Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Spokane Mayor W.J. Hindley finally relented and revoked his ban on newsreels showing scenes of the European war. 

However, he ordered the theaters to run a slide before the newsreels saying, “In view of the presence in this audience of many whose home land is involved in the present war, the patrons of this theater are respectfully requested to refrain from any applause or demonstration during the exhibition.”

He had issued the ban after several near-brawls among movie-house patrons.

Theater managers were joyful, since their “weekly pictorial news reviews” had been practically slashed in half. They had been forced to edit out all of the war-related news, leaving little else.

From the runaway beat: Edith Brown and Lela Strong, both 13, disappeared after walking away from Hawthorne School and were reported as runaways. However, they were found early the next morning 12 miles from home at Marshall, which they had reached on foot.

They said they had a scheme to jump a freight train to Montana with George Cain and Rex Bell, both 16. The two boys had been arrested a few weeks earlier for joyriding. They had escaped briefly from the juvenile detention home, presumably to go meet the girls. But they were recaptured before they could execute their plan.