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129 stories matching tramp
- The Forgotten Soldiers: A Post-War Reckoning
Decades after the Civil War, Snohomish's local paper draws a bitter parallel between the veterans who fought to 'free the negro' and the rising tide of impoverished, displaced laborers struggling for survival in 1877.
- 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 Day the Bridge Fell: A Tramp’s Fatal Ride and a Railroad’s Collapse
A westbound freight train on the Northern Pacific line was derailed when a stowaway fell under a car, triggering a chain reaction that plunged nine cars into Hangman's Creek. One man died; the rest were spared.
- The False Solution to Homelessness
A radical critique of the 1909 railroad industry's plan to solve unemployment by mass imprisonment.
- The Political 'Tramp' Hits the Streets
A new reform journal emerges in Seattle, embroiled in the bitter factionalism of the People’s Party and the city's complex political machinery.
- The Vagabond Philosopher of Yakima
A traveling drifter offers a bizarre, theological defense of his nomadic lifestyle to a local reporter.
- A Railroad Depot's Unlikely New Recruit
A stowaway cat found at the Northern Pacific depot secures a new life as a mouser after surviving a dangerous journey on the trucks of a Pullman car.
- A Brave Escape on the Road to Chehalis
A young woman encounters a would-be robber on the road, outwitting him with nothing but her voice and her speed.
- The Electrified Rescuer
A Ballard grocer and a constable lose their suspect when a woman claiming to be possessed by electricity intervenes.
- The Tramp Who Demanded Breakfast
A gentleman in a suburban cottage tried to shoo away a prowler from his back yard, only to discover the intruder was waiting for his morning meal at the front door.
- The 'Vagrant' Scourge of 1878
A Victorian-era editorial attempts to pathologize poverty and social instability in frontier Seattle by blaming 'tramps' and theft for the city’s growing pains.
- The Great Sidewalk Scandal: When Pullman’s Streets Were a Death Trap
In November 1888, the newly minted *Pullman Herald* didn't just report on grain elevators and railroad politics—it launched a blistering attack on city officials for allowing Main Street to become a public hazard, threatening lawsuits over broken legs.
- Unnamed Drifter Saves Girl from Drowning
A homeless man risked his life to pull a young girl from the water near the Great Northern tracks, only to walk away and spend the reward money on liquor.
- The End of the Chain Gang in Seattle
City officials move to retire the practice of using prisoners for manual street labor, shifting to rock-breaking in a bid to deter professional tramps.
- The Professional Tramp and His Seven Languages
A recurring visitor to the Post-Intelligencer office earns his keep with tall tales, Shakespearean quotes, and a refined taste for cocktails.
- The Logger's Picnic Party
When a group of men looked like tramps in the Snoqualmie Valley, the locals grew suspicious—until they found out it was just a day of fishing and fun.
- The Great Northern President vs. The Boarding House Landlady
Railroad tycoon James J. Hill had to prove his identity with a handful of letters after being told to 'get out' by a Fairhaven woman who mistook him for a tramp.
- The 'Tramp' and the Steamer Ticket
A traveler, left penniless on the docks of Tacoma, finds an unexpected reprieve through a local act of charity.
- The Tramp-Jail Breakout on the Waterfront
A routine arrest for vagrancy at the Seattle railyards escalated into a chaotic chase, drawing a crowd of hundreds to witness the struggle.
- Actors' Trunks Looted on Train to Tacoma
A traveling theatrical troupe arrives in Tacoma only to find their costumes and jewelry stolen by 'tramps' riding the rails.
- 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.
- Tacoma’s Plan to Deter 'Tramps' with Forced Hygiene
Facing a seasonal rise in homelessness, Tacoma city officials considered a mandatory daily shower ordinance for jail inmates to keep the city unappealing to vagrants.
- A Deadly Campfire Dispute
A traveler is brutally murdered after refusing to share his fire with a group of transients, highlighting the volatility of the frontier trail.
- Memorial Day 1896: A Governor, a Nativist Oration, and Thirty Graves in the Rain
Seattle's Civil War remembrance became a stage for anxiety over unemployed marchers and foreign-born workers, while veterans decorated Lake View Cemetery under a steady downpour.
- A Deputy Sheriff's Home Ransacked
Amid a crime wave and an influx of transient workers, a local deputy falls victim to a daylight home robbery, sparking frustration over the town's inability to police itself.