100 years ago in Spokane: The man accused of orchestrating the South Hill oil scam had some loyal supporters, and the drilling went on

The Spokane Daily Chronicle reported that “practically every large stockholder of the Eastern Washington Oil Co.” was rallying to the support of its president, Alfred L’Ecuyer – even though he had just been arrested for defrauding them.

L’Ecuyer and his wife were charged with dumping an oil-like substance in the basement of their Southeast Boulevard home, in order to dupe investors into thinking it was a natural petroleum flow.

Some of the big investors said they still believed L’Ecuyer was an honest man. Others blamed the people who uncovered the fraud, including the Better Business Bureau.

One large investor, a local jeweler, said he wished “a few people in this city would mind their own business.”

Meanwhile, the company continued to drill at its huge rig outside the L’Ecuyer home. And another company announced plans to drill near Latah Creek and 21st Avenue.

From the rockpile beat: John Daly, serving time for vagrancy, became the first prisoner to attempt to escape from the city’s new rockpile.

He did not succeed.

When Daly dropped his hammer and made a run for it, Officer T.B. (Tiny) Stafford fired a shot past Daly’s ear.

Daly threw up his hands and “decided to linger longer with the other prisoners.”

The rockpile was part of the city’s new plan to impose hard labor on prisoners for even relatively minor offenses.