100 years ago in Spokane: Jury clears merchant accused of improper behavior

From our archives, 100 years ago

Mrs. May McDonald sued clothing merchant Albert J. Ziv for $500 after she claimed that he “assaulted her by laying hands on her and made improper suggestions.”

She claimed she went into the store to exchange some merchandise and asked what the difference in price would be. According to her, Ziv said, “You might give me a kiss to make up the difference,” and then touched her under the chin.

When she took offense, she claimed he replied, “Don’t get peeved, the best of us make mistakes sometimes. Forget it.”

Ziv, however, said he never attempted to kiss her, nor did he chuck her under the chin.

“If I touched her, I only touched her in handing her the package,” he said.

A clerk and another customer witnessed the exchange and testified that nothing improper happened.

The jury deliberated only 15 minutes before finding that Mrs. McDonald’s charges were unsustained.

From the war beat: Spokane was planning a Memorial Day Preparedness Parade – “preparedness” being the term used by those who believed that the U.S. should be ready to intervene in the European war.

Veteran’s groups and the Spokane Chamber of Commerce anticipated a bigger parade than usual and predicted it would be a “solemn patriotic spectacle.”