittitas County after a contract dispute, and his attorney nearly comes to blows with opposing counsel.
- The Sting at the State Capital
A political whistleblower braves public scorn to expose the bribery and influence-peddling that turned the Washington State legislature into a 'reeking cesspool.'
- Domestic Accident Leaves Servant Critically Injured
A tragic mix-up at a kitchen stove leads to a severe explosion for a local woman.
- Moonlight on the Sound
A summer evening excursion by boating party offers a glimpse into the social rhythm of late 19th-century Seattle.
- The 10 Percent Rake-Off That Put Tacoma's Water Board on Trial
A job printer's testimony blows open an inquiry into the Tacoma Board of Public Works, where the president admits he knows little about running the city's water and electric plants—and a councilman asks if he has any shame.
- A Missionary's Memory of the Russian Border
A Seattle Chamber of Commerce committee gathers testimony that the land north of Portland Canal was Russian, not British, as the Alaska boundary fight heats up.
- The Fight for a Statehood Canal
Seattle boosters press Congress for infrastructure funding to link Lake Washington to Puget Sound.
- The Price of a Regrade
A local property owner sues the city for $10,000, claiming a street regrade left their building isolated and inaccessible.
- The Millionaire and the Deputy: A Seattle Process Serving Scandal
A Tacoman millionaire tries to dodge a divorce summons, leading to a frantic game of cat-and-mouse in downtown Seattle.
- The Six-Year Journey Home
A deer hound lost for half a decade miraculously swims back to his master at a Kelso shingle mill.
- The Mercer Island Tragedy
A brutal murder on the shores of Lake Washington leaves a community shaken, as the legal defense mounts a case against circumstantial evidence.
- Washington Creates a New Office for Farm Marketing
A new state law establishes a director of markets to bridge the gap between regional agricultural producers and far-flung consumer centers.
- A Grand Welcome for the Knights of Pythias
Seattle lodges gather to honor Grand Chancellor Fred P. Offerman for his service to the order.
- The Yesler Estate Land Dispute
The Supreme Court rejects a claim for ten acres of land promised as a bonus for building a cable car line.