Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Continued mild weather in Spokane meant that the bears at the Manito Park Zoo had not gone into hibernation. Even the “big baldface grizzly” was taking a daily sun bath outside its cave. This was particularly noteworthy, because the grizzly had spent most of its time in the cave during the daytime since its arrival from Yellowstone in the summer.

The zoo was also adding to its wildfowl collection.

It traded a deer to a zoo in Iowa for a pair each of wood ducks, pintails and gadwalls.

Meanwhile, some zoo patrons called to say they thought Bobbie, one of the zoo monkeys, was sick. As it turned out, he wasn’t sick at all.

He was just happily ensconced in his new “nest” in a box above the other monkeys.

From the hygiene beat: A vagrant and member of the Wobblies escaped from the “honor ranch” – a work camp for prisoners.

His fellow prisoners had earlier objected to his state of hygiene and held a kangaroo court session, in which they ordered him to bathe in a horse trough and disinfect his clothes.

He took the bath reluctantly, but when he was supposed to be disinfecting his clothes, he took off into the woods.