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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1885 | 2 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 12 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 7 |
| 1895 | 16 |
| 1899 | 1 |
45 stories matching wickersham
- The Seduction of a Judge: Wickersham Indicted in Tacoma
Territorial Grand Jury Returns True Bill Against Probate Judge James Wickersham for Alleged Seduction of Miss Sadie C. Brantuar; He Arraigned and Given Until Noon to Plead.
- The Shadowy Dealings in the Wickersham Case
A US Attorney and a secret testimony attempt reveal the underbelly of Seattle's political and legal machinations.
- The Detective’s Trap: A High-Stakes Kidnapping and Coercion Plot in 1889 Seattle
A young woman, under legal guardianship after a landmark trial, is lured into a carriage by a female imposter and delivered into the hands of a desperate man wielding a pistol.
- The Judge’s Double Life: Seduction, Abortion, and the Cover-Up That Shook Tacoma
In 1889, a young canvasser named Sadie Brantner took the stand to accuse Pierce County Probate Judge James Wickersham of luring her into a trap in Seattle, forcing an illegal abortion, and paying her off to silence. The trial revealed a web of deceit involving fake names, land fraud, and medical conspiracies.
- The Judge Who Wanted to Join the Salvation Army
Probate Judge Wickersham faces seduction charges in Tacoma; his defense seeks a venue change as he jokes about his future with the Salvation Army.
- The Wickersham Scandal: A Judge’s Honor on Trial
In a Tacoma courtroom that captivated the Pacific Northwest, Miss Brantner takes the stand for days, detailing alleged improprieties with Probate Judge Wickersham. The trial exposes a web of land fraud, cocaine use, and social climbing, culminating in a judge’s furious rebuke of a laughing crowd.
- A Fatal Misstep on the Skookumchuck
A tragic river crossing in rural Washington leaves a young man dead after a single, impulsive movement.
- The Trial of Judge Wickersham: A Tacoma Scandal Over Land, Lies, and 'Delirium'
In February 1889, the trial of a powerful federal judge in Tacoma exposed a web of political corruption, land fraud, and sexual scandal involving a young woman named Sadie Brantner.
- High-Stakes Poker and Perjury in the Wickersham Trial
A local poker dealer and several associates are arrested in a cross-territory legal fallout involving allegations of perjury linked to a high-profile case.
- Tacoma’s $1 Million Water Lawsuit Alleges City Hall Collusion
City Attorney Wickersham refiled Tacoma’s suit against the light and water company, alleging officials and company agents conspired to carry the election.
- A Backroom Vote Redraws Tacoma's First Ward
Tacoma Republicans reverse the base for municipal convention apportionment, threatening Council President Harris and the Wickersham faction's grip on the First Ward.
- The Wig and the Wire: How a Tacoma Newspaper Owner Tried to Destroy a Judge
In the sensational Wickersham trial of 1889, prosecutor R.P. Radebaugh’s own past and his alleged conspiracy to frame Judge Wickersham for 'immorality' were laid bare in court.
- A Sealed Letter and a Fired Public Works Commissioner
Tacoma's mayor wants H. B. Mullen on the board of public works. The Populists want a week. And a hidden letter accuses the city attorney of mixing politics with a water-plant contract.
- Tacoma's Bribery Probe Ends With a Censure, Not a Conviction
A Tacoma City Council 'Lexow' committee cleared Councilman Thompson and City Clerk Smyth of bribery, then censured Smyth anyway for boasting he'd paid for a vote.
- The Land Company’s Revenge in Tacoma
A report from Tacoma says city officials may be punished at confirmation because they crossed the Tacoma Land Company in a fight over the municipal light and water plant.
- Olympia’s Fight Over Who Should Judge the Cities
A bill to abolish municipal courts set Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane against one another—and exposed a dispute over whether justice could be run more cheaply by justices of the peace.
- Border Smuggling and Violence Near Wickersham
A citizen posse intercepts a group of thirteen migrants near the railroad tracks, leading to a shootout and local manhunt.
- Tacoma's Million-Dollar Water Deal Was Built on Bribery, Suit Alleges
A city lawsuit over the purchase of a light and water plant charged that officials and the company colluded to hide the property's true value before taxpayers bought it.
- 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.
- Tacoma Fights the Railroad for Its Own Waterfront
At a state land commission hearing, city officials and citizens demand a wider public harbor line to keep the Northern Pacific and Tacoma Land Company from controlling the waterway.
- Tacoma's Mayor Throws Every Appointment Back in the Council's Face
Mayor Ed S. Orr withdraws all nominees in a patronage war over the city attorney and police chief — then the council cuts salaries across the board.
- The Trial That Shook Tacoma: The Scandal of Sadie Brantner and Judge Wickersham
A dramatic courtroom battle in the late 1880s reveals a web of sexual politics, professional ethics, and character assassination involving a prominent probate judge and a young woman accused of immorality.
- The Judge Who Was Both Defendant and Accused
In a stunning legal double-header, Judge Wickersham is convicted of seduction in one court, then immediately indicted for perjury by the federal grand jury in the very same day.
- Tacoma's Tide-Land Fight: Who Gets to Draw the Harbor Line?
Governor McGraw replaces two appraisers as Tacoma pushes to plat its tide flats and settle whether the state or the city controls the harbor line.
- The Self-Appointed Governor of the Nooksack
A rancher barricades himself on an island in the Nooksack River, claiming authority and defying intruders until captured by the sheriff.