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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 3 |
| 1862 | 3 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 16 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 11 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 7 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 12 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 10 |
| 1889 | 27 |
| 1890 | 4 |
| 1891 | 30 |
| 1892 | 54 |
| 1893 | 54 |
| 1894 | 44 |
| 1895 | 28 |
| 1899 | 7 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 28 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 13 |
| 1910 | 9 |
| 1911 | 5 |
| 1912 | 2 |
| 1914 | 9 |
| 1915 | 10 |
| 1916 | 8 |
| 1917 | 13 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
477 stories matching specif
- The Judge Who Was Drunk on the Bench and Threatened to Fill a Man with Lead
A legislative committee in Olympia substantiates charges that Chehalis Judge W.W. Langhorne dismissed cases unread, threatened a man with a revolver, and traded court favors for political help.
- The Judge, the Revolver, and the Impeachment Petition
A former judge tells Olympia that Judge W. W. Langhorne drinks on the bench, bullies lawyers, and has threatened to shoot him — and asks the House to remove him.
- The Night Seattle Fought Over Its Streetlights
A special meeting of the Board of Aldermen turns into a tense negotiation with the Union Electric Company over the terms, safeguards and cost of lighting the city.
- The Judge Who Gambled Away His Office: Soderberg’s Dramatic Resignation
After the grand jury returned five indictments for extortion and malfeasance in office, District Attorney Joseph Soderberg walked into court, tendered his resignation, and declared he would repay every illegal fee to the county treasury.
- The $12,000 Garbage Scow: How Seattle’s City Council Tried to Buy a Trash Boat for Less Than a House
When the lowest bid for a municipal garbage scow came in at nearly $13,000—more than double the estimate—the city council was forced to slash specifications, revealing the tight financial straits of early 20th-century Seattle.
- The Battle Over the Kennewick-Finley Road
A local editor defends the controversial seven-mile stretch of oiled road against critics, citing cost-effectiveness and utility.
- Seattle Tries to Halve Its Street-Light Bill
A council debate over arc versus incandescent lamps exposed ward rivalries and a fight over how much control the city should keep over a private lighting contract.
- The Right to Get Paid
A landmark Washington Supreme Court ruling secures the rights of loggers to file collective liens against timber companies.
- The Mayor vs. The Chief of Police
A high-stakes power struggle unfolds in 1885 Seattle as the Mayor moves to impeach his Chief of Police for refusing to crack down on unlicensed saloons.
- The Crumbling Courthouse Scandal
County officials halt construction on the new courthouse after discovering contractors used substandard materials and ignored building specifications.
- The County Courthouse Construction Scandal
A superintendent is forced out after refusing to accept substandard materials for the new county building.
- The Battle Over Gold and Greenbacks in Walla Walla
A legal dispute over whether debts must be paid in gold or federal paper money echoes the era's financial uncertainty.
- A Dispute Over Highway Specifications
The local Commercial Club pushes to stretch a highway project budget to cover seven miles rather than three, prioritizing the immediate needs of pioneers over future durability.
- The Normal School Was Cleared. The Unpaid Workers Weren’t.
A legislative committee investigating the Ellensburg Normal School found no corruption among trustees—only changed plans, discounted emergency scrip, and laborers left chasing a contractor.
- The Powder Barrel Scandal: Seattle’s City Council vs. The Police Chief
A fiery public dispute over missing dynamite and unauthorized absences exposes deep friction in the Seattle city government of 1885.
- The Asphalt Monopoly on Pacific Avenue
Tacoma’s city government faces pressure as questions arise over paving specifications that seem designed to benefit a massive asphalt trust.
- The Mayor's Private Police Force
A police commissioner resigns after Mayor Ronald demands the dismissal of specific officers to clear the way for his own political appointees.
- A City Council, a Bank, and a $15,000 Blackmail Charge
Tacoma's council demanded that the Ledger prove its bribery allegations in person. The paper refused, calling the council unfit to investigate itself—while the Tacoma News denied that a local bank had been shaken down for $15,000.
- A Wife's Testimony Was Enough: Supreme Court Reverses Divorce Denial
The Washington Supreme Court ruled that a wife's own account of cruelty and habitual drunkenness could justify a divorce, reversing a lower court that had dismissed Nellie Lee's case.
- The Battle Over the Plummer House
Mayor Ronald blocks a city ordinance that would have extended liquor limits to a specific building, sparking a public outcry from residents and churchgoers.
- Queen Anne Taxpayers Fight for School Funding
Local residents mount a legal challenge against the county treasurer to ensure tax levies specifically intended for new schoolhouses are spent as promised.
- A Warning to Job-Seekers in New Tacoma
A desperate laborer cautions newcomers against the hollow promises of the growing rail boom in New Tacoma, where public work is diverted to outsiders while locals starve.
- The Warehouseman’s Betrayal
A legal dispute over the embezzlement of wheat highlights the fragile trust of the Palouse agricultural economy.
- Richland Bridge Contract Nullified by State Oversight
A procedural shortcut taken by county commissioners to build a bridge has backfired, with the state declaring their contract void for lack of competitive bidding.
- Labor Leader Takes the Stand Against Court Injunctions
Ernest P. Marsh, representing Everett laborers at the national convention, details the fight to defend free speech and the right to boycott amidst the Buck Stove and Range case.