Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1914 | 1 |
27 stories matching taint
- The Great Tacoma Water Grift
How a corrupt water monopoly swindled the city out of nearly $1.5 million for a tainted water supply, leaving residents with a decade of filth.
- Adulterated Milk Crisis in Seattle
A child is dying in Seattle after consuming milk tainted with formaldehyde, sparking a potential murder investigation against a local dairyman.
- The Great Port Townsend Customs Scandal
A federal grand jury uncovers a decade-long scheme of extortion and record-tampering at the Port Townsend custom house, where officials pocketed fees and forced local shipping firms to play along.
- The Gall and Wormwood of Olympia: Tacoma’s Defeat in the Senate Race
As Washington's first U.S. Senator is chosen in a bitter legislative battle, defeated candidate Calkins' supporters cry foul, while Jefferson County delegates secure the victory for Watson Squire.
- Ousted Over an $18.90 Lumber Bill, a Councilman Gets His Seat Back
Ballard's council removed Thomas Winsor without a hearing — right after he accused the city treasurer of pocketing $1,058. A judge ruled the whole thing illegal and threw out his replacement.
- Seven Votes Decide the Sheriff: Judge Langley Tosses Out Fraud Charges and Seats Van de Vanter
After a six-week ballot-by-ballot recount, a Seattle judge ruled that clumsy election officers could not disfranchise King County voters—and confirmed the Republican sheriff by a seven-vote margin.
- Champagne for the Lobby, Despair for the Farmers
Washington's Senate kills the Helm-Morgan freight-rate bill after railroad agents work Olympia, and the state's press calls it a corporate victory over the people.
- Fatal Milk: The Formaldehyde Poisoning Scandal
A coroner's jury in Seattle finds local farmers and milkmen responsible for the death of an infant after poisonous additives are found in the dairy supply.
- The City Water Crisis
While typhoid fever spreads in Tacoma, a bureaucratic breakdown leaves the Health Officer unaware he was even ordered to investigate the tainted water supply.
- The Trickle-Down Fury of the Waterfront
A brutal hierarchy on a Seattle steamboat illustrates the chaotic and abusive nature of labor relations in the 1889 maritime trade.
- Fire Chief Faces Ouster Over Citizenship Claim
A political feud within the Seattle Fire Department takes a turn as a rejected applicant accuses the Chief of being an alien.
- The Dream of a Model Commonwealth
Six years after founding a cooperative colony in Port Angeles, its pioneers reflect on how a vision of shared interests turned into standard business success.
- Seattle Dairymen Face Lawsuits Over Contaminated Milk
A series of lawsuits alleges that local milk suppliers sold tainted dairy, leading to severe illness in children.
- Blood and Beef: A Fatal Dispute in Oakesdale
A cattleman's refusal to accept payment for tainted meat leads to a cold-blooded killing in a quiet Washington town.
- Dirty Tricks, 1892: Yakima's Candidate for Governor Fights Back
A Seattle paper accused the Democratic nominee of fleeing his debts and defrauding orphans. Snively's supporters called it a Republican smear—and produced letters to prove it.
- The Failed Nitric Acid Mutiny at Walla Walla
A covert plot by forty convicts to poison their guards with nitric acid and storm the prison gates was thwarted by a lucky discovery in the brickyard.
- The War Over 'Tubermoth' Potatoes
A Seattle judge rules on a heated legal clash between California berry growers and Washington state horticultural inspectors over tainted crops.
- A Supreme Court Case Over Formaldehyde Milk
The state's dairy commissioner faces a damages suit after a cafe owner claims his business was ruined by accusations involving tainted milk.
- The Opium Smuggler's Family Courtroom Appeal
W. H. Horr was convicted on four counts of opium smuggling in Tacoma, but the most dramatic moment came when his lawyer brought his wife and son forward to beg the jury for mercy.
- Tacoma Methodists Refuse Theater Money for a Children's Home
A charity production of 'Richelieu' was meant to benefit the Crown Jewel Home—until the Puget Sound Methodist conference called the stage off-limits and the donation tainted.
- The Milk Adulteration Scandal
A Seattle dairyman is fined for using formaldehyde as a preservative in his milk supply.
- The Fight for Clean Water in Parkland
City officials take aim at sanitation hazards at Parkland College that have been contaminating the local water supply.
- An Embarrassing Encounter on the Train
A man vows revenge on his wife’s lover while riding in a train car, only to be silenced by his wife’s sudden appearance.
- Domestic Life at the Soldiers' Home
An official clarifies the conditions and work of an elderly veteran's wife, dismissing rumors of scandal at the facility.
- The Underground Economy of Club Love Letters
A century before texting, Seattle's gentlemen of leisure found ways to bypass the stuffy, anti-romance rules of private social clubs.
Also about this, in other words
- The Unlikely Remedy for the Smallpox Outbreak
When a Seattle-area family faced a smallpox contagion in the winter, they bypassed medical uncertainty for an old household mixture—and claimed a miraculous recovery.
- The 'Torture Box' of the Tacoma Jail
A new, brutal method of disciplining tramps in the Tacoma city jail stirs up controversy among local officials.
- The Laundry Alibi
A Seattle laborer stands accused of a brutal hatchet attack, but his defense claims he was nowhere near the scene, pointing to his wife’s workplace as his only destination.
- The Tragedy of the Basset Fortune
A wealthy Seattle scion, accused of murdering a bartender, is found legally insane by a commission.
- The North Bend Ducking Stool
When a man terrorized his family during a drunken rampage, his neighbors took justice into their own hands with an icy river dip.
- The Salvation Army's Odorous Opponents
A group of young men tried to drive the Salvation Army out of town by dousing their hall in polecat oil.
- A Vicious Visitor in Town
An unknown local poisoner is targeting the town's dogs, causing alarm among residents.
- Death in the County Jail Cell
A man suffering from delirium tremens has died in the Tacoma jail after falling from a steam pipe.