100 years ago in Spokane: Lewis and Clark High School student fractures skull in pushball match

From our archive, 100 years ago

A festive field day at Spokane’s high school athletic stadium ended in near-tragedy when Harry Lewis, 17, suffered a critical skull fracture.

The junior and senior classes of Lewis and Clark High School were engaged in a “pushball” match, in which two teams attempt to push a huge 50-pound ball over a goal.

The accident occurred at the beginning of the match, when both teams rushed toward the ball. Lewis reached it first and hit the ball so hard with his head and shoulders that he was thrown into the air backward.

He was able to walk off the field, but a blood clot began forming on his brain. He was rushed to Deaconess Hospital where doctors performed surgery. Doctors reported that “he had an even chance for recovery and that he was resting as well as might be expected.”

From the booze beat: J.G. Simpson of the Spokane Hotel was found guilty of one count of illegally selling liquor in a “permit” operation run out of a hotel suite.

Simpson helped eager liquor purchasers evade the state’s prohibition law by taking orders for booze and then bringing the merchandise in from Montana.

This was the first of seven counts against Simpson. A trial on the second count was already underway.