100 years ago in Spokane: Jury begins deliberations in Corbin arson trial

The judge in the city’s sensational arson trial sent the jury into deliberations with the following significant instruction: They could not find Louis Lilge guilty of first-degree arson solely on the testimony of Anna Corbin.

This was key, because the case against Lilge was based largely on Corbin’s confession and sworn testimony. She alleged that Lilge talked her into a plot to burn down her landmark home and split the insurance money with her.

Lilge denied any role in the fire. He also denied that he was Corbin’s lover.

Corbin, the widow of Spokane tycoon D.C. Corbin, returned to the witness stand near the end of the trial to rebut the testimony of Lilge.

In her rebuttal, Corbin disputed Lilge’s contention that she tried to initiate the romance during a trip to a secluded spot near Indian Canyon. She had earlier testified that Lilge had initiated the affair by insinuating himself into her affections. She said she surrendered during a weak moment.

Lilge denied “anything of an intimate nature in his relationship with Mrs. Corbin,” but he also said he had “respect for a woman’s honor, and I do not think these things should be discussed in a public way.”

From the transit beat: The first jitneys (motor buses) began operating in Spokane, and many more were expected to begin their routes in the next few days.

This was the result of a transit crisis after Spokane’s two private streetcar companies raised their fares from six cents to eight cents. The City Council authorized a number of private jitney routes in retaliation.

Streetcars would continue to roll through Spokane streets until 1936, but the arrival of the jitneys hastened the slow decline of streetcars in Spokane.