100 years ago in Spokane: City plans for visit by famous mystery writer Mary Roberts Rinehart

From our archives, 100 years ago

Famous mystery author Mary Roberts Rinehart was planning a Spokane visit.

“Spokane women are extremely anxious to meet the well-known author and have besieged the chamber of commerce for information of her arrival and whether or not she will meet local people,” said the Spokane Daily Chronicle.

The answer to that question was “maybe.” The chamber was trying to organize an informal reception in Spokane for her fans.

However, her trip was not a publicity trip. She had indicated that the purpose of the trip was to “get ideas and color for her new stories.” The chamber was planning to take her to Kellogg, where she would visit the mines and make a trip under the mountain. She would also take a motorboat ride out of Coeur d’Alene.

Rinehart was a prolific writer of mysteries, often considered the American Agatha Christie.

From the missing persons beat: The body of former Idaho state Sen. Abner G. Kerns of Wallace was found by searchers in the North Fork of the Coeur d’Alene River.

Kerns had been missing for days. His family reported that he had been behaving erratically for several days before he disappeared. No other details were reported about the cause of his death.