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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The jury in the Mitch Nance murder trial had still not come to a decision, although a courtroom “rumor” implied that 10 jurors were for conviction, with only two holding out for acquittal.

At one point, the jury foreman told Judge Bruce Blake that “we are so divided that I do not believe that we can reach a verdict in this case.”

The judge told them to go back into the jury room and continue deliberating.

Later, the jury asked to have the testimony of two witnesses read to them. They also asked for clarification on the law of self-defense and on the legal meaning of the term “reasonable doubt.”

From the labor beat: A secret meeting of 60 of Spokane’s biggest employers was held to discuss a unified stance against organized labor and in favor of the “open shop.”

The meeting was provoked because of a recent call by the Shingle Weavers, Sawmill and Woodworkers International union for an eight-hour day in the region’s lumber mills.

However, Spokane’s employers were not entirely united behind the open-shop plan. The Spokane Daily Chronicle reported that many employers who were asked to attend the secret meeting failed to show.