100 years ago in Spokane: Health inspectors arm themselves to stop spitting, combat flu epidemics

The city’s health inspectors were now packing heat.

They had armed themselves with revolvers and handcuffs, the Spokane Daily Chronicle reported, and were using them to enforce the new anti-sidewalk-spitting ordinance. The decision to arm the inspectors came after an incident involving a spitter at Riverside Avenue and Howard Street. Inspectors arrested the spitter, but he broke away and escaped down an alley.

After two years of fighting flu epidemics, the city’s health officer was in no mood to be lenient.

“There has been too much trifling with the ordinance against spitting on the sidewalk, we are going to conduct an active campaign against it,” said Dr. Ralph Hendricks, the city health officer.

From the McDonald beat: New court dates were set for the McDonald siblings, who had recently been acquitted for murder.

Now, Fay and Marie McDonald would be tried separately for forgery, for allegedly forging a check belonging to the murder victim. Ted McDonald would be tried for larceny, for allegedly stealing the dead man’s auto.

The trials were scheduled for April 1920.

From the noodle beat: The U.S. Macaroni Co. announced plans for a major expansion of its plant at 1206 N. Monroe Ave.

“The company recently bought the entire equipment of a Montana macaroni manufacturing company,” said the paper.