Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The P.H. Sherman family went on a carefree auto ride to some land that they owned 15 miles north of Spokane. They gathered some mushrooms and, the next day, cooked them for breakfast.

Before long, five members of the family were complaining of stomach pains. Mrs. Harlow, the man’s mother-in-law, became so ill that she was having heart problems. 

They frantically summoned Dr. Frank L. Hubbard, who lived only two doors away on Grand Boulevard. He went to work on them with a stomach pump. Several of the patients were described as having been “near death,” but all were recovering.

“In gathering the mushrooms, toadstools must have got mixed into the basket unseen, for heretofore Mr. Sherman has always been able to mark the difference,” said his sister-in-law, who was acting as nurse to the family. “The whole family are out of danger, although my mother was very ill. The children were little affected because they ate but little of the dish.”

From the church beat: Neighbors thought it was odd when they heard raucous piano music coming from St. Paul’s Baptist Church (Colored) on Saturday night.

When the noise didn’t stop, the neighbors investigated and found a white couple smoking cigarettes, cursing, playing the piano and breaking windows. After a struggle, the couple was arrested and booked for disorderly conduct.