Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1910 | 3 |
| 1915 | 1 |
49 stories matching slap
- The Bank Clerk Who Slapped the Boss
Josie Holmes, a local bank clerk, finds herself in jail for her role in a financial scandal, but her reputation in Seattle remains that of an indomitable figure who refused to bow to her corrupt employer.
- A Woman's Defiance on Third Street
After being accosted by a stranger, a Seattle woman fought back and demanded his arrest.
- The Hot Linseed Poultice: A Seattle Marriage Ends in Burns and Bankruptcy
When Mrs. Water’s anger boiled over, she didn’t just yell—she slapped a steaming poultice of linseed mush onto her husband’s head. The Superior Court had to decide if this was cruelty or just a bad day.
- The Madam, the Capitalist, and the Broken Door
Lou Graham, who ran a South Fourth Street brothel, swore out a warrant against a wealthy Seattle capitalist after a drunken spree ended with a slap—and a quiet cover-up.
- The Third and Last Time: A Yesler Avenue Marriage Comes Apart in Public
A grocery clerk's wife, reported to have cleared out with half the household goods, tells a reporter the split was mutual — and that her husband handed her $1.10 as a parting gift after threatening her and slapping their little boy.
- A Dispute Over Laundry and Etiquette
A laundryman and a theatrical man clash in a courtroom, highlighting cultural prejudices of the 1890s.
- The Dentist’s Twisted Domesticity
A young bride files for divorce in Seattle, exposing a horrific cycle of abuse and control behind the closed doors of a prominent dentist’s home.
- The Open-Air Slumber of Seattle's Waterfront
When the summer heat turned tenement apartments into 'human lumber-boxes,' thousands of Seattle residents—men, women, and children alike—sought respite by camping overnight on the exposed, city-owned piers.
- The Newsboys' War Against the Ledger
Tacoma’s newspaper war turns street-level as organized newsboys mobilize to block the sale of a scab publication.
- The Night Federal Agents Made Chinatown Show Its Papers
A certificate sweep through Wa Chong’s rooms broke up card games and opium pipes and netted one man accused of lying in a deportation case.
- A Dismissed Complaint, Then a Woodshed Ambush in Tacoma
Maggie Kornder had charged Mike Pfeifle with threatening her. A judge let the case go; days later, the rejected suitor hid in her employer's woodshed and shot her before turning the gun on himself.
- The Unchecked Power of a Federal Official
A federal official at the Seattle land office, known for his hot temper and suspicious treatment of settlers, escapes a serious perjury investigation with only a slap on the wrist.
- Fatal Shooting at Franklin Coal Mine
A quarrel between roommates at the Franklin coal camp ends in a point-blank execution, leaving the community reeling and the assailant in custody.
- The Trial of Little Willie Holmes
A young miner stands accused of killing a coworker in Franklin, revealing a community torn between justice and sympathy for the accused.
- Washington's Fourth Legislature Adjourns After a Marathon Final Day
Lawmakers pass 53 bills, defeat a school-book trust, kill a Seattle-Tacoma bridewell, and bury woman suffrage for at least two years.
- Everett Machinists Strike for the Eight-Hour Day
As local metal workers walk off the job, the Chamber of Commerce hides behind 'open shop' rhetoric to suppress the growing union movement.
- Chamber of Commerce Targets Striking Machinists
The Everett Chamber of Commerce declares for the 'open shop' amid a heated eight-hour workday strike.
- The Divorce Case Slugfest
A bitter custody and alimony dispute turns physical in a Tacoma law office.
- Judge Greene Slaps Down Legal Nitpicking
A Territorial judge refuses to let a clerical error in the law strip working teamsters of their property exemptions.
- The Railroad That Decided It Did Not Have to Obey the State
Great Northern built a $20,000 depot at Odessa as a gift to a friendly town — while flatly ignoring orders from the Washington Railroad Commission. Now the commission says it will prosecute.
- The St. Charles Swindle: A Hotel Proprietor Vanishes Owing $2,500
A charming stranger leases a Second Street hotel, furnishes it on credit, then slips away to Tacoma—leaving creditors, rumors of a false wife, and a trail of attachment suits.
- The Temperance Fight Hits Local Garrisons
Legislators move to ban saloons near military homes, targeting Orting and Puget Sound shipyards in a sweeping dry campaign.
- The Populist Editor, the Divorce, and the Cruelty Charge
Norah Morrow sues P. Frank Morrow of the Ballard Progress for divorce, alleging years of abuse and a refusal to support their three children.
- Seattle's Gamblers Tried to Oust the Police Chief—and Failed Spectacularly
A behind-the-scenes scheme to replace Chief Jackson unraveled when the mayor and commissioners turned on the acting mayor, leaving gamblers from Tacoma with nothing but regrets.
- The Steamboat Inspector's Reckoning
Capt. Bryant admits free rides, denies bribery, and trades accusations with the pilots and captains who want him removed from the Seattle inspection office.
Also about this, in other words
- Thanksgiving Prank Turns Violent in North Seattle
A holiday game involving neighborhood boys resulted in a knifing and an arrest after a scuffle broke out on Battery Street.
- An unfortunate encounter with a detective
A citizen is fined for confronting an undercover officer after a heated exchange near the circus grounds.
- A Red-Ink Grudge in Tacoma
A minor mail-tampering incident leads to a brutal cane and boot assault at a Tacoma boarding house.
- A Domestic Dispute Involving a Flat Iron
A husband and wife near the Walla Walla garrison settle their marital grievances in court after a heated altercation.
- The Gambler’s Wrath: Seattle’s Tenderloin King Beats a Wealthy Merchant for Insulting His Wife
Johnny Clancy, known as the 'boss gambler' of Seattle, publicly assaults clothing merchant Jules Redelsheimer in his own store after alleging that Redelsheimer propositioned Clancy's wife on the street.
- A Horsewhipping on Fourth Street
Herman Ramm publicly thrashed Dan House with a blacksnake whip, drawing a crowd—and leaving the 'outrageous offense' unnamed.
- The Brutal Assault of a Seattle Resident
In an era of casual domestic violence, a man was held to account after beating his wife in their home.
- A Furniture Store Fisticuff
A social slight between families led to a curse-filled brawl inside a Second Street furniture shop.