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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 7 |
20 stories matching phil
- 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 Passing of a Seattle Police Pioneer
A biography of Phil Sullivan, an ex-lieutenant of the Seattle police force, who died of consumption at the Pacific House.
- 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.
- The 'Bijou Theater' Boxing Match Ends in a Brawl
A staged boxing match between Professor Dutchy and Phil Dawe ends in a disappointing fizzle and a near-riot when the audience suspects a fix.
- Court Overturns Conviction in Saloon Killing
The Washington Supreme Court grants a new trial to James Murphy, who murdered a bartender for refusing to serve him liquor.
- The Copper Chief Saloon Killing Goes to the Jury
After days of testimony, a Seattle jury weighed James Murphy’s fate as an eleventh-hour bootblack witness contradicted the state’s star in the 1894 saloon shooting of Phil J. Dawes.
- The War on Lice in the Hop Fields
A local hop merchant reveals the specific, labor-intensive chemical formula needed to save the crop from blight.
- A Candlelit Verdict in the Murphy Homicide Trial
Electric lights failed in the King County courthouse during instructions, casting a long shadow over the trial of James Murphy.
- A Close Call on Washington Street
A carpenter’s spilled lamp sets a roof ablaze, only for an alert officer to stop the fire with a well-aimed kick.
- A Killer, a Gold-Brick Swindler, and a Widow's Missing Coat
James Murphy waits to learn whether he'll be shipped to Walla Walla for killing Phil Doe in the Copper Chief saloon — while a con man's loyal wife scours Front Street for the coat a dead man wore.
- 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.
- Tragedy at the Occidental Hotel
A pre-dawn fire at a downtown boarding house kills a resident and leaves others fighting for their lives in the smoke.
- The Price of a 'Pull' in Seattle's Police Force
Seven officers were fired to make room for the mayor's favorites, sparking outrage over political patronage.
- The Burglar Who Got Away: Old Soldier's Failed Identification Frees Suspect
Herman Wendt, 19, released after James Bowie couldn't positively identify him as the man who broke into his South Seattle home—but Wendt remains a suspect in a recent murder.
- A Fatal Ride on the Grant Street Line
Jack Collins, a nurse at the poor farm, met an instant death after attempting to navigate the rails while intoxicated.
- The Ball Club Breaks Up and the Boys Scatter for Winter
Seattle's professional nine pockets its benefit-game proceeds, cancels the barnstorming trip east, and dissolves — leaving a dozen players to find work from Butte to Omaha.
- The Home Market Fight: Farmers Say Seattle Merchants Look Past Their Own Fields
A Port Angeles farmer’s letter to the Post-Intelligencer argues that Seattle merchants undercut local growers by buying from California, Oregon, and Chinese gardeners—and warns that the city’s food economy is bleeding money out of Washington.
- A Wooden Pistol Emptied the King County Jail
Thomas Blanck, awaiting appeal for murder, locked the night jailer in a cell and walked out with eight other prisoners—armed with a black wooden fake.
- The Iron Hotel: Seattle's Jail Let Convicted Killers Wait Out the Law
A 1905 exposé inside the King County jail found convicted murderers lingering for years in a steel cage while appeals stalled, one prisoner fashioning a pistol from a shoe shank and escaping, and taxpayers footing the bill.
- The Ghost of the Seattle Enterprise: Stockholders Escape a Dead Newspaper's Debts
A receiver's long-running suit against 85 subscribers to the failed Seattle Enterprise collapses in court, but not before the paper's brief, fiery life is recalled — complete with a building-bulging press and a strike by its own printers.