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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
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| 1892 | 7 |
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27 stories matching smear
- The Horse Medicine Vendetta
A tense dispute at an American Lake campsite results in a warrant after a man allegedly smears horse medicine over his neighbor's bedclothes.
- Legislative Turf Wars in the Early Days
Despite attempts to smear the new leadership as corrupt, the first Legislative Assembly of Washington Territory successfully organized its houses in Olympia.
- The Water Works Scandal
Ex-superintendent W. E. Wilson fights back against corruption allegations and his former board.
- The Scandal at Walla Walla Schools
A school board member resigns in protest after the superintendent is re-elected despite allegations of financial misconduct.
- The Hometown Defense of John H. McGraw
Facing a smear campaign from political rivals in Tacoma, the future Washington governor calls on his former neighbors in Danforth, Maine, to vouch for his character.
- The Day the Students Dethroned Their Teacher
A classroom revolt in Waitsburg turns physical, leaving a respected educator humiliated and the school district in search of leadership.
- The Pastor Who Refused to Be Shamed
When an anonymous article smeared a local minister, his Seattle congregation stood by their leader with a bold, public defense of his character.
- City Officials Accused of Corruption and Incompetence
Former Superintendent of Water Works files scathing charges against the Board of Public Works over pump contracts and political job-trading.
- The Political War of the Sound: Tacoma versus Seattle
As gubernatorial candidate John H. McGraw barnstorms the state, Tacoma’s political elite launch a bitter, personal smear campaign against him, citing his connection to Seattle's growth.
- The Pioneer Defense of John McGraw
Prominent Seattle figures and old neighbors rally to defend gubernatorial candidate John McGraw against smear campaigns claiming he once ran a gambling house.
- Sensationalism Pursues a Former New York Educator
A cruel smear campaign against a Seattle man proves the devastating power of yellow journalism in the young state of Washington.
- A Smear Campaign in the Seattle Streets: Newspaper Turf Wars and Local Politics
A reader writes in to defend Senator Allen against a rival political 'combine' flooding Seattle with Tacoma newspapers to influence local opinion.
- The Political Hatchet Job That Failed
A Port Townsend city treasurer finds himself the victim of a coordinated, sensationalist smear campaign—only for the local press to walk it back.
- The Oregon Land Agent’s Smear Campaign
When a rival state agent spread wild lies about 'timber forty feet deep' and 'streets of sawdust,' early Snohomish settlers fought back to set the record straight.
- The Underworld War Over Seattle’s Gambling Dens
A rival gambling faction uses the press to smear the Chief of Police while police corruption allegations bubble up in the city’s saloons.
- The Scandal of the 'Superba' Company
An actress fights back after her employer allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign to fire her without cause.
- A Bloody Knife Turns Up at Madrona Park After Michael Warren's Death
A woman finds a three-bladed knife near the spot where Warren cut his throat, giving Seattle police a possible missing link in a grim holiday mystery.
- A Smear, a Denial, and the Sheriff's Race
Stevens County Republicans disavowed a circular attacking the Democratic sheriff candidate—and insisted their own man, T. J. Turk, had nothing to do with it.
- The Newspaper Feud That Put Seattle’s City Hall to Shame
When an anonymous local columnist tried to smear Seattle’s city leadership as 'unnecessary ornaments,' the Evening Dispatch fired back with a sharp defense of municipal stability.
- The Land Office Commissioner Caught in a Crossfire of Corruption
When Commissioner William Sparks began fighting land-grabbing monopolies, the corporate press launched a smear campaign calling him insane, ruffian, and incompetent.
- The Customs Officer and the Paper Trail
A San Francisco dispatch accuses a former Port Townsend customs inspector of leading a ring that forged Chinese immigration certificates. His neighbors call it a smear.
- A Custom Official's Reputation Cleared
A malicious smear campaign against a Seattle official, fueled by Tacoma gossip, falls apart after the accuser retracts his claims.
- The Chief of Police’s Private Vendetta
Seattle’s police chief is under fire for allegedly using his badge to smear a peaceful citizen through fabricated letters and baseless professional surveillance.
- The Great Northern President vs. The Boarding House Landlady
Railroad tycoon James J. Hill had to prove his identity with a handful of letters after being told to 'get out' by a Fairhaven woman who mistook him for a tramp.
- 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.