100 years ago: Murder defendant Masto called incompetent

People who knew murder defendant Joe Masto testified that he was a well-known “nut,” “boob” and mental incompetent.

When he became angry, he would “run around in circles, claw in the air and have a wild glare in his eyes,” said his co-workers.

His four-year feud with the victim, Vincent Chiedo, came to a head when Chiedo wrote to a prospective bride’s parents in Italy and told them not to send their daughter to Spokane for the marriage because Masto was a man “without brains.”

This testimony actually worked to Masto’s benefit, because his attorney Joseph Albi was reportedly “gradually building a strong defense on the grounds of sanity and self-defense.”

The killing occurred when Masto confronted Chiedo in the Parkwater rail yards and shot him.

From the holiday beat: Spokane’s Jewish community was in the news for two reasons.

First, Rabbi Julius Liebert of the Temple Emanu-El wrote a letter to the American Legion objecting to the Legion post’s plans for a community Christmas tree celebration.

The rabbi said the American Legion was intended as a nonsectarian organization and should not be involved in Christmas celebrations.

The Legion commander replied that a Christmas tree event was a universal celebration, not a sectarian celebration. The matter was not resolved.

In a separate front-page story in the Spokane Daily Chronicle, the Spokane Hebrew Free Loan Society announced plans to distribute thousands of dollars in interest-free loans to the needy.