Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The slayer of Spokane Daily Chronicle city editor Edward Rothrock gave a jailhouse interview in which he declared, “I’m glad I did it.”

Alexiev (his actual Russian name) shot the editor in the belief that the Chronicle had written a salacious article about him. The paper hadn’t – it was a joke played by his fellow lumberjacks. A reporter asked him if he was still glad.

“Yes, even though,” said Alexiev.

Then a reporter said, “They say you are crazy.”

“Yes, I’m crazy,” he said. “Crazy just like the Russian fox.”

From the evangelist beat: Spokane’s best known evangelist, Sister Flora Bilkiss, announced that she was giving up street preaching because whenever she got up on a street corner to speak, the International Workers of the World orators (Wobblies) would gather and drown her out.

“To be compelled to fight the devil and the IWW’s at the same time is too much for me,” said Sister Bilkiss. She said she would confine her sermons to the indoors.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1945: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country. … 1992: The Agriculture Department unveiled its pyramid-shaped diet chart.