Good old days

125 years ago

October 21, 1887

There was a feeble attempt at bank burglary in this town one night last week. A large dry goods box was placed before the rear door of the Bank of Colfax for the evident purpose of enabling some one to climb over the transom. A sprinkling pot had been stepped on and mashed as flat as the reception met by an old minstrel joke in the effort of the would-be burglar to climb on top of the box. Impressions of a boot with rather a small heel were discovered in the mud on the bank of the lake, presumed to be from the burglar, who is a disgrace to his profession. It is supposed he took flight and abandoned the task.

Friday night the Forest Cove flouring mill, three miles below Pine City, was totally destroyed by fire. The mill had just been thoroughly renovated by J.C. Hudson, proprietor, who was in town this week endeavoring to secure aid to rebuild. There was no insurance.

Here it is almost the first of November and there are thousands of bushels of grain yet to thresh and hundreds of acres uncut. A scarcity of hands and machinery means it is more than probable that some of the threshers will get caught in a snow storm before they get through.

The case of the territory v. Milton Cook was on trial before Justice Inman Tuesday. This was the outcome of the fracas which occurred on the Spring Flat road about three weeks ago, in which Sills, who is quite an old man, was beaten badly about the head with rocks by Cook. The jury found defendant guilty and fixed the fine at $75 and costs.

100 years ago

October 18, 1912

“Curley” Gardner, who was arrested at Tekoa seven weeks ago and has since been confined in the county jail on the charge of first degree murder, was acquitted by a jury of 12 men who deliberated an hour. The jury ruled Gardner’s barroom shooting of Pat Collins was in self defense.

The trial of George Wesley Brown and his wife, Winnie, for the murder of Mrs. Brown’s father, Al Neeves, began in superior court before Judge Thomas Neill Thursday morning. Selection of a jury progressed more rapidly than in the Gardner case as many of the jurors opposed to capital punishment had already been permanently excused.

The flight of aviator Bryant at the Rosalia fair last week was one of the best attractions. In his flight Thursday afternoon, Mr. Bryant went up to 4,640 feet above sea level, which is the high record for flights in the norhtwest.

A disgruntled harvest hand threw a hoe-down fork into the threshing machine at the Richardson Brothers farm near St. John recently and caused damage that delayed threshing for two days. A month or two on the chain gang would have been none too good for that man.

Work is progressing on the Inland spur to the Colfax flouring mill. A crew of men is busy laying the foundation for the trestle where the spur leaves the main line to cross Main street through the old William Codd property.

Without warning a demented Bavarian pushed his way through a crowd and fired a revolver pistol point blank at the heart of Theodore Roosevelt Monday evening as the ex-president was leaving his hotel in Milwaukee to deliver an address.

75 years ago

October 15, 1937

Colfax took a 7 to 0 victory of the La Crosse Tigers on the local field Friday. The Colfax lineup included Coston and Lothspeich, ends; Cocking and Cristopher, tackles; Kissel and Perkins, guards; Nicley, center; Pierce, fullback; Clegg, and Gibney, halfbacks, and McClure, quarterback.

The oldest brick structure in Colfax, the Maloney building, collapsed in a heap of rubble Monday afternoon at 2:35 o’clock. No one was injured. Workmen excavating next door and two employees of the Colfax Hotel upstairs escaped.

Among participants in a fire prevention week skit at the Roxy Theater Friday afternoon were Hazel Sorenson, Harold Herman, Donald Hickman and Bob Elliot.

50 years ago

October 18, 1962

Union Pacific freight trains may wheeze down the middle of the South Palouse river instead of along the west bank next summer if the second unit of the Colfax flood control project is started next spring as scheduled. Plans call for building an embankment topped by the railroad tracks on the east side of the river channel.

Oakesdale high school gymnasium was selected as the site for the 1963 Whitman County basketball tournament at a meeting of school administrators at Oakesdale last Wednesday. Oakesdale beat out St. John and Endicott for the tournament.

An average of $103.70 per hog was paid at the annual swine sale held last weekend. Blaine Hinderer of Pullman figured it to be the third biggest fall sale in its history.

25 years ago

October 15, 1987

Fees for dumping garbage trucks at the county’s landfill could more than double under a plan announced last week by county commissioners. The fees need to be hiked over their present $20 per ton rate to cover deficits in the landfill operation.

Phile Unrine and Al Therrien from Washington Water Power stretched a “Go Cougars” banner across Main Street last week to welcome homecoming crowds bound for the WSU-Stanford game.

Cash rewards of up to $22 per fish are available for Snake River steelhead anglers who return radio transmitters and tags from the fish they keep with information about the catch.

10 years ago

October 17, 2002

Colfax Police were called Sunday to eject stunt bicycle riders from the new Colfax skateboard park. The park is posted with signs which note only skateboards and in-line skates are allowed in the park.

The threat of West Nile virus will double the cost of annual horse vaccinations. The discovery two weeks ago of a dead raven infected with West Nile in Newport makes it more urgent that horse owners consider vaccinations.

The Old Jacobs Brewery at Uniontown is one month away from becoming the new Sage Bakery. Owner Bud Tomlinson already has nine employees cooking bread and pastry in his new kitchens.

A 15-year-old Colfax boy has been summoned to court on a charge of taking an eight-ounce Chef Master butane cartridge from Rosauers. He told officers he and a friend from Garfield planned to use the cartridge to fill a balloon which they planned to pop during a game at Jennings Elementary.