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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1903 | 12 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
36 stories
- The Great Dayton Fire: A Block of Ashes and a City’s Near Miss
On the night of April 2, 1882, flames consumed three blocks in downtown Dayton, Washington. While the town paid with its buildings, Seattle’s own fire department narrowly escaped disaster thanks to a single force pump.
- Masked Vigilantes Hang a Convicted Murderer in Dayton Jail
James McPherson, convicted of murdering E. H. Cummins at New York Bar, was taken from the Dayton jail by masked men and hanged, despite a governor's reprieve and a new trial order.
- ‘You Are Hanging an Innocent Man’: A Condemned Killer’s Last Words Before 4,000 Witnesses
Ezra Snoderly, one of the Cummins murderers, is hanged in Dayton’s courthouse square — insisting to the very end that he dies for another man’s crime, while the crowd judges him ‘game.’
- The Constitutional Question of Local Option
A landmark court ruling in Dayton challenged the constitutionality of Washington's local option liquor laws, sparking a debate on police power and contracts.
- The Brutal Assault on a Chinese Laborer in Dayton
A local editor denounces the cowardly beating of a Chinese worker by his employer, highlighting the stark racial injustice and lack of protection for Asian laborers in 1892 Washington.
- A Lynching in Dayton: When Neighbors Decided the Law Was Too Slow
After James McPherson, one of the Cummins murderers, won a new trial and a reprieve, a Dayton mob hanged him—prompting the Post-Intelligencer to ask why vigilante justice was reviving in Washington Territory.
- The Great Dayton Barley Corner
A local malt house proprietor pulls off the largest grain deal in Dayton's history, driving up prices and frustrating outside buyers.
- The Great Dayton Train Race
A Union Pacific engineer tried to humble a rival line, but ended up in a high-speed showdown to win local political favor.
- Farmer's Alliance Convention Ends in Chaos
A political assembly in Dayton dissolves into a brawl after the president is expelled.
- Tragedy at the Dayton Crossing
A railroad crossing accident near Dayton claims the life of a Sprague man and leaves another seriously injured.
- The Unwitting Accomplice
A Dayton woman is forced by authorities to betray an escaped convict after providing him with money and clothing.
- The Failed Insurance Fire
A tenant narrowly escapes a fire set by an arsonist owner who couldn't collect insurance on an empty house.
- The Mob That Met Its Match in Dayton
A man targeted for a vigilante lynching fights back and escapes his attackers, leaving his would-be murderers in the shadows.
- The Wheat Harvest Duel of Whitman County
A boozy dispute over farm chores between two longtime neighbors ends in a shotgun confrontation that left one man injured and the other behind bars.
- Gambler's Lonely End in Dayton
An unidentified man found with a revolver and playing cards leaves behind a cryptic note.
- The Strange Prophecies of a Civil War Veteran
After a seizure, a former Union captain and Dayton attorney experiences a mental break involving visions of the end of the world.
- The Death of Canada Owenby
A notorious prisoner faces his end in Dayton, avoiding the gallows through a rapid decline in health.
- Fatal Dispute Over Clothing
A young man dies after a confrontation with an elderly neighbor over missing clothes.
- The Bid for the Main Line
Citizens in Dayton and Waitsburg launch a collaborative lobby effort to convince railroad officials to connect their town branches to the main regional transit artery.
- The End of an Era for Dayton's Timber
After twenty years of supplying local lumber, a veteran mill operator packs up for the Coast as the region’s timber supply dwindles.
- The Bitter Custody Battle Over the Wellman Estate
A Dayton superior court judge splits the guardianship of two orphaned children, sparking a dispute likely headed for the state supreme court.
- The Wooden Pipe Experiment
A Dayton businessman brings a water-main success story to the Walla Walla council.
- The Shadowy Business of Proxy Voting
Local political observers call out the 'proxy convention' system for allowing unelected outsiders to hijack political representation.
- The Northern Pacific Railroad's Toll on Travel
A new restrictive policy forces passengers to pay more by banning alternate routes via the Union Pacific.
- Ellen Dorr, Dayton Pioneer, Dies at Sea
Mrs. Ellen R. Dorr of Dayton passes away in mid-ocean while returning home from Manila, leaving a family spread across the Pacific.
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