Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

H.F. Tabb, the Spokane city cashier who had been accused of pocketing more than $3,000 in city cash, was reinstated by the city’s civil service commission.

The commission exonerated Tabb and said there was no proof that he took the money. They said several other employees had access to both the books and the cash.

The city attorney still maintained that Tabb had more opportunity to take the money than anyone else, and he said he would pursue the matter with the City Council.

From the matrimonial beat: A Great Northern engineer from Hillyard had a surprising response when his wife sued him for divorce. He said he wasn’t sure if he was married to her, or to her sister.

This “matrimonial tangle” came about like this: Before he married his current wife, he lived with her sister in Whitefish, Montana. He and the sister “passed as man and wife” and the laws of Montana recognized it as a marriage, even though there was no ceremony or certificate.

Because he may have still been legally married to the sister, his current marriage might not be binding. If so, he wanted it to be annulled, making any divorce proceeding irrelevant.

So he asked the court to decide: Was he married to his wife, or her sister?