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164 stories matching murphi
- Murphy Forever: A Rival Editor Skewers Olympia's Perpetual Councilman
Days before the First Ward election, the Tribune turns its sarcasm on Councilman John Miller Murphy — newspaper editor, theater proprietor, professed temperance man, and, by this account, a fixture in the council chamber and at the bar he once voted to close.
- The Man Who Couldn't Be Named: A Mysterious Suicide on Pike Street
In the early hours of a Seattle morning in 1902, a barkeeper discovers a stranger dead in his room with no ID and a note addressed to 'Joe.' The city is left with a body, a mystery, and a morphine bottle.
- A Saloon Shooting, a Bottle Blow, and a Defendant’s War Record
Murphy takes the stand in Seattle, claiming self-defense, while the prosecution’s only eyewitness faces accusations of being bought off.
- The Only Witness to a Saloon Killing
James Murphy’s second murder trial hinged on the sole eyewitness to a quarrel that began over cocktails and ended with Philip Dawe shot under the eye behind his bar.
- 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.
- Murphy Must Face a Second Jury for the Copper Chief Saloon Killing
A double-jeopardy plea fails in Seattle, and jury selection opens in the 1892 murder of barkeeper Phil Dawes over a bottle of whisky bought on credit.
- A Jury Played Cards While a Murder Case Hung in the Balance
Convicted murderer Murphy was sentenced to fifteen years—again—as his lawyer attacked a jury that reportedly spent its 42-hour deliberation playing whist and pedro.
- Liquor Dealers Organize to Capture City Council
A slim meeting at Columbia Hall reveals a saloon-backed push to elect Murphy and Grainger, as the liquor interests try to regain control after last year's defeat.
- A Seattle Butcher Beat the Drunkard’s Label and Kept His Estate
A Gilded Age guardianship trial asked whether John Murphy’s drinking made him unfit to manage his own affairs. The jury said no—and his rags-to-property story came out in court.
- John L. Sullivan Comes to Olympia, and the City Council Adjourns for the Show
The heavyweight champion and the Pacific Coast’s great theatrical manager packed the Olympia Theater, traded jokes about brick opera houses, and drew the mayor and nearly every councilman into the audience.
- A Drunken Ex-Policeman Tries to Shoot a South Seattle Butcher
Frank Krebs, a butcher and former officer, is arrested after a cleaver-and-revolver quarrel with John Murphy.
- A Saloon Killing, a 42-Hour Jury, and a Second Conviction
James Murphy is convicted again of shooting Fritz Dawe in the old Copper Chief saloon — but his lawyers vow the verdict will not stand.
- A Gun Under His Nose: The North Seattle Highwaymen Go on Trial
John Murphy and two alleged accomplices are identified by the laborer they robbed at Front and Clay, while a second sandbagging case ends in a sealed verdict.
- Ex-Fire Chief James Murphy Shoots Saloon Owner Phil Dawe
A former Seattle fire official guns down a saloon owner in a cold-blooded dispute over free drinks, sparking outrage in the city’s lower wards.
- Phil Dawe's Killing at Copper Chief Goes to Trial
A witness takes the stand to describe the fatal shooting of Phil Dawe on Washington Street.
- The Self-Defense Trial of James Murphy
A Seattle murder trial hinges on claims of a 'dangerous man,' witness bribery, and a life-or-death confrontation in a saloon.
- The Temperance Preacher and the Heavyweight Champion
When gospel temperance evangelist Francis Murphy visited a Tacoma theater to convert prize fighter John L. Sullivan to sobriety, he found the champion as stubborn as his reputation.
- The Newspaper Owner Who Disavowed His Own Editorial
Francis Murphy reads L.S.J. Hunt’s letter to a Seattle crowd, disowning the Post-Intelligencer’s anti-temperance editorial and sending $200 for the cause.
- The Deadly Cost of a Failed Train Robbery
A desperate shootout between a local sheriff and two convicts on the tracks outside of Walla Walla leaves one man dead and another in chains.
- The Failed Prison Escape of Sam Murphy
A notorious burglar's attempt to break free while being transported to Walla Walla is thwarted by a tip-off.
- The Murky Business of a Mining Claim
A Seattle businessman publicizes his defense after being accused of a fraudulent mining deal, offering a glimpse into the informal, high-stakes nature of early Pacific Northwest property speculation.
- The Mob That Tore Through Chinatown
Testimony from an acting police chief details the systematic expulsion of Chinese residents from Seattle during the violent anti-Chinese riots of February 1886.
- The Tragic Death of a Great Northern Laborer
A railroad worker dies following a brutal brawl at a Third Street saloon, leading to the arrest of a local proprietor.
- The Cold-Blooded Murder at the Copper Chief
A Seattle bartender is gunned down over a dispute about drink tabs, leading to a grim scene at the local undertaker's.
- Labor Union President Accused of Embezzling Relief Funds
Joseph L. Murphy, a prominent labor leader in Seattle, has vanished after allegations surfaced that he pocketed money intended for the survivors of the Roslyn mining disaster.