100 years ago in Spokane: City leaders declare that all jail inmates would serve hard labor on city rock pile

The Spokane City Council declared “no more soft beds and easy meals” for city jail prisoners.

All prisoners, even those sentenced for petty offenses, will serve a designated number of days at hard labor.

“There’s a mighty big rock pile – one big enough to discourage almost anyone,” said one of the city commissioners.

Another commissioner said the rock pile is for the purpose of “deterring loafers and others from living on the public.” He said that some people were willfully doing things to get into jail for a “sure and easy means of living through the winter.”

The rock pile was at Third Avenue and Sheridan Street.

From the robbery beat: A lone bandit entered the Bonsall Clothing store, thrust a gun at clerk W.A. Norgell and said, “Stick up your hands.”

Norgell complied, and the robber searched Norgell’s pockets and took $10 from him. But the robber had trouble getting the cash register open and began to get nervous.

He ordered Norgell to stay behind the counter and ran out onto Riverside Avenue. Norgell raised the alarm and several people chased the bandit into an alley but lost him.

Also on this date

(From the Associated Press)

1889: The first jukebox made its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon. (The coin-operated device consisted of four listening tubes attached to an Edison phonograph.)

1936: “Life,” the photojournalism magazine created by Henry R. Luce, was first published.