100 years ago in Spokane: Jury picked for trial in murder of Fort George Wright soldier

Jury selection was completed in one of the most sensational murder trials of the year – the trial of Maurice P. Codd, a popular Gonzaga University alumnus.

He was accused of tossing a Fort George Wright soldier over a railing at the Granite Building.

The soldier, Frank T. Brinton, plunged several stories to his death. Witnesses claimed that Codd was drunk at the time and started an argument. When Brinton tried to intervene, Codd threw him over the railing.

However, Codd’s attorneys indicated that they were withdrawing a plea of temporary insanity and were entering a plea of not guilty on grounds of self-defense. In some of their questions to potential jurors, Codd’s attorneys hinted that they would attempt to show that Brinton attacked Codd, not the other way around.

Choosing a jury proved to be difficult because the case had been discussed extensively in the newspapers, and “many jurors declared they are prejudiced.”

From the missing persons beat: Two girls named Margaret Fyfe and Hazel Carreau, both 12, were playing on the river bank at the foot of Grace Avenue when they saw a startling sight.

“We saw what we first thought was a little girl, rolling down the river bank,” said Margaret. “After rolling part way, she got to her feet and started running toward the river with her hands outstretched before her. Her hat fell off. We then ran home and told momma.”

Her mother called police, and officers went to the scene and found the hat. They were able to positively identify the hat as belonging to a 79-year-old woman who lived nearby and who had been reported missing earlier in the day.

Her body was found a few hours later near the Downriver bridge. Police believed the woman committed suicide by drowning.