Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Friends, relatives and police were on a frantic search for Ole Hermansen, 55, of Spokane, who disappeared after going for a walk downtown.

He was last seen in a Trent Avenue barbershop. He was sporting a large diamond ring on one hand and carried a “gold hunting-case Elgin watch,” along with a considerable bank roll.

His friends were afraid that someone saw the ring and the watch, “lured him into a saloon and doped him with a couple of drinks,” and then took him into an alley and killed him.

After two days of searching, police had still found no trace of him. 

From the music beat: Fritz Kreisler, the world-famous Austrian violinist, was in Spokane preparing for a concert at the Auditorium Theater. 

Kreisler was nearing the end of a 35-city tour of the U.S. and Canada, and the strain was clearly wearing on him.

“It would be ideal if one could play as the artists paint – only when the inspiration moves,” Kreisler said. “But we must play on the date and at the hour set for us, whether we feel so disposed or not, and this usually comes after a long journey. It is this very necessity under trying circumstances that steels the musician against annoying inconveniences.”

He added that he would be “glad to say goodbye to my violin for a little while.”