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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 7 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 6 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 9 |
| 1892 | 12 |
| 1893 | 18 |
| 1894 | 23 |
| 1895 | 26 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 4 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 10 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 16 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 4 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1918 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
220 stories matching penalti
- Legislature Offers Tax Relief to Struggling Property Owners
A new bill aims to waive penalties and interest for delinquent taxpayers, while proposing a shift to semi-annual payments to ease the burden on residents.
- The Yellow Flag Mandate of 1872
Before the age of modern public health infrastructure, Seattle's early municipal government passed strict, penalty-heavy laws to contain contagious diseases through quarantine and public shaming.
- The Gallows at Colfax
A thousand spectators crowded the streets and hillsides to witness the final penalty for a murder in Whitman County.
- The State Tries to Soften the Panic for Delinquent Taxpayers
The Senate passes a bill remitting penalties and interest on delinquent 1893–94 taxes, citing “great financial stringency” and declaring an emergency.
- The Futility of the Gallows
One month after Seattle's first judicial execution of a white man, the local press questions whether state-sanctioned violence actually deters crime or simply breeds contempt for the law.
- The Courthouse That Couldn’t: Contractors Fall Months Behind as Penalties Mount
Thurston County’s new courthouse is five months late, triggering a $20-a-day penalty and a standoff over withheld payments.
- The Loophole in Mount Tacoma National Park
A mill hand arrested for poaching in the national reserve might walk free because the law governing the park lacks a penalty clause.
- The Crumbling Courthouse Scandal
County officials halt construction on the new courthouse after discovering contractors used substandard materials and ignored building specifications.
- The Railroad That Decided It Did Not Have to Obey the State
Great Northern built a $20,000 depot at Odessa as a gift to a friendly town — while flatly ignoring orders from the Washington Railroad Commission. Now the commission says it will prosecute.
- Hanged on a Doubt: Washington Territory's First White Execution
When John Thompson was hanged in Seattle in 1877, many believed he was guilty of manslaughter, not murder. The Dispatch made the case that the law had taken a life it should have spared.
- The Dime-Novel Thug Bound for Walla Walla
After a Tacoma streetcar holdup, a convicted robber is sentenced to 14 years at the state penitentiary.
- The Trial of City Treasurer Adolph Krug
A Seattle judge rejects the defense's motion to dismiss embezzlement charges, invoking the history of the law against modern corporate corruption.
- The Lake Keeps Its Secret: A Tragedy of Adultery in Wenatchee
A local man and a married woman drown together on the lake; while her body is recovered, he remains lost to the depths, serving as a grim moral lesson for the community.
- A Legislative Loophole for Petty Offenders
A prominent attorney reveals that a recent state law intended to increase penalties for repeat offenders is legally void regarding misdemeanors.
- The Struggle for Streetlights
A heated debate erupts in city council over a new contract with the Union Electric Company, revealing tensions over public service, penalties, and infrastructure quality.
- The Price of a Glass of Beer
A Seattle man faces legal consequences for a small, unthinking gesture that violated the territory's strict and discriminatory liquor laws.
- The Unlucky Three: A Case of Professional Laziness
Three men in Seattle face a week of hard labor after a judge determines they are unwilling to work for a living.
- The High Price of Delinquency
An Aberdeen taxpayer exposes how the county's tax collection laws inflate minor debts into heavy penalties for ordinary residents.
- Suspended Sentence for Liquor Sales
A local woman avoids prison for selling alcohol to Indians on the condition of future 'right behavior.'
- The Hidden Dens of 1870s Seattle
A citizen appeal from 1872 exposes how unchecked public gambling was eroding the moral and financial fabric of the developing waterfront town.
- Theft at the Bostwick Hotel
A young woman pleads guilty to stealing a wardrobe from a guest at one of Tacoma's premier downtown hotels.
- Vigilante Justice Narrowly Averted in Roslyn
A mob of men attempted to lynch a laborer near Roslyn before word arrived that the alleged crime had not been completed.
- The Strict Rules of Territorial Ballot Boxes
Before the secret ballot was standardized, Washington Territory enacted stern penalties to prevent election-day fraud, coercion, and liquor-fueled chaos.
- The Fishermen’s Fight for Dignity
Seattle fishermen organize a new union to resist exploitation by fish dealers, challenging their precarious economic state.
- Street Harassment Met With Harsh Penalty
A local man is sentenced to 50 days on the city woodpile after insulting a woman on C Street.