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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1876 | 14 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1883 | 21 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 7 |
| 1889 | 24 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 20 |
| 1892 | 54 |
| 1893 | 33 |
| 1894 | 44 |
| 1895 | 43 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1899 | 17 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 16 |
| 1904 | 19 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 17 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 11 |
| 1916 | 10 |
| 1922 | 1 |
| 1924 | 2 |
425 stories matching unknown
- The Watches, Pipes and Toothbrushes of the Unclaimed Dead Go Up for Auction
Two years of the coroner's unclaimed effects — purses, cuff buttons, knives and one gold timekeeper — will be sold at the courthouse door on July 7. Their owners died violently, died poor, or were pulled from the bay and written down as 'unknown.'
- 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.
- Inquest Held for Remains Found in Seattle Cellar
A jury convenes to address the discovery of unidentified Chinese remains in a cellar, raising questions about municipal neglect and health risks.
- The Silent End of an Unknown Man
A condemned prisoner faces the gallows in Snohomish with a chilling, final mystery: he refused to reveal his real name, dying as an enigma.
- An Unknown Assailant, a Blow to the Head, and a Cut Throat in Walla Walla
A company agent was attacked at his letter-press and left unconscious for hours; no suspect was named.
- Four Dead at the Two-Mile Trestle, and a Verdict That Names No One
A coroner's jury concludes that an overland train was wrecked by unknown hands, leaving an engineer and three privates dead and the community without an arrest.
- Fire Claims Barn and Livestock in Whitcomb
A blaze of unknown origin at the Washington Farm Lands company barn resulted in the loss of a horse, farm equipment, and a significant amount of alfalfa.
- The Snow Drove Twenty Elk to the Beach. A Hunter Killed Them All.
Near Brinnon, settlers formed a vigilance committee after an unknown hunter slaughtered a snowbound herd—and then burned his cabin.
- 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.
- Infant Abandoned on Auburn Porch
An unknown motorist dropped a two-hour-old baby boy on Alfred Collins' doorstep in the middle of the night.
- The Great Delinquent Tax Sale of 1888
A sweeping list of hundreds of 'Unknown Owners' and Seattle residents facing the auction block, revealing the precarious nature of early land speculation in the city.
- The Silent Girl in the Lodging House
A young, unresponsive woman is abandoned at a Third and Mill Street lodging house by two unknown men.
- The Mystery Grave in Masonic Cemetery
Sexton D.P. Metz discovers a tiny, unmarked grave, reviving memories of a haunting trend of abandoned burials.
- The Price of Ownership: Seattle’s 1888 Delinquent Tax List
A sprawling registry of property owners, from the prominent to the 'Unknown,' failing to pay their dues during Seattle’s rapid expansion.
- The Ghost of the Columbia River
A body discovered near Wenatchee bears the grim marks of an unsolved murder and the symbols of a fraternal order.
- The Madison Street Midnight Escape
A Seattle grocer skips town in the dead of night, leaving behind a shop full of unpaid bills and curious neighbors.
- Three Men Vanished Into Commencement Bay
A sailboat left a Tacoma boathouse with three unknown men aboard. Days later, searchers were still scanning the Sound.
- A Bucket Brigade Saves the Barn, but the Gleichman Ranch House Is Gone
An early-evening blaze of unknown origin destroyed one of the finest houses on the Highlands Fruit Company ranch — a $4,000 loss that neighbors could only stand and watch.
- The Midnight Exit of a Madison Street Grocer
A local merchant leaves his shop in the hands of creditors, leaving the neighborhood to wonder where the debt-ridden shopkeeper fled.
- The Mystery of the Oyster Creek John Doe
An unknown man is discovered dead in the rocks at Oyster Creek with curious items in his pockets, including a Canadian quarter and a padlock key.
- Smugglers Land Thirty Chinese in Puget Sound
A high-speed steamer outruns revenue patrols to land migrants previously refused entry in Portland.
- A Tip-Off in Newport, Then Masked Men Held Up the Fast Mail
A Spokane passenger boarded at Newport with a warning that the Great Northern fast mail would be robbed before it reached Spokane. Hours later, masked men did exactly that—and suspicion fell on 'Red' Ed McDonald.
- The Tragedy of an Unnamed Soul
A body found in Elliott Bay prompts a swift, quiet burial, leaving no clues behind.
- The Tax Collector’s Quiet Heist in Thurston County
Assessments against “unknown owners,” doubled fees and $9,000 in illegal exactions left property titles tangled and taxpayers furious.
- A Steam-Powered Saturday at the Ballgame
In 1877, a merry crew boarded the steamer 'Nellie' for a day of baseball and feasting at Port Gamble, capturing a rare moment of community harmony on the Sound.