100 years ago in Spokane: Woman didn’t remember her own name or relatives after getting hit by a truck

Ella Redford of Spokane was struck on the back of the head by an auto – and now she remembered little of her past life.

She said she lived in Spokane, but couldn’t remember whether she lived on the South Side or the North Side. She believed she was married.

But she could not remember the names of any relatives. In fact, she couldn’t remember her own name until officers asked her if she was Ella Redford, at which point she recognized her name.

Witnesses said she was crossing Washington Street downtown and was between the white pedestrian lines when a Ford truck hit her and dragged her 20 feet before stopping. The driver was booked for reckless driving.

Doctors at Deaconess Hospital hoped that she would regain her memory in a day or two, after the shock had passed.

From the restaurant beat: A much-loved restaurant special reappeared on local menus: the 25-cent dinner.

The 25-cent dinner special had been missing since the war, but food prices were finally dropping. The OK Coffee House on Trent Avenue offered entrees including sausage, beef stew, and “hamburger steak” for a quarter, and that included bread, butter, coffee and potatoes. A roast beef dinner could be had for 30 cents and a steak dinner for 65 cents.

The Grill Cafe, on North Washington Street, dropped its prices even more. It was offering hot cakes and waffles for breakfast at 15 cents, and that included coffee.

Restaurant prices were down 5 to 10 cents across the board.