Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

A strange woman knocked on the door of a farmhouse near Opportunity late at night. When the farmer opened the door, she asked for a drink of milk.

It turned out she was in some kind of daze and had been wandering around the area in a “temporary aberration.” Police and medical help were summoned, and she was taken to the county jail.

They were able to determine her name, Mary Bennett, but she couldn’t account for her wanderings. Police found a train ticket in her possession, which indicated that she was on her way to Portland from St. Louis.

She “regained her composure” after two weeks and was released from the jail. She refused to explain her situation to her doctor, except to say that she was a saleswoman.

After her release, she continued on her train journey to Portland.

From the pet beat: The paper reported that “an elaborate cat house” was being planned in Spokane, complete with sun porches and promenades.

It turned out to be exactly that – a domicile for cats, built by the Spokane Humane Society. It would board between 50 and 100 cats. The city’s humane officer was on the way to New York on a fact-finding trip to “inspect the largest model cat house in the United States.”