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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 6 |
| 1876 | 31 |
| 1877 | 17 |
| 1878 | 13 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 8 |
| 1883 | 15 |
| 1884 | 15 |
| 1885 | 33 |
| 1886 | 14 |
| 1887 | 19 |
| 1888 | 24 |
| 1889 | 40 |
| 1891 | 30 |
| 1892 | 71 |
| 1893 | 101 |
| 1894 | 123 |
| 1895 | 110 |
| 1899 | 20 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
718 stories matching wit
- A Steamboat Inspector on Trial, and the Men Who Kicked
A Seattle courtroom hears masters and pilots defend Capt. Bryant against charges of favoritism—and admit that the men who complain are often the incompetent ones.
- The Opium-Hand Coaching Scheme
A theatrical agent was arrested after authorities discovered a systemic scheme to coach Chinese witnesses in court through signals and physical props.
- “You Are the Man That Done It All”: A Murder Trial Witness Loses His Temper
The Hayward murder trial turned electric when a stubborn witness faced the accused across the courtroom—and the defense could not shake him.
- A Nighttime Stabbing in Downtown Seattle
A witness reports a violent, unexplained knife attack at a downtown intersection, yet the victim vanished before help could arrive.
- The Gas Tester and the Widow: A Franklin Mine Death Goes to Trial
Elizabeth Pugh sued the Oregon Improvement Company for damages after her husband died in the Franklin mine. The defense spent a full day examining witnesses, including the mine's gas tester and a district inspector.
- The Price of a Franchise: Seattle's Streetcar Bribery Scandal
A witness testifies that $2,000 was offered to 'stand in' with the company, exposing the grimy underside of Seattle's early transportation expansion.
- The Murder Witness Who Spent 241 Days in Jail
George Gordon’s testimony helped convict Murphy of second-degree murder—but keeping the state’s only eyewitness safe cost King County $733, and the defense said he tried to sell his silence.
- The Self-Defense Trial of James Murphy
A Seattle murder trial hinges on claims of a 'dangerous man,' witness bribery, and a life-or-death confrontation in a saloon.
- The Victim Behind Bars
An assaulted woman, held as a state witness against her abusers, suffers in the city police station.
- The Copper Chief Saloon Killing Goes to the Jury
After days of testimony, a Seattle jury weighed James Murphy’s fate as an eleventh-hour bootblack witness contradicted the state’s star in the 1894 saloon shooting of Phil J. Dawes.
- The Wright Trial Turns on a Fall in the Night
A brother's testimony and a missing state witness unsettle a Seattle assault-and-robbery case as the jury nears a verdict.
- A Fist Shaken in Open Court
A reputation suit turns personal when a witness calls the defense attorney a liar — then threatens him on his way off the stand.
- Acquitted: A High-Stakes Business Feud at the Occidental Hotel
A local partnership dispute ends in court, leaving the complaining witness to foot the bill for legal costs.
- The 'Chicken Oath' in Municipal Court
To ensure truthful testimony, a Seattle courtroom turns to a traditional Chinese oath involving the decapitation of a rooster.
- The Anatomy of a Murder (Misunderstood)
A courtroom blunder in 1876 highlights how a simple misunderstanding can derail the pursuit of justice.
- The Ballot Box Was Too Full in Franklin
Populists brought witnesses to court to show that votes in Franklin precinct were pushed, shaken and crammed into an overflowing box—irregularity, they argued, even if not outright fraud.
- The Unsolved Boyd Murder and the Disappearing Witnesses
A woman accused of murdering Henderson Boyd remains free as the prosecution’s case crumbles due to missing witnesses.
- A $10 Bill, a Loaded Dice Game, and a Fatal Shot at the Hotel Northern
Paul K. Page's preliminary hearing lays out how a friendly dice game in a Seattle saloon turned deadly when a disputed ten-dollar bill ended in murder — and how the state's star witness had secrets of his own.
- The Judge Who Was Only 'Sober as a Judge'
A legendary anecdote from the Seattle police court where a witness’s inadvertent insult revealed the bench's own notorious reputation for intoxication.
- The Policeman Who Voted Twice
A school board election scandal in Seattle leads to a courtroom showdown, a surprise witness, and the abrupt firing of a patrolman.
- The Mallet in the Marriage: A King County Divorce
William Conway calls his absent wife a good woman, but a witness recalls an uncontrollable temper—and a mallet—as Judge Osborn grants the divorce.
- The Lawyer Who Shaved His Beard for a Thief
In a dramatic courtroom gamble, a defense attorney shaved his own beard to demonstrate how easily witnesses might be mistaken in identifying an accused horse thief.
- Phil Dawe's Killing at Copper Chief Goes to Trial
A witness takes the stand to describe the fatal shooting of Phil Dawe on Washington Street.
- The Trial of Ursula Juanita Unfug
A sensational murder trial in Seattle has become a lightning rod for social scandal, with rumors of political corruption and witness tampering swirling around the case.
- The Reverend’s Estate: A Seattle Administrator Accused of Paying Himself First
Rev. L. Parker wants the court to approve his accounts, but a special administrator says he spent estate money without permission, inflated legal fees, and sent a mortgage to his brother in Canada.