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54 stories matching runner

  1. The Ice Water Gambit: How a Seattle Drifter Was Framed for Theft

    A local vagrant was doused in freezing water and coerced into a false confession by a cunning runner, only to be caught red-handed on Third Street.

    May 23, 1877The Daily IntelligencerThird Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  2. The Hustlers of the Waterfront: Regulating Seattle's Hotel Runners

    In 1878, the Seattle City Council cracked down on the aggressive solicitors who haunted the docks, requiring them to wear badges and pay a quarterly tax for the right to hawk boarding houses.

    Aug 17, 1878Puget Sound DispatchSeattle Waterfront, Seattle, King CountyCity Hall

  3. Showdown at the Seattle Wharf

    A hotel runner's refusal to retract words during a wharfside confrontation leads to a dramatic, failed assassination attempt in broad daylight.

    Feb 10, 1876Puget Sound DispatchSt. Charles Hotel, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  4. The Wild Foot Race on Commercial Street

    Before the city grew, Seattle’s main thoroughfare hosted a high-stakes sprint that drew crowds to the rooftops and left bettors stunned.

    Aug 8, 1878The Daily IntelligencerCommercial Street, Seattle, King CountyNightlife

  5. Union and Non-Union Seamen Clash at Port Townsend

    A saloon becomes a battleground as a labor dispute over shipping jobs descends into a violent, armed confrontation.

    Aug 12, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyWork & Pay

  6. The Fiery End of the Steamship Mississippi

    A historic blockade runner turned coal vessel is lost to a massive wharf fire in Seattle.

    May 13, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyDisasters

  7. Seattle Plots a Sports Carnival for the World

    With the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition set to open, promoters arrange A.A.U. games, a Lake Washington regatta, balloon races, and a marathon meant to draw champions from across the country.

    Feb 11, 1909The Tacoma TimesSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust

  8. The Deadly Cost of a Marathon Craze

    A 10-year-old boy dies after attempting to emulate professional marathon runners.

    Apr 2, 1909The Tacoma TimesTacoma, Pierce CountyStrange But True

  9. The Perils of 'Coasting' in Downtown Seattle

    A winter evening of sledding on the city's steep hills resulted in multiple injuries, leaving one young man unconscious.

    Feb 6, 1884Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

  10. An Officer's Surprising Thanksgiving Gift

    A Seattle patrolman expecting a crime scene instead finds himself showered with gratitude and a silk umbrella.

    Dec 2, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

  11. The Great Log Jam: How a River of Timber Threatened to Wash Away Snohomish

    A massive tow of logs broke loose near Priest Point, sparking fears of a disaster that could have swept away the town's waterfront—and highlighting the precarious nature of life in the logging boomtown.

    Apr 7, 1877The Northern StarPriest Point, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyWork & Pay · Disasters

  12. The Maniac at the Opal Saloon

    A hotel runner causes chaos after barricading himself inside a Third Street bar.

    Jul 24, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyStrange But True

  13. The Great Mill Street Wagon Prank

    A local hotel runner learns the hard way that the boys of Mill Street have a penchant for mechanical mischief.

    Mar 16, 1878Puget Sound DispatchMill Street, Seattle, King CountyStrange But True

  14. The Siege at the St. Charles Hotel

    A young woman recounts a harrowing night of confinement after a local man tricked her into his room, only to be met with a public denial and claims of 'blackmailing.'

    Feb 17, 1876Puget Sound DispatchSt. Charles Hotel, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  15. The Great Cross-Dressing Chase

    A suspected shooter outwits Seattle police during a high-speed chase by shedding a wig and woman's dress, disappearing into the darkness of the waterfront.

    Jul 9, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerWashington Street, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  16. The Opium Runners of Port Townsend

    Customs inspectors engage in a high-stakes boat chase after catching smugglers unloading contraband in the dead of night.

    Aug 7, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyTrue Crime

  17. The Forced Relocation of the Spokane Tribe

    As winter approaches, government agents scramble to move Spokane families to the Coeur d'Alene reservation, offering small frame houses as an incentive.

    Nov 13, 1893The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSpokane, Spokane CountyExclusion & Resistance

  18. Two Men Sick, the Town Unwarned: Snohomish Turns on Its Health Officer

    Smallpox cases sat undeclared for days while friends visited and a brother walked the streets — until fifty businessmen telegraphed Olympia demanding the state take over.

