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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
12 stories matching overcharg
- County Printing Scandal Brews in Centralia
Local newspaper proprietors accuse the News-Examiner of padding invoices for county work.
- The Treasury Scandal of 1887
A team of expert auditors discovers that King County’s former treasurer, George V. Hill, systematically pilfered thousands of dollars using creative accounting and 'lost' tax records.
- The Tax Swindle: How Seattle’s Printer Defrauded His Neighbors
In 1872, the publisher of the *Puget Sound Dispatch* exposed a collusive scheme between local tax collectors and a rival newspaper to overcharge delinquent taxpayers for legal notices, sparking a bitter war of words in the territorial press.
- The Peril of Backyard Marksmanship
A Deep Creek Falls woman’s attempt to shoot a hawk ends in a gruesome accident that serves as a cautionary tale about home gun safety.
- The Persistent Con-Artist of Jackson Street
A former hack driver and theater waiter uses elaborate stories and forged checks to swindle local merchants, only to be caught by a vigilant detective.
- 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 Rent Crisis of 1892
How a post-boom construction surge finally brought relief to Seattle's cramped and overcharged renters.
- The Case for a National Telegraph Service
A scathing editorial argues that the Western Union monopoly overcharges the public and mistreats employees, calling for government intervention.
- The Great Port Townsend Customs Scandal
A federal grand jury uncovers a decade-long scheme of extortion and record-tampering at the Port Townsend custom house, where officials pocketed fees and forced local shipping firms to play along.
- The Fourth of July That Wasn't: Seattle's Flooded Festival
As the city prepares for its biggest celebration in decades, a relentless Pacific Northwest downpour threatens to wash away the fun—and the crops.
- The Paper War: How Seattle’s ‘Public Thieves’ Exposed a Corrupt Ring
In 1872, the *Puguet Sound Dispatch* accused local officials and the rival *Intelligencer* of extorting taxpayers through inflated advertising rates for tax sales, framing it as a 'Tammany ring' stealing from the public.
- Olympia Wakes Up: Subpoenas, Telegraph Rates and a Suffrage Amendment
The 1895 Washington legislature moved from political strife to lawmaking, passing investigative subpoena power and jury reform while introducing bills to cap telegraph tolls, save Columbia salmon and give women the vote.