Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Two burned bodies were found inside a ramshackle shack near the south bank of the Spokane River at Sheridan Street.

One neighbor said he saw the occupant of the shack, identified only as a “tall Scandinavian,” come home drunk that evening. The neighbors said this was a common occurrence – the man often came home drunk after he had sold a few of the chickens he raised.

Later that night, fire crews were alerted to a shack on fire, and when they arrived on the scene, the destruction already was complete. The shack was described as being built of boxes, “corrugated iron,” and other odds and ends. Two lanterns, possible sources of the fire, were found in the debris.

The man’s body was found on the bed and a woman’s body was found near the door, where a piece of corrugated iron from the roof had fallen on her.

The woman was unidentified, but police suspected she might be Nellie Guinette, who had been severely burned several years before in another shack not 75 feet from this shack. She had been attempting to live in her old burned-out shack, but had been evicted twice by police. 

From the zoo beat: The Manito Park Zoo reported a major success: Three spry little ostrich hatchlings were born, thanks in part to the zoo’s male ostrich, which sat on the eggs for 45 days “while the mother ostrich took life easy.”