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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1916 | 2 |
51 stories matching seller
- The Lie That Kept a Father in Jail
Clara Sellers, 13, recants her incest charge, freeing A. Sellers after seven months—but not before he sold his farm to pay for his defense.
- The Relief Scandal: Secretary Accused of Profiteering from the Needy
A Seattle relief committee secretary faces investigation after allegations that he cashed a relief check and kept the majority of the funds.
- The Drummer’s Deed: A Tale of Lost Blocks and Mutual Recrimination
A traveling salesman thought he’d scored a bargain on Seattle real estate, only to discover his deed was for the wrong lot—and his seller had no idea either.
- The Patent Medicine Riot in Vancouver
A traveling troupe of medicine sellers barely escapes a mob of soldiers and citizens after a guarantee of 'money refunded' turns violent.
- Judge Glasgow Fines Lake Washington's Beer Sellers by the Barrel
Saloon keepers at Madrona Park and the Madison Street pavilion plead guilty, and the police court scales fines to their liquor bills.
- The Shadow Over Seattle: A Councilman’s Scathing Exposé of Vice
In 1891, a fiery letter from C. B. Bagley to the Post-Intelligencer accused the mayor and police chief of being puppets to the city’s most notorious gamblers and saloon-keepers.
- The Pulpit Versus the Saloon
Rev. Wallace Nutting denounces Seattle's 'reform' government for failing to regulate nightlife and corruption.
- The Midnight Coup at City Hall
A bloodless revolution unfolds as the board of aldermen attempts to oust Acting Mayor Sweeney over a dispute regarding legalized gambling.
- The Clam-Seller and the Street-Car: A Seattle Reckoning
When a man was killed by a train on a Seattle street, a bystander's callous comment sparked a confrontation that exposed the deep-seated tensions of the city's growing industrial landscape.
- The Tailor, the Raffle Ticket, and the Entire Afternoon Police Force
A well-dressed Californian sold chances on a $30 suit of clothes to nearly every patrolman in Seattle. Then the drawing night came and went — and the swindled cops hauled him in themselves.
- Fatal Poisoning in the Reservation
A Yakima Indian dies instantly after consuming lemon extract laced with strychnine, prompting a medical investigation.
- "That Ticket Has Blood on It": The Night Seattle Was Haunted by a Cursed Bill
A mysterious $5 bill with a death threat scribbled on the back sparked a city-wide panic and a frantic search for two young women who vanished into the night.
- The $84,000 Lesson: How Two Men Haggled Over Seattle’s Future
A Walla Walla wheat king and a local real estate agent engage in a high-stakes negotiation for Front Street property, revealing the speculative fever gripping early 20th-century Seattle.
- The Rat That Didn't Die: A Seattle Street Performer’s Electric Shock Gambit
In a desperate bid to steal customers from a rival vendor on Commercial Street, an electricity salesman rigged a dead rat to a copper plate—only for the rodent to remain stubbornly lifeless.
- Seattle Newsboys Battle the 'Ledger'
A newly formed union of newspaper sellers takes a stand against a Tacoma paper, sparking a confrontation over 'scab' labor and restaurant-bought loyalties.
- The Man Who Bought His Own Death
In a Seattle saloon in 1877, a gambler named 'Hilly Hacker' was challenged by a stranger with a shotgun. Hacker’s response? He bet the man $50 that he could buy him 20,000 shares of stock at a higher price before the market opened—proving his nerve was stronger than any weapon.
- The Street Hawker's Stand Against Discriminatory Laws
When a Chinese produce seller was arrested for violating city peddling ordinances, he challenged the legality of a law targeting his livelihood all the way to the Chief Justice's chambers.
- Tacoma’s 'Pig in a Poke' Water Deal
Taxpayers revolt against a dubious multi-million dollar municipal purchase of water and electric assets.
- Chicago Capital Asks Newport for a 50-Year Power Franchise
A $10 million consolidation swallows up regional electric plants and promises 24-hour service, but first it wants the city council to extend the Northern Electric franchise for half a century.
- The Beer Garden vs. The Hospital: A Tacoma Land Grab Turns Violent
When a liquor seller tried to build a beer garden on land encroaching on the Fannie Paddock Hospital, the hospital staff fought back with guards and lawyers, sparking a legal battle over property lines in old Tacoma.
- The Short, Lavish Reign of a Newsboy King
After finding a purse filled with gold and bills on a Seattle street, a young newsboy went on a spending spree that briefly transformed him into the wealthiest, most generous kid in the neighborhood.
- Two Preachers, One Real-Estate Boom, and a Referee’s Biblical Burn
In 1892 Seattle, ministers sold Ravenna Park lots from the pulpit—then sued each other over the commissions.
- The Flower Seller's Valise Held a Counterfeiter's Die
Z. M. Hawkins, who sold bouquets at Second and University, was held for trial after officers found a counterfeit dollar and a coin-making die—and a trail leading to a Mexican-dollar exchange in San Francisco.
- King County Lawmakers Want to Cut the Budget—and Railroad Rates
Ahead of the 1901 legislative session, King County’s representatives outline a shared agenda: slash state expenses, abolish useless commissions, lower railroad freight and passenger rates, and create a state grain inspector to protect farmers from brokers.
- Seattle's Saloon Keepers Face the 'High License' Squeeze
As 1885 begins, the city cracks down on liquor sellers, leaving many owners struggling to pay their bonds—and prompting some to consider an honest day's work instead.
Also about this, in other words
- The Cigar Salesman Who Never Delivered
A young man is arrested in Seattle after allegedly defrauding a local store owner in a suspicious trade agreement.
- The Book Agent's Quick Exit
A traveling book salesman avoids a long legal ordeal by pleading guilty and leaving town immediately.
- The Persistent Peddler of Front Street
A persistent brush salesman tries to make a sale in 1876 Seattle, leading to an amusing exchange about baldness and local vanity.
- The Vanishing Tailor
A charismatic salesman bilks local businesses out of hundreds of dollars before fleeing the city, leaving his manager and creditors in the lurch.
- The Con Artist's Tearful Pitch
A traveler uses a tragic tale of fire and loss to test the hospitality of a Seattle resident.
- Bondholders Take the Street Railway at a Courthouse Auction
The Rainier Power & Railway Company sells for $15,000, handing a troubled transit line to the men who held its debt.
- The Fruit Broker Who Shipped Bananas to the Arctic—and Planned to Make His Employees Co-Owners
J. B. Powles buys out Seattle's oldest commission house, revealing a rags-to-fortune run built on produce, Alaska trade and an unusual plan to share ownership with his workers.
- The Clerk’s Odd Sales Pitch
A farmer learns a strange and aggressive new way to test if his wife is 'sound' while shopping in 1877 Seattle.