100 years ago in Adams County: Officials work to identify hobos killed in train wreck

From our archives, 100 years ago

One of the hobos killed in a head-on train wreck near Lind, Washington, was identified as Harold H. Coe of Seattle.

He and another man, still unidentified, were riding on (or in) one of the baggage cars when the two locomotives collided.

Authorities identified Coe by letters he was carrying. One was from a relative in Connecticut. A notation in a book he carried said, “in case of accident, notify Mrs. Simon Gaffer of Mott, N.D.”

There were few clues abut the other man’s identity. He was described as a Greek, about 46, with a belt buckle inscribed “C.H.”

From the beauty beat: Two “Scientific Face Specialists” were in Spokane and accepting appointments for treatments “guaranteed to remove all traces of age, wrinkles, pittings, scars and all detriment to facial beauty and perfection.”

Mme. Julia Mays and Mme. Florence Dunn of New York City took out an ad that offered “a cordial invitation … to discuss the matter in the strictest privacy and confidence.”

To sweeten the deal, the New York “face specialists” were offering a half-price bottle of Mme. Mays’ Famous Electricine lotion, “for contracting, lightening, whitening and beautifying the complexion.”