Jim Kershner’s This day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

How did a sorority party in Spokane turn into a costume party gone bad?

A Spokesman-Review front page story summed it up like this:

• The young ladies of the Delta Kappa Nu sorority were holding a party in which they all dressed up as characters in the Bingville Bugle comic strip.

• At some point during the party, one young lady witnessed a hand reach in through an open window and make off with four dozen doughnuts, “the entire doughnut supply.” She reported that he was a “hobo” (although how she could tell just from a hand was unclear).

• The sorority girls, dressed as various Bingville hillbillies, “sallied forth” into the backyard to find the hobo and get their doughnuts back.

• They found nothing in the darkness so they enlisted Colonel, the house St. Bernard, to help them search.

• Colonel proceeded to lunge and “attack” a shadowy figure. It was not the hobo, but one of the sorority girls, dressed as Doc Livermore.

She was uninjured but shaken. They all “fled” back to the house, where they carried on with their party, minus hobo and doughnuts.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1945: The U.S. government announced the end of shoe rationing, effective at midnight.