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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 9 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1898 | 5 |
| 1900 | 61 |
| 1903 | 14 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
129 stories
- Vigilante Mob Lynches Two Prisoners at Whitman County Jail
A masked party of fifty men broke into the courthouse to extract and hang a convicted assailant and a murder defendant, while a jury slept just feet away.
- A Mob Hanged Two Men at the Courthouse. Then the State Argued Over the Bill.
After Hill and Parker were lynched in Colfax, Attorney General W. C. Jones ruled that the county need not pay for a coroner's inquest—and said the real hunt for the mob belonged to a grand jury.
- The Ghost of a Mob in Colfax
Decades after a violent public lynching left a permanent stain on the community, the citizens of Colfax still wake to find ominous reminders scrawled on the sidewalk.
- The Night Colfax Burned
A Chinese cook's kerosene mishap destroys the heart of a small Washington town, exposing the dangers of inadequate civic infrastructure.
- A Judge’s Crusade Against County Corruption
Whitman County Judge William McDonald issues a blistering order to the prosecutor, detailing long-standing allegations of jailhouse abuse, probate perjury, and illegal spending by commissioners.
- The Brutal and Busy Year of 1899 in Colfax
A chronological review of Whitman County's most dramatic events, from fatal run-ins and vigilante justice to the transformation of the landscape by new rail and sewer lines.
- The Great Warehouse Embezzlement
A Shawnee Warehouse agent disappears with the wheat of local farmers, triggering a frantic manhunt from Colfax to Seattle.
- A Fatal Nap on the Tracks
A tired freight brakeman, exhausted by days of overwork, pays the ultimate price after falling asleep on the job.
- The Judge on Trial
A defendant accuses a Whitman County judge of coercion, bribery, and witness tampering in a desperate bid to clear his name.
- Brutal Murder of Local Gambler Sparks Manhunt
A Chinese gambler is murdered in a Colfax alley, leading to a swift, multi-town pursuit and the capture of a suspect near the Snake River.
- The Sheriff’s Bold Stand Against Mob Rule
A newly minted newspaper editor-sheriff argues that local complicity, not just law enforcement failures, fuels vigilante violence in Washington.
- The Colfax Contempt: A Honeymoon on the Chain Gang
In a bizarre twist of justice and timing, D. Franklin Squibb married his new bride just weeks after his divorce was finalized—only to find himself serving hard labor for contempt of court.
- Violence in the Opium Dens of Colfax
A brutal feud between laborers in a remote Eastern Washington opium joint ends in a horrific shooting and a manhunt.
- The Mob is Not a Court of Law
An editorial reflection on the recent lynching of Bill at Colfax, arguing that a community’s failure to maintain a just legal system does not justify vigilante violence.
- The Local Press and the Mob
A critique of Washington newspapers that refused to take a hard moral stand against lynch law.
- When the Local Paper Cheers the Mob
A governor's push to prosecute the Colfax vigilantes draws a shocking defense from Whitman County newspapers—and a sharp rebuke from The Olympian.
- A Woman Defies Her Husband’s Attempts at Institutionalization
A Colfax woman successfully defends her sanity after her husband attempts to have her committed to an asylum.
- The Lie That Kept a Father in Jail
Clara Sellers, 13, recants her incest charge, freeing A. Sellers after seven months—but not before he sold his farm to pay for his defense.
- A Judicial Feud Erupts in Whitman County
A former prosecutor and a sitting judge trade public accusations of deceit, perjury, and misconduct involving a prisoner and a local jail scandal.
- The Tragedy of the McDonald Family
A destitute family in Colfax is dismantled by the courts after years of poverty, illness, and local infamy.
- The Governor Condemns the Colfax Lynching Mob
Governor McGraw orders an investigation into the extrajudicial murder of two men in Whitman County, declaring that mob violence is no substitute for the courts.
- Surviving the Bitter Cold in Eastern Washington
Settlers in the Palouse country are forced to burn their fences for warmth as sub-zero temperatures threaten both livestock and families.
- A Desperate Swim in the Palouse
After losing his land and descending into a alcoholic crisis, a former farmer experiences a terrifying delusion and is rescued from the river.
- The Great Escape from the County Courthouse
A notorious local thief rigged an ingenious 'Spanish windlass' to dismantle his cell window and vanished into the night—completely naked.
- The Sinking Ship at Colfax College
An open letter from the embattled president reveals the infighting and student discontent that led to the institution's crisis.
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