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58 stories matching slander
- A Drunk Man Mistakes a Stranger for a Burglar—and Lands in a Slander Suit
After his house was broken into, Capt. Peter Jensen drowned his sorrows, spotted Henry Wolfe on Front Street and accused him of the burglary. Wolfe knocked him down; now a jury weighs the wreckage.
- Presbytery Suspends Minister for Slander
A long-running ecclesiastical dispute concludes as Reverend M. G. Mann is convicted of slandering his successor using hearsay from the Puyallup reservation.
- The Seattle Editor Who Fought a Mob
After being accused of being a 'blatant traitor' and a secret sympathizer of Lincoln’s assassin, Seattle publisher Beriah Brown strikes back at his political rival.
- The Preacher, the Slanderer and the Methodist Conference
Tacoma's Methodist conference accepted a report clearing Rev. Ford of charges that he seduced a girl in Arkansas and embezzled money, while branding his accuser a slanderer.
- The Scapegoat of Pierce County
A prominent local businessman finds himself the target of a smear campaign after a financial scandal guts the county treasury, revealing the toxic power of public rumor in 1870s Tacoma.
- The Street Corner Stabbing
A tavern worker is violently assaulted in broad daylight in front of a downtown Seattle bank following a dispute over slanderous rumors.
- The Neighborhood War on Jefferson Avenue
A Seattle dispute between neighbors over slanderous accusations and a bizarre $20 bet leads to a court appearance and community tension.
- A Seattle Hotel Death, a Body Exhumed, and a Family’s Slander Suit
Miss Witnail died suddenly after the Pollocks brought her west; when an Iowa coroner found childbirth, accusations and lawsuits followed.
- The Territorial Auditor and the Slander Machine
When the Walla Walla Statesman accused a prominent territorial official of being a fugitive felon, it sparked a local crisis in journalistic ethics and public reputation.
- A Local Reputation at Stake
Bertha Denton fights back against media portrayals, threatening a slander suit following reports about her actions at Camp Murray.
- Col. Lewis Defends the Militia Against Corporate Capture
A fiery speech at the Seattle Armory denies that the state militia is a tool of the railroads, drawing cheers from 1,500 spectators.
- A Missionary, a Forged Petition, and the Fight Over a Puyallup Church
Rev. M. G. Mann was suspended for slander after questioning a document that put a new missionary in charge of Native church affairs at the Puyallup Reservation. He appealed to the Presbyterian synod, and the case became a local cause of comment.
- The $500 Vote: How a Spokane Judge’s Bribery Plot Exposed Seattle’s Political Rot
In the winter of 1903, Washington’s legislature was paralyzed by a scandal involving bribed senators and a desperate governor. When Representative Metcalfe revealed he was paid to vote for Judge Calkins, the resulting investigation tore through Olympia’s elite, revealing a web of corruption that threatened to define the state’s young democracy.
- A Plea Against Mob Violence
Prominent citizens petition Congress to protect the treaty rights of Chinese residents amidst a wave of xenophobic riots on the Pacific Coast.
- The Legal Scramble for Maynard’s Land
A bitter newspaper feud reveals the messy reality of early Seattle’s land titles, where a complex divorce and a 'lost' first wife sparked a struggle over ownership in the city’s heart.
- The Unsolved Disappearance of Peter Stanup
Community anxiety grows in Tacoma over the vanishing of a prominent Puyallup leader, with theories of foul play and political suppression circulating.
- The Asylum Poisoning Scandal
A state mental hospital is rocked by accusations that a patient was murdered, triggering a battle between local officials and an Eastern chemist.
- A Public Retraction of Slander
After circulating damaging rumors about a young woman in camp, a local man takes to the newspaper to publicly clear her name.
- The Scandal of Surveyor General Henry
Dr. Anson G. Henry fights back against accusations of swindling the government and bribery in a blistering public defense.
- The Trial of Judge Hoyt
Facing a barrage of 'partisan slander' in the race for state office, Judge John P. Hoyt fights back against claims he acted as a railroad puppet and denied due process to labor protesters.
- The Bitter Election Brawl of 1892
A fiery partisan editorial from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer dissects the chaotic city budget and heated mayoral campaign, revealing the deep political fractures of a young, booming Seattle.
- The Brutal Assault on a Chinese Laborer in Dayton
A local editor denounces the cowardly beating of a Chinese worker by his employer, highlighting the stark racial injustice and lack of protection for Asian laborers in 1892 Washington.
- The Newspaper Called Tacoma’s Council Corrupt. Then It Refused to Show Up.
When the Tacoma Ledger accused city officials of incompetence and dishonesty, the council demanded proof. The paper stayed home; the council denounced it and asked for a grand jury anyway.
- The Alderman, the Cable Road, and the Broken Promise to Double-Track Yesler
A former cable-road owner accuses a Seattle alderman of slander and demands the city force the Yesler Avenue line to honor its franchise and double-track Yesler and Jackson.
- The Scandalous Church Rivalry of 1872
A Seattle editor lashes out against a local rival, defending his character against allegations of meddling in the affairs of the Methodist Church.
Also about this, in other words
- Defamation Suit Filed Over 'Thieves and Skinners' Remark
A local merchant is suing for $10,000 in damages after being publicly accused of being a 'thief and skinner' by a man on Madison Street.
- The Courthouse Confrontation
A $10,000 slander suit between a judge and a bidder at a tax sale is resolved with a public apology.
- A Neighborhood Feud Turns Into a $10,000 Lawsuit
A second-hand dealer faces a high-stakes slander trial after a dispute over children in a Third Street alley turned into public accusations against a widow.
- The Unjust Public Shaming of J.E. Spafford
After the death of his wife, a Seattle laborer fights back against local gossip and accusations of neglect in a poignant appeal to the press.
- The Herald’s Legal Victory
A landmark criminal libel trial in Aberdeen concludes with an acquittal, sparking a debate over the role of the press in public accountability.
- The False Slander of Captain Mulcay
A shipping captain's reputation was nearly destroyed by a malicious, unverified rumor sent to San Francisco agents during a difficult labor shortage.
- A Ten-Thousand Dollar Critique
A former school board member sues the Aberdeen Herald for libel following pointed coverage of the board's actions.
- The Puppet Editor's Expensive Betrayal
A cautionary tale of a local 'figurehead' editor who was used by power brokers to spread libel, only to be abandoned when the lawsuits started arriving.