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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1885 | 2 |
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27 stories matching spat
- The Detective and the Sheriff
A brutal confrontation in a Tacoma hotel lobby leaves a well-known detective dead from a heart failure.
- The City's Ladder Was Too Short
When the volunteer fire company staged a demonstration at Frye's Opera House, the Mayor found the equipment wanting—and the resulting public spat was published in full.
- A Woman's Defiance on Third Street
After being accosted by a stranger, a Seattle woman fought back and demanded his arrest.
- The 'Lingerer' and the Moral Purge of Tacoma
A fiery 1885 editorial spat reveals the tension between town boosters and a 'Law and Order' movement intent on policing the morality of the emerging city.
- The Great Sewer Scandal (Apr 21, 1892)
A contractor and a city engineer trade accusations of threats and incompetence in a public, printed spat.
- The Shingle Mill Girls of Cosmopolis
A local lumber mill defies labor union expectations by hiring a crew of women, sparking both ridicule and admiration on the Pacific Coast.
- The Violent Expulsion of a Black Resident from Olympia
A white resident publicly recounts his role in forcing a Black man out of town, illustrating the overt racism prevalent in the territory during the Civil War era.
- The Electric Robe Wars: A Spokane Doctor’s Patent Battle in Walla Walla
Two physicians engage in a public spat over who invented the 'electric bath robe,' turning a local newspaper's letters page into a courtroom for medical innovation.
- The Unquiet Departure of J.R. McIlveen
After escaping a hospital ward and surviving a legal tug-of-war over his sanity, a Seattle man makes a sudden, dramatic exit.
- The Forger Who Called Himself 'Apache George' Dies in the County Jail
George Wendelin, a smooth-talking check passer who left Seattle firms holding worthless paper, is struck down by apoplexy before his case can go further.
- The Novel Experiment of Using Sheep to Tend Hops
Yakima hop growers are turning to livestock to solve labor costs and crop management in the fields.
- The Wheelbarrow Penance
A local landlord settles a lost election wager by wheeling his attorney through the streets of Yakima to the tune of a brass band.
- The Auditor and the Sheriff: A Public Spat Over Corruption
In the lead-up to the 1876 election, a public war of words between King County's Auditor and former Sheriff exposes the messy, opaque, and highly questionable state of territorial bookkeeping.
- The Detective’s Final Cough
An encounter between a sheriff and a detective ends in a quiet death, sparking a controversy over heart disease and allegations of abuse.
- The Neighbors Saw Him Leave at Dawn
A Seattle divorce trial turned on back-alley sightings, a borrowed key, and an aging co-respondent who came and went at all hours.
- The Bully of Wenatchee Gets Two Years
A notorious local agitator faces justice for a violent stabbing at a public dance.
- The Battle for the County Clerk's Desk
A public spat between M. C. Belle and W. S. Jenkins over whether the county clerk’s office is a bloated expense or a manageable public service.
- The Patent War Over the Electric Bath Robe
A public spat between a Spokane physician and an local 'professor' reveals the cutthroat market for pseudo-scientific wellness devices.
- A Literal Piece of Evidence
A Tacoma man presented his own severed nose to the police court following a brawl over a woman.
- The Skagit River Jam Scandal
A public spat between two men regarding the funds collected to clear the Skagit River, a vital waterway for early logging and shipping.
- Diva vs. The Property Man
A backstage spat at a local theater reveals the off-stage antics of an amateur dramatic troupe.
- The Politics of the Per Diem
A spat between county officials over travel expenses exposes the partisan friction simmering beneath local administrative life.
- The Great State Flower Feud
A public spat erupts between Washington women over whether the clover or the rhododendron should represent the state.
- The Auditor's Office Feud
A public spat between the Yakima Herald and Auditor Myron R. Ellis over the hiring of partisan clerks and the outsourcing of county printing contracts.
- The Battle Over Naming Baby Brown
A classic matrimonial spat from 1882 reveals the absurd lengths a Victorian couple went to avoid the common name 'Henry' for their newborn son.
Also about this, in other words
- The Flat-Iron, the Umbrella, and the Inkstand: A Port Townsend Divorce Suit
J. K. Meyer's divorce petition turns a respectable Port Townsend marriage into a catalogue of thrown household goods, alleged affairs, and very public embarrassment.
- A Bloody Feud on Sixth and Stewart
A candy store dispute between two Russian merchants escalates into a public street shooting in downtown Seattle.
- A Bloody Melee at the Saloon
A violent brawl involving 'tramps' and razors spills out onto the streets of Spokane Falls, ending with multiple arrests.
- A Bloody Political Dispute in a South Third Street Saloon
Partisanship and liquor lead to a brutal knifing after two men argue over their respective roles in local conventions.
- The Battle for Salmon Bay’s Sand Spit
A multi-year legal feud over a railway right-of-way and a squatter’s claim reaches the courtroom.
- Maritime Labor Violence at the Slip
A Chinese cook is brutally assaulted on a schooner at the Spring Street slip after complaining about unsafe working conditions.
- Blood Shed at the Waterfront
A violent clash between union longshoremen and strikebreakers at a Tacoma flour mill leaves three injured.
- 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.