Good old days - Jan. 13, 2011

125 years ago, January 15, 1886

Make a note of it, that plowing was done in Whitman County this winter up to the 29th of December.

Last Saturday afternoon as the west bound train on the Palouse branch was passing Washtucna Lake, a coyote started to run across the ice. Mr. Mauritz, a stock grower, saw the animal and fired at it. The ball glanced and bounded on the ice across the lake and struck a Chinaman, half a mile away, in the left shoulder, inflicting an ugly though not dangerous wound. The Chinaman was a section hand and was at once taken on the train to Walla Walla where his wound was dressed. Mr. Mauritz agrees to pay all expenses.

The Cooper elevation in the south end has finally been selected as the site for the new Baptist College and 17 1/2 acres at $50 per acre have been purchased for that purpose.

The Almota Ferry was laid up on account of floating ice the first part of the week. It is now, however, making regular trips daily, the river being free of ice.

100 years ago, January 13, 1911

Proprietors of saloons which were voted out of Palouse at the last election and which closed their doors Dec. 31, are rapidly removing the fixtures from former places of business. Some of the fixtures are going to Spokane, some to Lamont and some are being stored.

E.H. Eaton, who has been trapping at and near Palouse Falls, came to Colfax Monday bringing the pelts of 12 coyotes, on which he wanted the bounty of $1 each paid by the state.

Dedication of the new Woodman Hall at Elberton will take place Saturday. The local Woodmen are planning a big time.

75 years ago, January 10, 1936

Revealing the tragic story of a double murder and suicide was the finding of the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Don Hopper, farmers of the Farmington community, and Harry E. Bacon, their slayer who made his home with the Hoppers when not employed. Sheriff Carson J. Walker and Deputy W.W. Nicley said the fatal shooting took place Sunday night, soon after the Hoppers had returned from a visit with her brother, Carl Bennett, at St. Ignatius hospital here.

Neighbors noticed Tuesday the Hoppper cows had not been milked or fed and that the premises had been deserted. When Marshal Torpey of Farmington entered the house, Mr. Hopper’s body was first found on the floor of the living room. The bullet had passed through his body from near the waistline to near the shoulder, indicating Bacon was in a kneeling position when he fired.

Torn to pieces and found under the table was a note written by Mrs. Hopper which, when put together, read that Bacon had killed her husband, had taken a shot at her, and she did not know what more he would do. Also on the table was a letter Bacon had addressed to his mother in North Dakota. In it he said the Hoppers had “talked” about his sister Hazel, and that they thought they were better than anyone else and had “thrown him out into the storm.” Declaring his intention to even the score, he wrote “I have already killed Don, and I am going to kill Bessie and myself.”

The bodies of Mrs. Hopper and Bacon were found in a bulk grain rack on a wagon stored in a shed. Both had been shot through the head. At their side was a note in which Bacon said Mrs. Hopper had swallowed a bottle of Lysol and rather than see her suffer, he had ended her life. Only the cork from the bottle was found.

50 years ago, January 12, 1961

The Palouse Empire Fair board approved building plans of the Whitman County Racing Association for construction of jockey quarters to be built as a second story on top of the existing rest rooms structure at the fairgrounds. Cost was estimated at $5,000.

Wind from a helicopter blade was one remedy used against the heavy frost and ice which weighted down Pacific Telephone lines between Dusty and Central Ferry. Frost of four or five inches snapped wires, lines and poles in places, causing 144 subscribers to be without service periodically.

Becky Kay Cook, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lawrence Cook, Colfax, holds the esteemed position as the first child born at St. Ignatius hospital in the new year. Becky weighed seven pounds, seven ounces, and was born at 2:59 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5.

25 years ago, January 9, 1986

Colfax comet watchers are hoping for clear skies this week for one of the prime viewing times of Hailey’s Comet. Wayne Larsen, Jennings elementary teacher who has been dispensing sky watch information to pupils this year, said this week’s dark moon makes for prime comet time.

A suit by North Flat residents against the city and state was settled Dec. 31 to conclude a legal tangle that has lasted close to five years. City Attorney Gary Libey said the settlement totaled $36,000 for the 15 plaintiffs who remained in the case. They sought damages from a series of runoff floods that hit the north Colfax neighborhood in the spring of 1980.

Whitman County Library has been awarded a $78,750 grant from the Washington State library commission to tie branch libraries into the main library headquarters computer card catalogue via a radio computer system. Librarian Gail Warner said Whitman County library will be the third library in the United States to install the system.

10 years ago, January 11, 2001

As of 2:51 p.m. Monday, a six-month moratorium was placed on the installation of new cell phone and other communications towers in Whitman County. After residents complained about a large number of building permits issued for cell towers in the past 18 months, commissioners and Planner Mark Bordsen put on the moratorium so the cell tower ordinance can be rewritten.

In a rare ceremony Monday morning, new judges for the county’s two courts began terms of office. Judge Wallis Friel issued the oath to Judge David Frazier of Colfax, who in turn swore in Doug Robinson to the district court bench where Frazier had served for the past 18 years. Robinson was appointed to the job Friday.

A plan by St. John Telephone Co. to run fiber optic cable to the McGregor Co. and the Colfax industrial park will proceed as weather allows, according to Port officials.