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100 years ago in Spokane: Police arrest ‘walking narcotic dispensary,’ and man plays 198 consecutive holes at Downriver Golf Course for ‘marathon golf record’

 (S-R archives)

A young woman was arrested on Main Avenue after police discovered she was a “walking narcotic dispensary.”

She had 52 capsules of cocaine and another ounce in bulk in a pasteboard box in her coat.

She and a compatriot, “Blackie” Kelly, 27, were arrested by the narcotics squad after they had been under surveillance for a considerable time. She was apparently under the influence of drugs or liquor, while “it was necessary to hold her in check” as she tried to throw away her box of cocaine.

When a police sergeant asked her name, she replied, “It’s none of your damn business. Just put me down as you see fit.”

The Spokesman-Review reported that she “retains beauty in spite of dissipation.” The only outward sign of her drug habit was her dilated pupils.

From the golf beat: Arthur E. Velguth of Spokane claimed to successfully break the American “marathon golf record” by playing 198 consecutive holes in 15 hours at Downriver Golf Course. He walked 53 miles in all.

Velguth, a 44-year-old contractor, said he was motivated by reports that a Philadelphia man had played 180 straight holes earlier in the month.

Velguth began his marathon at 4:20 a.m. after a breakfast of four raw eggs and a half pint of cream. He averaged over 3 miles per hour and sunk the ball on every hole. He was accompanied the entire time by caddy Bobby Willard, which raises the possibility that Willard set some kind of caddy marathon record as well.

Velguth’s goal was speed, but he apparently played with at least some skill. He made 22 pars on 198 holes. He averaged a score of 48 for every nine-hole round.

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