Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The court bailiff counted the jurors in the Spokane County Courthouse jury room and came up with 13. He shook his head and counted again. He still came up with 13 – one over the allotted number.

The bailiff thought he was going nuts so he counted again, and sure enough, 13 men were settling down to deliberate in this civil case involving an injury to a schoolchild.

Turns out, the 13th man had been dismissed at the beginning of the trial, but he didn’t realize it. He had never been in court before. So he sat with the spectators during the entire trial, “imagining himself on the jury.”

“When the court instructed the jurors at the conclusion of the trial and told them to retire, the man went out with them,” said the paper.

The bailiff noticed it before they actually began deliberations, so there was no mistrial.

From the prohibition beat: A petition with more than 10,000 signatures calling for a “local option” vote was filed with the Spokane city clerk’s office.

A local option vote meant a vote on whether to ban booze locally. A clear majority of the signers of the petition were women.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1774: The first Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia.