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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1858 | 5 |
| 1859 | 6 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 8 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 10 |
| 1876 | 33 |
| 1877 | 38 |
| 1878 | 19 |
| 1880 | 11 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 35 |
| 1884 | 12 |
| 1885 | 29 |
| 1886 | 12 |
| 1887 | 21 |
| 1888 | 16 |
| 1889 | 58 |
| 1890 | 8 |
| 1891 | 42 |
| 1892 | 85 |
| 1893 | 101 |
| 1894 | 103 |
| 1895 | 121 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 11 |
| 1899 | 15 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 32 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 9 |
| 1909 | 24 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 7 |
| 1916 | 9 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1923 | 5 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
936 stories matching possess
- The Battle for the Unsurveyed Frontier
A 19th-century court case in Steilacoom exposes the tension between local land speculators and the ideal of the 'actual settler' on the Washington frontier.
- Seattle's Anti-Cigarette Law Made Possession a Crime
A new Washington law going into effect in June 1909 banned not just selling cigarettes but simply having them.
- A Saloon Showdown in Tacoma
A complicated dispute over a local watering hole descends into a flurry of mutual arrests and legal maneuvering.
- The Squatter’s Shack on the Waterfront
A railroad company wins its eviction battle against a man living on a harbor spit.
- The City Takes Back the Waterfront
After the great fire, the city granted a lease for a slip at the foot of Jackson Street. Now, it wants its land back—and the courts have agreed.
- The Green River Coal Land Dispute
A law firm linked to the Northern Pacific Railroad is accused of using armed men to seize coal-rich land from local settlers.
- The Fight for Smith’s Cove Sand Spit
A judge dismisses a suit against the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad, cementing its claim to the waterfront land at Smith’s Cove.
- The Saloon That Wouldn't Leave
A legal war erupts over a property lease, testing whether a landlord is responsible for ousting a tenant after selling the building.
- The Missionary Who Claimed the Pacific Northwest
A century of folklore credits Marcus Whitman with winning Oregon and Washington for the United States through a patriotic Fourth of July ritual.
- The Battle for the Rainier-Grand Hotel
Federal marshals forcibly remove a hotel operator as a bitter legal battle over a lease expiration reaches a breaking point.
- Prominent Banker's Son Convicted in Liquor Trial
A jury in Prosser returns a guilty verdict against the 19-year-old son of a local bank president for illegal liquor possession.
- The Electrified Rescuer
A Ballard grocer and a constable lose their suspect when a woman claiming to be possessed by electricity intervenes.
- The Penobscot House Mortgage Scam
A deal for a Third Street hotel ended in handcuffs after a landlord discovered his collateral was built on thin air.
- The Tide Land Land-Grab Case
A judge rules against 'land jumping' schemes, protecting property rights against claims on submerged tide lands.
- The High Court Rules on 'Dry' Possession
A state supreme court decision clarifies that possessing legally obtained liquor is not a crime, sparking debate over the future of Washington's prohibition laws.
- The Bugle-Call Defense of a 'Jumped' Lot
When a town committee arrived to evict a couple from a disputed lot in Port Angeles, the wife met them with a bugle and two Winchester rifles.
- A Mother's Fight for Her Son
While recovering from surgery in Spokane, a mother discovers her son has been kidnapped; she eventually tracks him down in Olympia.
- A Mercer Island Land Fight Turns to Contempt—and Alleged Violence
A receiver’s attempt to take possession of mortgaged Mercer Island property leads to a contempt citation against S. Sutherland, accused of forcing his way in and threatening the agent.
- The Lawyer's Stranglehold on Governance
A scathing editorial arguing that the legal profession’s devotion to precedent over progress is choking American democracy.
- The Vandalism at the Snohomish Hotel
A real estate dispute in Snohomish turned violent as competing claimants fought over a new building, leading to arrests for property destruction and concealed weapons.
- The Fur Company’s Land Empire Is Declared Public Domain
A letter from Washington City reports that the Hudson’s Bay and Puget Sound Agricultural companies’ territorial claims have been ruled forfeit, opening their Nisqually and Fort Vancouver lands to American survey and settlement.
- The Heroic Kitchen Defense
When a kitchen fire threatened to raze her home, a Snohomish woman didn't wait for help, personally battling the flames until the structure was saved.
- The Midnight Key
The Columbia Pharmacy was robbed by someone who possessed a duplicate key, leading to a police investigation.
- The Battle for Walla Walla’s Poundmaster
A deposed city official fights to regain his post, challenging the legality of his successor's appointment in Superior Court.
- Legislature Moves to Protect Debtors from Foreclosure
A new bill seeks to allow judgment debtors to retain possession and profits of their property during the legal redemption period.