100 years ago in Benewah County: Relatives suspect foul play in man’s disappearance

From our archives,

100 years ago

Authorities in Benewah County were investigating the mysterious disappearance of Oscar Olson, a young man who lived alone on a farm on the St. Maries River.

He had been missing since the middle of November. A neighbor noted his absence and fed his stock, but when Olson failed to show up after a reasonable time, the neighbor notified police.

Another neighbor reported that Olson said he was going on a hunting expedition into the mountains.

The sheriff reached Olson’s mother and brother in Seattle, and they arrived to aid in the search.

They discovered something suspicious. About $300 had been drawn from Olson’s bank account recently, and it appeared some of the signatures were forgeries. His relatives feared foul play.

From the telephone beat: Crowds were so large and boisterous during demonstrations of long-distance telephone technology that two policemen had to be called into the Auditorium Theater.

Five hundred seats on the lower floor had been equipped with telephones so people could listen in on calls to New York – yet 3,000 people showed up.

The crowd got restless when they discovered that all of the telephones had been taken. The demonstration was put on by the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.