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| Year | Stories |
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| 1861 | 1 |
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47 stories matching sneak
- The Case of the Missing Fifty Dollars
A Seattle woman accuses a dye-house solicitor of grand larceny after claiming she left money in the pocket of a dress sent out for cleaning.
- The Shoemaker's Retribution
A downtown confrontation erupts after a local businessman catches a thief red-handed.
- Exposition Jewelry Heist
A thief disguised as a farmer tricks a clerk during the Tacoma Industrial Exposition to steal jewelry.
- The Thief Who Stole a Coat Under the Nose of the Law
A bold pickpocket makes the mistake of committing his crime right under the watchful gaze of a city official.
- Theft at Simon & Brownstone
A store in the city is broken into by thieves, prompting calls for more vigorous policing as property crimes rise.
- Telephone Justice for a Livery Thief
A would-be thief who fleeces his benefactor is caught after an early use of long-distance communication stops him on the boat to Westport.
- The Strange Heist at the Palmer Inn
A 'masculine-looking' woman and a mysterious accomplice used a passkey to clean out a Seattle boarding house, leaving guests with empty trunks.
- The Heist at the Seattle Saloon
Clever thieves target a West Yesler Avenue saloon, concealing themselves in a ladies' box to bypass security and escape with cash.
- The Dog Who Fought the Thief: Seattle’s Mastiff vs. The Ring
A loyal mastiff in Seattle discovered a burglar's bloody trail but refused to name names, leaving locals to wonder if the 'ring' would silence him before fall.
- The Steamboat Scheme to Sneak 10,000 Sheep into Washington
Barred from driving his Oregon flocks through Klickitat County, M. McLennan charters a special steamer to slip them into Skamania County and on to Yakima.
- The Stowaways of the Laurada: A $50 Fine for a Trip North
Two men caught sneaking aboard a steamer bound for Alaska were forced to disembark in Bellingham, facing Canadian customs penalties and a hefty fine.
- The Great North End Porch Raids
A string of minor thefts in Tacoma's North End has residents tracking footprints in the snow to find the culprits who made off with their cold victuals.
- Late Night Assault at a Front Street Restaurant
A restaurant cook survives an assault after being struck with a revolver by a man who infiltrated the back of the establishment.
- A Duel of Words in Olympia
A simmering political feud between an old soldier and a newspaper editor erupts into a public challenge to settle scores in the streets.
- A Fatal Leap from a Moving Train
A young boy, riding the 'blind baggage' car to sneak a ride home, died after jumping from a moving Northern Pacific train near the Grant street bridge.
- A Frontier Feud: The Scathing Attack on Byon F. Kendall
A brutal public broadside against political rival Byon F. Kendall highlights the vitriolic nature of local 1860s journalism.
- The Industrial Army’s Great Trek East
As Coxey's 'Industrial Army' traverses Washington, cold, hungry men turn to rail-hopping and the kindness of strangers to reach their destination.
- The Great Border Horse Smuggling Escape
A persistent carpenter tries to outrun the law through a blind canyon to avoid customs duties on his prize stallion.
- Seattle’s Burglary Panic Didn’t Survive the Record Book
Police Chief Rogers pushed back on calls to expand the force, producing department figures that showed theft reports down by half—and blamed the rest on sneak thieves rather than professionals.
- Late-Night Musings in the Snow
A quiet, philosophical reflection on the difficulty of focusing one’s mind during a winter night in Yakima.
- The Fugitive in the Mill
A murder suspect evades the law by slipping past witnesses in Sprague.
- The Watch Thief of Front Street
A desperate thief snatched a gold watch from a construction site, triggering a neighborhood chase that ended in a vacant lot.
- The Barber Who Ran for Mayor: A Dream of Detective Work
When an unsuccessful mayoral candidate applied for a municipal detective job in 1891, his bizarre, globe-trotting proposal sent the Ballard City Council into fits of laughter.
- The Grocer and the Cheese Thief
When local police were too busy to help, a Front Street store owner took matters into his own hands.
- The Price of Company Towns
A reporter sneaks into a Washington logging camp to expose how the company store system trapped workers in a cycle of debt and misery.