Good Old Days

125 years ago

February 11, 1887

For some weeks past, a professional gambler named Brown has plied his calling in this city, with more or less success as the case may be, and in the meantime has made himself quite conspicuous at the social dancing parties, at which he was an uninvited guest.

Finally his company was deemed undesirable, of which fact he was politely informed by George Chapman on behalf of the management and requested to leave the ballroom, with which request he complied without raising a disturbance.

Later, however, he endeavored to pick a quarrel with Chapman for the part he had taken in the matter, the affair culminating in a fracas at the Cracker bakery lunch room Sunday evening, Brown being the aggressor and opening the ball with abusive language and by spitting in Chapman’s face. In the melee which followed, the gambler got the worst of it and drew a revolver and a villainous looking knife, with which he made a thrust at Chapman, the point of which grazed his throat, leaving a scratch and cutting his collar nearly in two.

Bystanders interfered at this juncture and Brown was placed under arrest, securing his liberty by depositing $100 as bail before Justice Shaw the following morning, at which time he secured, through his attorneys, a postponement of the examination until Tuesday afternoon, his bail being raised to $200.

This play was the prelude to skipping out, which he did Monday, packing his traps, jumping his bail and taking private conveyance for Moscow.

By going when he did he got off cheaper than he could possibly done at any time hereafter, on account of the strong feeling against him.

While the law is not vindicated, it is good riddance of bad rubbish. Such as he have not heretofore run this town, and by the great horn spoon they shall not, and this is the sentiment of our people.

100 years ago

February 9, 1912

Returning from investigating the death of Tom Pappas, a Greek section man who was run down and killed while attempting to remove a hand car from the track in front of a fast train, Coroner L.L. Bruning and two O.W.R. & N. officials and an investigation committee consisting of three prominent LaCrosse men, were run down and narrowly escaped death by the No. 12 passenger train which smashed their hand car into kindling wood a moment after they jumped.

Pappas was killed Monday afternoon while working on track two miles west of LaCrosse. The four-man hand car crew knew the No. 8 was due from the west and were watching out for it when the train came around a curve in a cut only a few yards from the place they intended to lift the car from the track and proceed with work. The train was so close that the two men on the rear of the car jumped and ran, while the foreman and Pappas dropped off in front of the car and lifted that end from the rails. The car struck and Pappas dodged across the track to take the other end. At that moment he was struck by the engine and instantly killed.

75 years ago

February 5, 1937

An incessant nose bleed resulted in the need for a blood transfusion for Joe Magee at the St. Ignatius hospital last Friday afternoon. Magee was first given emergency treatment by Dr. Randall Henry, after he had been brought to Endicott from his ranch 11 miles south. Four men with a team of horses labored for hours to get through heavy snowdrifts to get Magee through to the Endicott-LaCrosse road at Union Flat.

Held in the county jail on an open charge is Lee Russum, 34, who was arrested at Pullman Saturday as the man suspected in the theft of six beef hides and three sheep pelts Tuesday night of last week from the slaughter house of the Cold Storage market at the top of the south hill here.

50 years ago

February 8, 1962

A Yorkshire hog owned by Monte Kammerzell of Colfax brought the highest price paid in the history of the Whitman County gift sale, staged by the Washington Swine Breeders association at the Palouse Empire fairgrounds last week. The animal went for $400.

The Daffodil club at Wilcox was host Friday afternoon to the Dusty BB club and the Friendly Friday club of Penawawa, at the meeting room of Lincoln First Federal in Colfax. Mrs. Carol Quigg demonstrated Chinese flower arrangements.

25 years ago

February 5, 1987

William Harder’s Harder Farms, Inc., Kahlotus, filed notice with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Jan. 16 to withdraw his application to build a “run of the river” hydroelectric plant at Little Palouse Falls, about six miles above big Palouse Falls on the Palouse River.

Crews from West Wood Corp., Spokane, moved earth away from the back of former Milwaukee railroad bridge abutments on Highway 23 at Ewan. The bridge was scheduled to be blasted Tuesay as part of a $242,000 contract the firm has to remove four former railroad bridges from state highways. Last week the abutments adjoining the La Crosse turnoff on Highway 26 were removed.

Twelve residents who testified at the Washington Water Power rate increase hearing last Thursday in Colfax objected to ratepayers paying for unproductive investments by the Spokane utility.

10 years ago

February 7, 2002

Sage Bakery owner Bud Tomlinson is eager for renovations on the old Jacobs Brewery building in Uniontown to be completed. The first brick building in Uniontown and future bakery took an important step forward last week as inspectors signed off on final framing and plumbing inspections.

An orphan elk found a home and about 50 brothers at McGregor’s fed lot at Hooper. Last year, the young bull’s mother was killed either by a hunter or a car. Since that time, the elk has stayed with the cattle, sticking his head through the narrow bars of the manger at feeding time to eat alongside the others.

Proceeds from “Twelfth Night,” annual dinner-auction benefit of the Whitman Community Hospital Foundation, are estimated in the $23,000 range. Earnings will be added to the foundation’s fund to support the hospital, which now totals $743,000.