Jim Kershner’s This day in history

From our archives,

100 years ago

Spokane’s suffragist leader, May Arkwright Hutton, hosted a “brilliant reception” for Henrietta Crosman, one of the leading actresses in the country.

About 300 women (and “a number of men”) showed up. They came to get a look at Crosman, who had made a national sensation 10 years earlier as Nell Gwynne in “Mistress Nell” and as Rosalind in “As You Like It.” She was in Spokane to perform in the touring production “Anti-Matrimony” at the Auditorium Theater.

The crowd was also there to support the cause of women’s suffrage.

“I believe in woman suffrage because I believe in a square deal,” said Crosman at the reception. She was described as an “ardent suffragist” and president of the Actresses’s Suffrage League.

The reception was held at Hutton’s “spacious” apartments and included a variety of entertainments. A violin-piano duo played a piece titled “Romance” and a Spokane singer sang “Heaven Hath Shed a Tear.”

The Spokesman-Review described Crosman’s outfit in detail: “A black crepe made empire, with train” and “a lavender hat with plumes.”

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1509: Henry VIII was crowned king of England; his wife, Catherine of Aragon, was crowned queen consort. … 1910: Italian automaker Alfa Romeo was founded in Milan.