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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 25 |
| 1877 | 20 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 30 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1886 | 10 |
| 1887 | 12 |
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| 1889 | 30 |
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| 1891 | 16 |
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| 1894 | 29 |
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| 1899 | 7 |
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| 1903 | 22 |
| 1904 | 9 |
| 1905 | 2 |
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| 1909 | 13 |
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| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 7 |
| 1915 | 8 |
| 1916 | 4 |
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399 stories matching stranger
- The Confidence Game on the Kalama-Tacoma Line
A traveler from Missouri lost his life savings to a smooth-talking stranger on a train, proving that 'confidence men' were a perennial threat to those passing through the region.
- A Councillor Settles a Political Argument With Clubs, Then Leaves Town
A quarrel over loyalty to the mayor ends in a back-lot club fight, a wounded stranger, and a town official who vanishes from the city.
- Two Men Asked to Test a Seattle Schooner. Then They Tried to Kill Its Captain.
A would-be buyer and his genteel companion lured Capt. Jud La Moure into Puget Sound, attacked him with a lead sounding weight, and demanded his gold watch—until he produced a hidden revolver.
- They Ran Him to Earth at Kent
After a jailbreak and a three-day manhunt, the Northwest's most wanted outlaw died in a roadside gunfight — but not before wounding one of the deputies who cornered him.
- The Gambler Who Won by Losing His Mind
A Seattle street scene from 1876 reveals a bizarre twist on luck: a man wins $50 not by knowing the score, but by believing he did.
- The Oyster Swindler of State Street
A mysterious philanthropist promises to feed the hungry of Seattle, only to vanish and leave the bill at a local restaurant.
- The Picky Buyer of Seattle
A skeptical land-seeker turns down a perfect farm because of a church organ, illustrating the absurd lengths of a real estate hunt.
- The Un-bucking Bronco
A town’s attempt to humble a cocky stranger with a legendary bucking horse backfires when the animal decides to behave.
- The Mysterious Death of a Traveling Book Agent
After M.T. Connellan, a well-dressed encyclopedia salesman, was found dead on a hotel floor, the man who brought him there was arrested, leaving Seattle to wonder about a life of secrets.
- The Bold Horse Thief of Kent
A brazen stranger makes off with a horse from a dance hall, leading authorities on a chase toward the British boundary.
- Con Men Target Ranch Owner With Locked-Box Poker
A Spokane County farmer loses his life savings in a classic confidence scheme involving a locked box and a mysterious stranger.
- A High-Stakes Carnival Chase
A hatless stranger dodges police bullets and makes a daring escape into a carnival tent.
- The Pugilist’s Surprise
A strongman looking for a wrestling match in early Seattle learns that a quiet demeanor doesn’t always mean a lack of spirit.
- The Smooth Stranger’s Trap: A Banker’s Warning Against the 'Get Rich Quick' Scam
In 1920s Kennewick, local banks warned citizens that 'smooth strangers' peddling investments were likely frauds, urging residents to keep their money in trusted institutions rather than chasing phantom profits.
- The Trial of a Seattle Anti-Chinese Rioter
In 1885, a local judge delivers a blistering instruction to a jury, reminding them that the 'stranger and sojourner' are entitled to the equal protection of American law during a time of rampant xenophobic violence.
- High Stakes and High Caliber
A casual card game at the Northern Hotel ends in a shooting, leaving a stranger in custody and a victim fighting for his life.
- The Stranger at the Oriental Hotel
A local man's keen instincts and a sharp-eyed witness led to the capture of a fugitive murderer hiding in plain sight in a Seattle rooming house.
- A Stranger's Bullet Leaves Fraser Dying—and Page Asking Seattle for a Fair Shake
Shot and dying, Fraser made his will and gave a statement to prosecutors while the accused gunman, held in the county jail, denied being a gambler or a tough and pleaded for a square hearing.
- The Madman of Pacific Avenue
A mysterious stranger who claimed he could blow up trains with his mind was committed to an asylum after being found pacing outside a Halstead house. Days later, his body washed up in the bay, sparking whispers of foul play.
- The Padlock Swindle on the Sidewalks of Seattle
A new arrival in Seattle was relieved of his life savings by a pair of confidence men using a trick lock and a fake partnership.
- The Stranger at the American House
A quiet traveler claiming to be a homesteader is revealed to be a double-murderer hiding from an Oregon bounty.
- The City That Couldn't Host Its Guests
As steamers bring hundreds of travelers to Seattle, local hotels are full and a new building sits empty in legal limbo, leaving strangers sleeping on docks.
- The Great Tacoma Housing Panic: Hotels Full, Strangers Sleeping on Floors
As the Puget Sound region braces for statehood and a railroad boom, Tacoma is facing a severe shortage of lodging. With every hotel in town crowded and strangers arriving daily, new arrivals are forced to seek shelter in private homes.
- The Ticket Taker's Midnight Mugging
A L'Allegro Club treasurer was lured from the dance floor into a trap, ending in a gagging and a $55 robbery.
- The Man Who Demanded Ten Thousand Dollars from the Law
A local man convinced an electrical machine was ordering him to collect a massive payday from the county deputy.
Also about this, in other words
- The Stranger on the Night Train
A railroad brakeman risks his reputation and job to help a stranded, elderly woman on a stormy night, only to discover a life-changing coincidence.
- The Stranger’s Fatal Fight at Benton
A bystander’s attempt to break up a tavern brawl in a small town near Seattle ends in a tragic, senseless death.
- The Stranger Who Cheated Fate
A high-stakes gambling dispute near Cathcart leads to a harrowing encounter with frontier justice.
- The Stranger from Pike
An eccentric traveler’s awkward recovery of a lost hat becomes a temporary spectacle on Main Street in Walla Walla.
- The Stranger at the Clarendon Hotel
A young man arrives in Seattle, keeps to himself, and ends his life in a locked hotel room, leaving behind only a name that may not be his own.
- The Stranger in the Basket
A disoriented woman arrives at the St. Charles Hotel, sparking a frantic search for her family in a city still finding its footing.
- The Stranger at the Door
A man exhibiting signs of mental distress was taken into custody after attempting to enter a Tacoma residence.
- A Violent Assault in the Shadows of Third Street
A stranger is brutally beaten in front of a funeral home by an unknown man while a woman watches in eerie silence.