100 years ago in Spokane: Commission reinstates 2 police officers accused of ‘cowardice’

From our archives, 100 years ago

The city’s Civil Service Commission reinstated two Spokane policemen who had been suspended for failing to prevent a bandit from holding up a streetcar and taking two streetcar men hostage. The mayor had suspended them for what he called bad judgment, dereliction of duty and cowardice. The two officers had watched the entire episode, yet let the bandit get away.

The two officers denied acting out of fear. Yet the officers told the commission that they could not shoot for fear of hitting the hostages. Also, the bandit was armed with two pistols and he threatened to shoot the hostages if the officers interfered.

When the decision was announced, the audience, composed mostly of fellow officers, applauded.

From the pet beat: An anonymous columnist on the Society pages wrote an impassioned essay defending women who love dogs – specifically, childless women.

“Why is it considered wicked in women to love dogs if they have no children to be fond of?” she wrote. “The rich woman and her lap dog are the subjects of many jests and much ridicule. As a matter of fact, mothers of large families are fond of dogs, too, and no one criticizes them.”

She went on to say that dogs are “good substitutes for human beings.” “They can’t talk, of course, but then that keeps them from saying disagreeable things. Unlike children, they will never be impudent or ungrateful.”