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237 stories matching reward
- The Body in the Box: A Political Murder Haunts Spokane County
Charles F. Gloystein crossed the Freeman's Protective Silver Federation and disappeared. Now his neighbors are offering a $1,000 reward—not for a killer, but for the body.
- A Governor's $1,000 Reward for a Missing Spokane County Farmer
Charles F. Gloystein vanished from his Mica home in July 1894. As neighbors whispered murder and Populists attacked his name, Washington's governor offered cash for his body and for his killers.
- The Party Says Not Guilty—and Cheers the Man It Removed
Seattle Democrats put their scandal-scarred administration on trial at Haake's Hall, buried a First Ward delegate fight, and sent David E. Durie into the mayor's race while J.M. Wolfe got the ovation.
- Northern Pacific Declares War on Train Wreckers
After rail saboteurs derailed an overland train near Buckley, the railroad management has authorized a massive reward to hunt down the culprits.
- The Hidden Wife of Tacoma
For years, friends protected a woman from her abusive husband, keeping her location secret even while he offered a massive reward for her return.
- The County Treasurer Who Walked Out of Custody
With $2,063 missing from Port Angeles accounts, ex-Treasurer M. J. Clump slipped away from a deputy and inspired a reward nobody expected to collect.
- Horsemen Offer Reward for Caught Thieves
A sophisticated gang operating in Whitman County forces local stockmen to put up a $250 bounty for the recovery of stolen property.
- The Amateur Sleuths Who Caught the Richland Post Office Robbers
A year after the mail was stolen, five men finally split a $600 federal reward — and the one now somewhere in the Atlantic on a hospital ship has no idea.
- The Knight in Blue: Officer Grant’s Chivalrous Knife Work Saves a Tacoma Lady
When a piece of lace tore during the Christian Endeavor convention, one Seattle policeman didn't just offer sympathy—he offered his pocketknife and a bow.
- The Riot-Scarred Streets of 1886
A critical look at the Seattle City Council’s tepid handling of the anti-Chinese riots, as the city struggles with the legacy of mob violence.
- The Unsolved Disappearance of Nellie Holgate
After a saleswoman vanished from Lake Washington, a web of suspicious rewards, unidentified buttons, and mysterious boat trips left the city wondering if she had been killed or simply fled.
- Disgraced Banker Prepares to Face the Music
After the collapse of the Home Securities Bank in Bellingham, the fugitive president returns to answer for the $300,000 loss.
- He Kept a $5,000 Reward Posted for His Missing Wife. Then He Drank Himself to Death.
Christine Nelson stepped into a New York hotel room in October and was never seen again. Her husband spent a fortune and two trips East searching — and died this morning at St. Joseph's.
- The Shadow of the Fetting Tragedy
After the mysterious murder of a Seattle woman, the subsequent death of her son-in-law in Tacoma exposes a web of conspiracy, desperate poverty, and local suspicion.
- A Farmer Vanishes in the Night, and a Secret Order Is Blamed
Charles Gloystein was called from his Spokane County home at midnight. Weeks later all that has surfaced is his battered, bloody hat — and the editor points straight at the oath-bound Freemen's Silver Protective Federation.
- A Spokane Republican Vanishes — and a Newspaper Cries Assassination
An outraged Spokane editorial accuses a secret Populist 'rifle-armed' organization of luring Charles F. Gloystein from his home and murdering him, and demands a $10,000 reward.
- A Father’s Long Search for a Missing Son
Twenty years after his son disappeared following a summer in the White Bluffs valley, a Yakima father offers a reward for news of his whereabouts.
- Ritzville Under Siege by a Serial Arsonist
After a failed attempt to torch a warehouse, the town council posts a reward for an elusive firebug terrorizing the business district.
- Bandits Take the Newport Train and Vanish Into the Night
A mail car is rifled near Hillyard, a frightened hobo raises the alarm, and a $3,000 reward turns up nothing.
- The Ethics of the Office: Fighting the 'Spoils' System in 1876 Seattle
A local official refuses to trade his political independence for employment, sparking a public debate over corruption, civil service reform, and the 'party hacks' of the Gilded Age.
- The Great Seattle Jailbreak of 1878
Sheriff Lewis V. Wyckoff offers a reward for the capture of five men who vanished from the King County jail in the dead of night.
- A Farmer Vanished Near Mica, and His Neighbors Blamed a Populist 'Shotgun Club'
Charles F. Glovstein disappeared from his Spokane County farm on July 28, 1894. Republicans called it political murder; the governor could offer only $1,000 for answers, and a secret 'protective association' was said to hold its members for life.
- The Mugwump’s Reward: Olympia’s Postmaster Scandal
A controversial appointment of W.A. Newell as pension agent sparks outrage in the state capital, revealing deep political fractures and accusations of patronage.
- The Confidence Man of White River
A San Francisco swindler finds his way to a farm near Seattle, only to be turned in by his own conscience—or perhaps his employer.
- A Boy's Fishing Line Hauls Up 20 Pounds of Smuggled Opium
Lucky children and treasury agents netted a smuggler's jettisoned cargo from under Seattle's wharves — and the owner was never found.
Also about this, in other words
- A $100 Bounty for the Tail-Dockers of Grand Forks
A local property owner vows to 'make it hot' for the culprits who maimed his horses during a neighborhood dance.
- The Prize-Winning Bounty of 1877
A look at the official premium list for the Snohomish County Agricultural Society, revealing the crops, livestock, and domestic crafts that defined the frontier economy of the Washington Territory.
- The Persistent Promise of Easy Money
A classic 19th-century 'work from home' pitch promises Snohomish laborers a fortune for minimal effort.
- The Lucky Winner of the Auto
A resident of Wallula discovers he holds the winning ticket for an automobile, but his interest is strictly in the cash.
- The Wharfinger's Reward: A Real Estate Gift from Henry Yesler
In an era of rising industrial ambition, Seattle's pioneer mogul Henry Yesler gifted four prime city lots to his longtime wharf manager as a gesture of gratitude.
- A Near-Miss and a Generous Gesture
A Seattle gripman saves a man from a streetcar accident, leading to an unlikely show of gratitude and a $50 gift.
- The Power of the Classifieds
A local resident proves that a well-placed advertisement in the newspaper is more effective than an exhaustive search when a cow goes missing.
- The Golden Rule of Payouts: How One Seattle Grocer Got Paid After the Jackson Street Fire
While the world watches the tragic death of Crown Prince Rudolf in Austria, a local grocery store owner is praising the Home Fire Insurance Company of Seattle for their prompt and fair settlement after his business was destroyed.