Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The city’s humane officer (dogcatcher) delivered an alarming statistic: Between 2,000 and 3,000 dogs were running at large in Spokane.

He said 2,500 dogs were properly licensed. But approximately the same number were running loose, and he intended to crack down on the problem.

From the vaudeville beat:

In other dog-related news, a performer named Don was wowing audiences at the Orpheum Theater. Don was a talking dog, who could pronounce six or seven words “to perfection.” The fact that those words were in German didn’t seem to bother the Orpheum crowd, which was “loud in its acclaim.”

From the excursion beat: Beautiful summerlike weather drew enormous crowds to Manito Park and Natatorium Park on Sunday.

It also drew pickpockets. One Japanese resident said someone stole $65 from him while he was riding a crowded streetcar to a baseball game. A Coeur d’Alene Indian woman reported that a man grabbed her purse and made off with $65. 

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1865: President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth during a performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theater in Washington.