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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 6 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
28 stories matching poke
- Tacoma’s 'Pig in a Poke' Water Deal
Taxpayers revolt against a dubious multi-million dollar municipal purchase of water and electric assets.
- Yakima Jail Overflowing with 'Drunk and Disorderlies'
A frustrated prisoner asks a pointed question as the city lock-up fills up with residents.
- Boosterism and the Quest for the Capital
North Yakima’s editors aggressively frame their growing city as the inevitable future capital of Washington.
- The Janitor Who Foiled a Ten-Man Jailbreak in Ellensburg
Prisoners had almost tunneled out of the county jail when a janitor sleeping in the sheriff's office heard the scraping—and made a promise they believed.
- The City’s Coldest Tea: A Prohibition-Era Poke at Seattle’s Saloon Culture
A satirical notice from 1871 captures the tongue-in-cheek public grumbling that followed the closure of a beloved watering hole.
- The Politics of the 'Money Cow'
Republican firebrands tour Eastern Washington to combat Populist influence and secure support for John H. McGraw.
- A Peculiar Trestle Rescue in Yakima
A band of horses entangled in a railroad trestle near North Yakima forced an overland train to stop, leading to a strange and careful rescue mission.
- The School Clerk Feud
A neighborhood dispute over a school clerk election resulted in a woman hitting a man with her umbrella.
- The Blackmailer's Dark Hole
After smuggling contraband into his jail cell, a defiant inmate is forced into solitary confinement.
- An Umbrella Lesson on Pike Street
A mother tracks her son to a saloon to force him home, wielding her umbrella in a public display of motherly discipline.
- The Swine Swindle Sweeping the State
A state professor warns farmers against sophisticated livestock contracts that promise riches but leave them holding the bag.
- Two Apologetic Highwaymen Held Up a Tacoma Liquor Dealer
A short cut through a vacant lot, a big revolver, and robbers who blamed hard times—but left the Odd Fellows charm because it was a present.
- The Brutal Reality of 'Assumption of Risk' in the Mills
A shingle sawyer loses his hand in a mill accident, only to have his lawsuit dismissed due to legal doctrines protecting corporations.
- The Stranger on the Night Train
A railroad brakeman risks his reputation and job to help a stranded, elderly woman on a stormy night, only to discover a life-changing coincidence.
- The Political Departure from North Yakima
Defeated political candidates poke fun at their own misfortune through a satirical account of leaving town after a failed election cycle.
- The Pig in a Poke
Tacoma city officials rush a $1.75 million water works deal through the council despite lacking inventory records or valuation.
- The Ballard Roulette Heist
A masked gunman terrorized a Ballard gambling hall, making off with the house cash while twenty players stood frozen in surprise.
- The Midnight Hold-Up Near Hot Springs
A masked trio halts a Northern Pacific sleeper, terrifying passengers and making off with $1,200 in cash and gold.
- Tragedy in the Woods: Two Brothers Die in Fire
A ranching family returns to their home near Colby to find their children dead in the ashes, sparking a community effort to assist the destitute parents.
- A Close Call in the River Bottoms
A hunter's routine expedition turns into a desperate struggle for survival against a wounded bear.
- The Ballot Box Tug-of-War
When the right to vote was first won, newly enfranchised women in Seattle faced an immediate, domestic gauntlet of political pressure and neighborhood intrigue.
- The Bucket Brigade That Saved a Block
Two brothers woke to smoke and falling embers in a Third Street lodging house, then doused the roof fire before the department could even join the fight.
- The Sheriff vs. The Reservation Agent: A Neah Bay Standoff
When a federal agent refused to obey a district court order, a deputy sheriff took a midnight steamer to enforce the law—only to be met with a threat of the guardhouse.
- The $40 Forgery That Fooled Seattle’s Hardware Elite
A dashing stranger with a dark mustache and bare chest walks into W.P. Boyd & Co., flashes a forged check from the Seattle Hardware Company, and vanishes with $40 in cash—leaving behind only a single typo that saves the victim from total ruin.
- While Seattle Chased Klondike Gold, Portland Quietly Bought the Farm
An 1897 editorial warns Puget Sound that its Klondike outfitting boom is blinding it to a $150 million agricultural trade that Portland is stealing from the inland Northwest.