100 years ago in Spokane: Taunts over his stature drive man to seek divorce

From our archives, 100 years ago

John H. Paulson filed for divorce because he could no longer endure his wife Vernie’s taunts about his size.

He said in a court filing that his wife ridiculed his stature “until it began to tell on his nerves.”

John said he was 5 feet tall and weighed 130 pounds. Vernie was described as 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds.

“Ever since our marriage, she has nagged about my size and weight constantly, bragging to me about the number of fellows she had back in Montana that were 6-footers and real men,” complained John.

The story noted that the case was the first of its kind in Spokane courts.

From the gambling beat: Police raided a gambling den and arrested 23 Chinese, Japanese and Koreans in Spokane’s Chinatown district.

Police said they evaded two lookouts by climbing onto the roof of an adjoining building, going down a fire escape and breaking through a locked door. There they found two fan tan games in progress and $27 in cash on the table.

The address was given as 225-1/2 Japanese Alley, although the paper used a shorter, more derogatory abbreviation of “Japanese.” That alley was also called Trent Alley.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1962: A naval quarantine of Cuba ordered by President John F. Kennedy went into effect during the missile crisis.