Jim Kershner’s This Day in History

From our archives, 100 years ago

Four “sons of well-to-do Cannon Hill families were picked up by police” and charged with “embarking on a career of chicken-yard burglary and bicycle stealing.”

The four teens were caught after some amateur sleuths, bicycle messengers, began investigating the theft of their bicycles. They found a cache of bicycles and parts near Hangman Creek and under the floorboards of a barn. They were able to discover the identities of the boys and tracked two of them to a theater where they were watching a picture show.

The messengers called in police, who got a confession from the boys. They said they also stole Mrs. Hindman’s chickens and sold them at a downtown market for $2.40. They said they were “picking up the stuff for the fun of it.”

All were turned over to juvenile authorities. 

From the Gonzaga beat: One of Gonzaga University’s last remaining wooden buildings was razed to make way for new construction.

The 30-year-old structure had variously been used as a theater, a dormitory, a gymnasium and an auditorium. Before the old building was torn down, some “relics consisting of paintings by an early student were carefully removed” to be preserved.