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25 stories matching slayer
- The Double Standard of Seattle Justice
An editorial challenges the public sympathy afforded to a female slayer, arguing that the law must remain blind to gender in cases of homicide.
- Justice at a Standstill in Seattle
A woman accused of murder walks free while witnesses vanish, exposing a failure of the local court system.
- The Body in the Hen House: An Unidentified Murder Near Eagle Harbor
A well-dressed stranger was found half-burned in an abandoned Kitsap County farmhouse, with only spectacles, a corkscrew, and a torn newspaper to say who he was.
- The Absinthe Defense: How a 'Swissess' and a Headache Saved a Murderer's Life
In the high-profile Spencer trial in Spokane, witnesses testified that Edward Spencer drank absinthe to sober up before killing Ella Mundt. The court heard he was 'jolly' until the end.
- The Man Who Shot His Ex-Wife and Asked a Stranger to Finish the Job
In a chilling display of domestic violence in 1914 Prosser, Harry Favor shot his divorced wife Lucile Schultz dead, then calmly helped her into a buggy and begged bystanders to kill him before fleeing.
- The Hangman's Verdict: John Thompson Convicted of Murder in Snohomish
A trial that captivated the entire Territory ends with a death sentence for a man accused of killing his friend during a drunken brawl over a card game.
- The Cold-Blooded Murder at the Copper Chief
A Seattle bartender is gunned down over a dispute about drink tabs, leading to a grim scene at the local undertaker's.
- A Deadly Brawl on the Grant Street Bridge
A notorious local plumber is killed in a violent confrontation with a Tacoma bartender after a night of heavy drinking.
- A Wooden Pistol Emptied the King County Jail
Thomas Blanck, awaiting appeal for murder, locked the night jailer in a cell and walked out with eight other prisoners—armed with a black wooden fake.
- A Candlelit Verdict in the Murphy Homicide Trial
Electric lights failed in the King County courthouse during instructions, casting a long shadow over the trial of James Murphy.
- The Alibi That Could Save a Condemned Man
A condemned man's fate hinges on a Tacoma Labor Day alibi, a jailhouse confession, and a tailor who may have been pressured to identify bloody clothes.
- The $37,500 Handshake: How Benton County's Tax Crusaders Blessed a Courthouse Deal
Prosser's anti-tax league swore it would guard the public purse to the last janitor's salary. Then its own man changed his mind on Monday, and the Kennewick editor noticed where the $37,500 went.
- Vigilante Justice Follows the Murder of a Pierce County Leader
A mass-meeting in Steilacoom formalizes the community's outrage over the vigilante killing of a citizen-slayer, reflecting deep distrust in the local courts.
- The Hunt for 'Stone'
A vigilante call to action follows the murder of a citizen.
- The Marriage Defense
A lawyer attempts to delay a murder trial by arguing that the defendant is still legally married to the state's star witness.
- The Fatal Tradition of Medicine Men
A tragic report from Klickitat County details the violent death of a traditional healer, highlighting the clash between Indigenous medical customs and outside influences.
- The Drunken Tragedy of the Minsch Brothers
A local jury delivers a second-degree murder verdict for a deputy U.S. marshal who killed his brother in a drunken rage.
- Whatcom County Vendetta: A Land Claim Reopens a Frontier Killing
A routine land-office inquiry near Ferndale revived the story of John Guildy, who shot two members of the Mayfield family and was then hunted down and killed by a nine-man posse.
- A Miner's Jealous Rage: Esau Baltimore Weeps Over the Roslyn Murder
Esau Baltimore waives examination for the shooting death of Mrs. Lillie Turner and is bound over to superior court, while friends of the victim debate taking justice into their own hands.
- The Widow, the Mayor, and the Killing of William Three Mountains
After a Spokane chief was killed, his widow walked into Mayor Glover’s office to settle a five-year-old debt—a story the paper framed with the era’s racism.
- The Man Who Couldn't Sleep: A Murderer's Five-Year Nightmare Ends in Seattle
William Devitt, a fugitive from a Pennsylvania railroad murder, surrenders to Seattle police after five years of wandering the South, claiming his conscience has finally caught up with him.
- Manacled to the Courthouse
Two murder suspects arrive in Judge Snell's court in shackles to face capital charges as the city watches.
- The Blackmailer Who Freed a Murder Defendant
James D. McGaughey walked out of a Seattle courtroom a free man after the state’s own witness admitted a blackmail scheme against the murdered doctor.
- Three Bullets, Then Silence
James J. Holt survived W.N. White's gunfire, but hospital staff sealed him off from questions while White's body was carried back to Olympia.
- The Serpent Slayer of Chehalis
A man wanders into town wearing a top hat to battle a monster he believes is terrorizing the rail lines.
Also about this, in other words
- A Cowboy's Fatal Rage
A domestic dispute in the upper country leads to a brutal killing, as the perpetrator attempts to flee via the Seattle steamers.
- ‘You Are Hanging an Innocent Man’: A Condemned Killer’s Last Words Before 4,000 Witnesses
Ezra Snoderly, one of the Cummins murderers, is hanged in Dayton’s courthouse square — insisting to the very end that he dies for another man’s crime, while the crowd judges him ‘game.’
- A Fatal Feast
A lonely wood chopper, accustomed to 'baching' on meager meals, succumbs to convulsions after being invited to a generous home-cooked dinner.
- Lost for Days, 'Scotty' Crawls Out of the Metaline Woods
A young hunter loses his way near Sullivan Lake and survives on luck, hunters, and sheer endurance—shoes worn through and fingernails down to the quick.
- The 'Saddle-Rock' Chop House: Seattle's 24/7 Energy
In 1876, the Saddle-Rock Chop House promised hungry Seattle laborers and travelers a meal at any hour of the day or night.
- The State’s War on Coyotes
Washington’s Department of Agriculture launches a statewide 'Poison Month' to combat rabies by eliminating predatory animals.
- Vigilantism in Wiser
A deputy sheriff takes three men into custody for the targeting of Chinese laborers.
- The Penitent Lion-Tamer
A quiet laborer in a traveling Seattle menagerie finds redemption through a final, fatal sacrifice.