100 years ago in Spokane: A ‘daring headline attraction’ comes to town

A reviewer was titillated by the Radium Girls, a vaudeville act featuring three young women “who are entirely uncovered” except for a coat of silver paint.

This “somewhat daring headline attraction” was compared to an art display, with the women “appearing in a series of artistic poses of a purely classical type, in simulation of bits of sculpture.”

They appeared “sans clothing and sans drape.” They were called the Radium Girls because “the effective lighting on their silvered forms gives the peculiar warm glow that is attributed to the precious material.”

The act “is the most striking exposition of the undraped female form that Spokane theatergoers have seen for some time.”

From the Father’s Day beat: C.W. Seewer, 26, had a rough Father’s Day.

He had somehow “lost” his wife and two children.

He tearfully told Spokane police that he had left his family in La Grande, Oregon, to find work in Spokane. But when he failed to find find work in Spokane, he went on to Wallace. So he wrote to his family to meet him in Wallace. However, he later discovered she and the kids had already left for Spokane before the letter arrived.

So he made a frantic trip to Spokane to try and find them, but couldn’t find them anywhere. He was certain they were in Spokane somewhere.

He implored Spokane police to search for his family. He said he wanted to stay as close to the police station as possible, and he even asked permission to sleep in the detention room. Permission was granted.