    Aug 24, 1892The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSnohomish, Snohomish CountyCity Hall

  19. The End of Wooden Seattle

    A historic property deal marks a turning point as Seattle trades its 'dilapidated, squatty, and dangerous' wooden storefronts for modern, multi-story brick architecture.

    May 16, 1882Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle, King CountyBoom & Bust · Gone Forever

  20. Six Men Climbed a Smoking Rainier in Midwinter

    When Mount Rainier seemed to erupt in 1894, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer sent Maj. E. S. Ingraham and five companions up the Carbon River in deep winter to find out what was really happening.

    Jan 6, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerMount Rainier, Pierce CountyStrange But True

  21. The Rules of the Road Come to Kennewick

    As automobiles begin to dominate the streets, City Hall codifies the right of way, speed limits, and the requirement for headlights and mufflers.

    Jul 27, 1916The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick, Benton CountyCity Hall

  22. A South Seattle Murder Case Becomes a Constitutional Test

    Henry Craemer’s court-appointed lawyer argued that Washington could not try a capital case on a prosecutor’s information. Judge Humes said it could; Craemer pleaded not guilty and began hunting for an alibi witness lost in the Cascades.

    Aug 29, 1894The Seattle Post-IntelligencerSouth Seattle College, Seattle, King CountyTrue Crime

  23. The Card Sharps Who Picked the Wrong Captain—and Sailed to Peru

    Two Seattle gamblers went to Port Townsend to fleece the master of the British ship Dimsdale. He found out, shanghaied them both, and set sail for Callao.

    Apr 3, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend, Jefferson CountyNightlife

  24. Shanghaied Aboard the Babcock: A Captain's Escape and a Crew Taken at Gunpoint

    Capt. Graham slipped his guards at Port Townsend while his wheat ship waited—after a Tacoma crew of 23 was rounded up with beatings, revolvers, and two bewildered Japanese men.

    Jan 6, 1895The Seattle Post-IntelligencerPort Townsend harbor, Port TownsendWork & Pay · True Crime

  25. The Day the Umpire Declared War: A Baseball Riot in the Tri-Cities

    In April 1914, a dispute over a base-running call in Richland escalated into a physical standoff, forcing an umpire to forfeit the game and leaving the Highland team walking off the field in protest.

    Apr 23, 1914The Kennewick Courier-ReporterRichland, Benton CountyNightlife

Also about this, in other words

  1. The Unlucky Runner of Kennewick

    A mysterious stranger who attempted a high-speed escape from local law enforcement is put to work on the city streets.

    Aug 26, 1915The Kennewick Courier-ReporterKennewick

  2. The 'Seedy' Runner Who Was More Than He Seemed

    A stranger arriving in Seattle claimed ignorance of foot-racing rules, only to reveal himself as a skilled athlete in disguise.

    Sep 8, 1883Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle

  3. The Boy Who Ran a Mile for a Handkerchief

    A Seattle youth sprints down Wayne Street to stop an excursion boat, not to catch his sister, but because she left her flirtation handkerchief behind.

    Sep 15, 1876The Daily IntelligencerWayne Street, Seattle

  4. The High-Stakes Duel on Jackson Street

    Two prominent Seattle businessmen settled a long-standing rivalry with an elaborate, heavily trained, and well-wagered foot race across a city bridge.

    Mar 16, 1886Seattle Daily Post-IntelligencerSeattle

  5. The Unintended Cross-Country Runner

    A postal worker’s bicycle breakdown in Marysville leads to a terrifying, high-speed foot race with a black bear.

    Apr 16, 1904The Tacoma TimesMarysville

  6. A Runaway Team Charges Down Main Street

    A dray team belonging to William DeSpain bolted, leading to a high-speed scene of terror on the main thoroughfare of Ritzville.

    Apr 13, 1898Adams County NewsRitzville

  7. A Foolish Wager on Main Street

    An overconfident local man loses money after betting his horse could outrun a human in a downtown race.

    Apr 9, 1909The Oroville Weekly GazetteMain Street, Oroville

  8. The First Annual Tacoma High School Cross-Country Run

    High school athletes brave snowy conditions to set new records in the city's first cross-country race.

    Jan 25, 1909The Tacoma TimesStadium High School, Tacoma

Download all 54 as a spreadsheet (CSV)