Good old days - April 29, 2010

125 years ago, May 1, 1885

A cutting affray occurred in the street at Farmington Tuesday. Jim Wagoner and a man named Wolfe had some trouble concerning a woman, when Wagoner assaulted Wolfe with a board. The latter defended himself with a knife, cutting the muscles of Wagoner’s left arm between the elbow and shoulder and also in the pit of the arm. No arrests had been made at last dispatch.

Upon opening a box car at Endicott Wednesday, to deliver some freight consigned to Person & Crow, it was discovered that the shipment had been tampered with, merchandise being scattered around promiscuously. To avoid complications, the goods were brought to this city in the condition found, pending a settlement. Appearances indicated that two or more tramps had occupied the car either from Portland or Wallula Junction to Palouse Junction.

A couple of bunches of sulphur matches ignited in the vest pocket of our worthy marshal one day this week, the odor emanating from which gently reminding him of the place Evangelist Graves mentions so frequently in his discourse. The marshal came near being cremated.

A traveling photographer’s tent is pitched on the county croquet ground, much to the disgust of lawn billiard sharps.

100 years ago, April 29, 1910

The city council has secured a 99-year lease on the springs at Glenwood from Ben Mitchell, a brother of Dr. Mitchell of this city, and the flow from these springs will be added to the present water supply of the city to meet the demands of constantly expanding population. The springs lie within 70 feet of the present pipe line from the Elberton spring and but little expense will be incurred in making the connection.

The building occupied by the Citizen Journal at Rosalia, together with the entire printing plant, was destroyed by fire last Saturday. Loss is estimated at $10,000.

The 1,000 pound bell for the courthouse clock, ordered directly from the factory at Troy, N.Y., has arrived and an expert is here to set up the clock, which was ordered through M.A. Rose at a cost of $1240.

There is considerable talk of an Inland Empire baseball league, to include Rosalia, Palouse, Moscow, Lewiston and Colfax. The Moscow boys are very anxious to play ball with the other towns mentioned.

75 years ago, May 3, 1935

The only name men at the sheriff’s office could enveigle out of Walter Radigan, who claimed to be an inmate of the Spokane county poor farm, when he was brought to the county jail Thursday was “Cucumber Bill.” Too much canned heat had made him temporarily unable to remember any more, so he was lodged in the jail to “cool off.”

Fred P. Mesick, Whitman County engineer from 1885 to 1890, who is now a California state highway engineer at Los Angeles, is investigating the feasibility of building a canal from Pend Oreille Lake to the Snake river at Almota.

Thirty-five horse chestnut trees, given to the park board by Mrs. Laura E. Melrose, have been set out in Schmuck park. They border Morton street from the ball park to the pillar entrance and the roadway from Morton street to the Chapman property.

The Oasis, a new beer garden and restaurant, opened in Colfax yesterday in the old Maple Café building. The building space has been completely remodeled, new booths installed and a ladies’ lounge added.

50 years ago, April 28, 1960

A coin-operated 20-unit laundry will be installed in the old Colfax Hardware building within the next few weeks. The Empire Laundry Center of Spokane has a commitment to lease the building.

Radar, the pain in the pocketbook for drivers in a hurry, paid for itself in the Colfax area last week as Washington State Patrolmen filed over 60 radar speeding complaints. Clocked at the highest rate of speed was Fred C. Sumpter of Deer Park, who allegedly hit a speed of more than 100 miles an hour.

Diana Mills, a freshman at St. John High School, was chosen queen of the St. John Community Fair last weekend as the highlight of the annual three-day event.

25 years ago, May 2, 1985

A due process hearing was set for today in U.S. District court in Spokane for two suspects arrested last Friday after a robbery of the Old National Bank in Rosalia.

Lawmen are still seeking a third man who probably hid in Rosalia several hours after the robbery and then took a car.

Undersheriff Dalton Lewey said a Rosalia resident reported the theft of a car from a garage near the Christian Church about 9:30 Saturday morning.

The car was later recovered in Spokane.

Lewey said the robbery went off track when a Rosalia resident spotted the three suspects after they went down an alley south of the bank towards the fire station.

After they had been spotted, the three suspects broke up.

One drove the green 1974 Hillux model truck along Main Street and parked it in front of the Sheahan law offices on the side opposite the bank.

That suspect made conversation with Rosalia residents but kept checking the wastebasket in the back of the pickup.

The cash was partially covered.

A remodeling project to create a new and improved science room at Jennings Elementary School will get underway once the school year ends. The new room will include three large laboratory sinks, countertop with electrical outlets, exhaust fans, extensive storage cabinets and shelves and a blackboard that will serve as a partial room divider.

10 years ago, April 27, 2000

Rosalia High School students, administrators and teachers filled over 50 sacks of garbage during a clean-up day last week. They fanned out over the town spending several hours of hard work. Afterward, they were rewarded with ice cream bars at the city park.

After completing 30 weeks at playing pool all winter at different locations, participants gathered for an awards party Saturday at the Caboose Tavern in Palouse. The first place women’s team was Grumpy’s II, and the men’s winning team was Caboose I.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church applied for a building permit Monday to construct an entry way to the parish hall, the former St. John’s Academy building. The project is designed to provide a more formal entry on the west side of the building.