Good old days - Nov. 25, 2010

125 years ago, Nov. 27, 1885

Harry Roberts, postmaster of Tampico, about 20 miles from North Yakima up the valley of the Ahtanum, was taken from his home one night last week by an organized body of men and women.

He was stripped of all his clothing, tied to a stake and then whipped, the women plying the blacksnakes and brush switches until blood was brought to the surface of his back.

He had been warned to desist from the practice of whipping his wife. He failed to comply, upon which his neighbors took matters into their own hands. Upon being released, he sneaked away and left for parts unknown.

100 years ago, Nov. 25, 1910

Apple Show Prizes; Spokane, WA. C. H. Sproat of Hood River, Ore., became a world's champion when he won the sweepstake of $1,000 and a gold medal banner at the third national apple show in Spokane.

He scored 997 points of a possible 1,000 for his Spitzenburg apples, the highest mark ever made in competitive exposition on fruit grown in a single orchard. He also won a prize of $250 on variety. Hinman and Grady of Wenatchee were second in both events, taking purses of $400.

75 years ago, Nov. 29, 1935

In the 36 years he has been in the grain business here, never before has he seen the ground so dry, said a local dealer Monday in commenting on the prospect for a fall wheat harvest next year.

It is estimated that only 20 percent of the normal fall wheat has been seeded throughout the county. Around LaCrosse and in other western district of the county many farmers have decided to plant in the spring, as to do so now would be a waste of seed.

Farm families in Oregon, Washington and Idaho requiring direct aid during the winter months, pending ultimate rehabilitation, were assigned to the federal resettlement administration, beginning Nov. 1, announces Walter A. Duffy, regional director at Portland.

Existing state relief agencies will function as the central application bureau assigning potential rehabilitation clients to the respective state rural resettlement directors.

50 years ago, Nov. 24, 1960

Mothers began to fret about the Janes and Johnnies who left their boots home and local service stations got a run on snow tires Monday as Colfax citizens were left with no doubts that "old man winter" had moved to town.

Only one inch of the white stuff fell throughout the afternoon but it was enough to send local residents scurrying to prepare for the winter ahead and brought the usual barrage of complaints.

25 years ago, Nov. 28, 1985

Nearly 30 percent of drunken driving suspects in Whitman County this year have been granted "deferred prosecution," an option under which they submit to intensive alcohol treatment and counseling. The deferrals account for the large part of statistics which show more than seven out of every 10 DWI suspects are never convicted under that charge.

A total of 269 people were cited for DWI according to district court records through September in Colfax and through August in Pullman.

Carla Mock and Sharon Hall of Colfax have quartered about 1,000 pounds of red bell peppers to prepare their specialty concoction, "Palouse Red" sweet pepper sauce. The two went into business in August and now have jars of their sauce on sale at seven outlets located in Colfax, Spokane, Pullman and Pomeroy.

"At first, it seemed like such a big venture. We were dreaming peppers. No kidding. Now we've calmed down, we've discovered there is a market for it and we know more what we're doing," Mock said.

10 years ago, Nov. 23, 2000

The North Fork of the river is on the Washington Dept. of Ecology list of dozens of water bodies in the state that do not meet water quality standards.

In the 1980s, citizens groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency to force the agency to begin dealing with the polluted lakes and streams on the list.

Ice-covered roads may have contributed to several motor accidents early Wednesday morning, including one fatal accident on Highway 26

Several other accidents also occurred Wednesday morning. Two incidents were reported inside of one hour on Highway 194, one at Wawawai Road and one at Almota Road. Another non-injury accident was reported on 195 at Steptoe. Pullman Officer Mike Carlton warned motorists to slow down on roads made slick by cold temperatures and frozen fog.