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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1896 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
21 stories matching sucker
- The Political 'Sucker' and the Price of a Pint
After insulting local German-Americans, a desperate campaigner tried to buy forgiveness with free beer at Turner Hall—and failed miserably.
- The End of the Road for a Timber Swindler
A notorious operator who preyed on hopeful settlers finally lands behind bars after a farmer refuses to be cheated.
- The Anti-Ring Republicans Meet—and One Calls Them 'Suckers'
A Fifth Ward reform club gathers at the Masonic Temple to denounce the city machine, but a member warns the 'ring' has a big sack and is well organized.
- The Fight for Life in the Depths
A harrowing, vivid account of a fisherman's life-or-death struggle against a giant cephalopod, reprinted from Victor Hugo's 'Toilers of the Sea' in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- A Missing Man, a Dead Wife, and a Sewing Machine Full of Money
Joseph Von Lingenau vanished after his wife died in childbirth. His friends fear murder; his neighbors remember a man coming apart.
- The Colored Independents Demand Recognition: A Fight for Political Dignity in 1886 Seattle
As the city prepares to elect Frank Black as mayor, a newly formed club of Black voters secures a rare agreement from Republican leaders for political recognition, rejecting bribes and demanding respect in a segregated era.
- Gambling in the 'Chicago Dollar Store'
A call for city officials to shutter a fraudulent lottery operating in a Yesler building.
- The Machine Under Fire
An anonymous letter-writer accuses the local political establishment of corruption, illegal registrations, and voter suppression.
- The Devil-Fish of the Chehalis
Two local fishermen survive a terrifying encounter with a massive, tentacled monster in the waters of Grays Harbor.
- The Lamp-Explosion Racket at Snoqualmie
Confidence men peddling a miracle powder to stop lamp explosions are run out of town after a local skeptic replicates their 'scientific' trick without the product.
- The Lawyer Who Saved a 'Sucker'
A South Prairie man was nearly swindled out of $1,000 in a fake lottery scheme until he sought the advice of a prominent Seattle attorney.
- The Sedro Man Who Outsmarted Seattle’s Lottery Sharks
A traveling salesman from Sedro-Woolley walks away unscathed from a sophisticated confidence game in downtown Seattle, exposing the city's most prominent bunco ring.
- Gambling Debt and Ceiling Signals
A high-stakes poker cheat gets caught when his victim shoots through the floor.
- The Ghost of the Street: Seattle’s Most Prolific Teenage Con Artist
Before the age of identity theft, a nameless youth wandered the streets of 1892 Seattle, forging heartbreaking letters of loss to bilk the city's compassionate elite.
- The Faro Bank the Police Didn't See
A rival paper says Seattle's gambling is cleaned up; the Post-Intelligencer names the saloon, the four rooms and the men running a protected faro game.
- A Fifty-Pound Devil Fish Stuns West Seattle
Local anglers land a massive cephalopod in the harbor, turning it into a grisly roadside attraction at a neighborhood saloon.
- The Lumber Land Swindlers
A pair of con artists operating in Tacoma were arrested for selling fraudulent timber claims to unsuspecting laborers.
- The Devil-Fish of Port Orchard
A local fisherman's harrowing encounter with a tentacled beast off the coast of Kitsap County.
- The Evergreen 'Green Goods' Scam
A classic confidence trick that lures victims with the promise of counterfeit money.
- The Poker Con on the Anacortes Train
An unwary traveler loses twenty-five dollars to professional card sharps after a distraction at the window.
- The Unlikely Democracy of Old Seattle's Social Clubs
While business leaders built the city’s economy, a fragile web of tennis courts, chess clubs, and elite cotillion circles defined its social fabric in 1891.
Also about this, in other words
- A Street Fight Over a Package of Meat
A man attempted to steal a package of meat off the steps of the Golden Gate building, only to face a vigorous drubbing from his victim.
- The 'Wild Man' of Kearney Street
A profile of Leonor Borcharts, known as 'Oofty Goofty,' a performer who made a living by enduring physical abuse for public entertainment.
- Betrayal in the Alley
A grocery store owner was severely beaten and robbed by a young man he had previously befriended.
- The Salmon Fishing Prank
A Tacoma society woman finds herself at the center of a Sunday prank involving a 27-pound skatefish.
- A Runaway Team Smashes into Downtown Tacoma
A delivery driver narrowly cheats death after his team bolts down Ninth Street, leaving a trail of destruction at the Tacoma Bazaar.
- The Sting Operation at Squier’s Saloon
A Spokane businessman orchestrates a trap to catch a man selling liquor to local Indigenous people.
- The Sting at a Puyallup Avenue Saloon
A trio of men are robbed of cash and a gold watch by a woman acting as a decoy in a local saloon.
- The Seneca Street Prankster
A pet parrot in Seattle develops a sophisticated and cruel sense of humor, terrorizing a local dog with fake emergency cries.