100 years ago in Spokane: Clock ticking for potential draft evaders

The draft dominated the news once again in Spokane.

Eight men, out of 103 summoned, failed to appear on time for transportation to Camp Lewis (later Fort Lewis).

The Spokesman-Review printed all eight names, and said that they still had one day to report for duty. Otherwise, they would be posted as “deserters.”

One of the men presented a “most puzzling case.” The man, from Hillyard, apparently decided he preferred the seagoing life to Army life and enlisted in the Navy instead.

The draft board was attempting to find out how “a member of the new Army could enlist in the Navy after he had been drafted.”

In other draft news, seven men failed to show up for their draft physicals. Their names were also printed in the paper.

Meanwhile, the city was preparing a sendoff for 800 other men from Spokane, Idaho and Montana, who were leaving for Camp Lewis later in the day. It was going to be the biggest farewell event yet.

From the fugitive beat: Juneau officials were refusing to extradite fugitive Spokane stockbroker W.H. Bourke until Spokane officials forked over a $600 reward.

The reward had been put on Bourke’s head after he disappeared pending charges of stock fraud. He was found and arrested in Juneau – and he was still sitting in jail there, pending delivery of the reward.