100 years ago in Spokane: Gas-Bomb Plot turned out to be a stinker

Four people were on trial in the sensational case of the Spokane Theater Gas Bomb Plot.

This perhaps makes the plot sound more dramatic than it actually was. Nobody was injured and nothing was damaged in the “bombings” – although they did result in numerous wrinkled noses.

The four suspects were accused of setting off stink bombs in three theaters as part of a plan to punish non-union theaters.

One of the suspects, Eva Jury, had turned state’s evidence and confessed that she and the others had released stinky substances in the aisles to discourage attendance.

Jury, described as a “pretty 20-year-old blonde,” told the court that one of the male defendants had talked her into going into the “gas bomb-throwing business.” She said she had been promised assistance by the theater operator’s union if she would participate. She was to be paid $30 a week plus expenses to let loose the bombs in Spokane and other cities.

She set off one bomb at the Majestic Theater in Spokane, and she said she had knowledge that the other defendants set off bombs at the Class A and the Casino.

She confessed to police before she ever saw any of her salary.

The arrests made it safe to go to the theater again. The Casino opened Rudolf Valentino’s “Camille” and the Class A began a run of the “The Smart Sex,” starring Eva Novak.

The trial was ongoing.

On this day

(From Associated Press)

1869: The Suez Canal opened in Egypt.