Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

The sun was shining after three days of rain – and the army of crickets were back on the move at Wilson Creek, northeast of Moses Lake.

“The three-day rest just made them livelier,” said one of the beleaguered farmers who had been battling the plague for more than a week. “The moment the warm sun beat down on them, they started off clearing everything in their path. We’ve got to have help, that’s all there is to it. They’ll leave us clean as a whistle if we don’t kill them. They now have covered about 10 square miles. Ditches and pitfalls are no hindrance to them. They just keep right on going. The trenches act as a temporary check, that’s all.” 

From the divorce file: The sensational divorce case brought by Dr. James M. Neff against his wife, Cora, came to a surprising end when Dr. Neff suddenly left for Europe to become a field surgeon in the British army. He moved for a dismissal of his divorce case, which was granted.

Mrs. Neff’s countersuit, in which she claimed her husband left her because he was “infatuated with a nurse named Henschel,” still was pending.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1952: The Kentucky Derby was televised nationally for the first time on CBS; the winner was Hill Gail.

1999: Some 70 tornadoes roared across Oklahoma and Kansas, killing 46 people and injuring hundreds.