This day in history: There was trouble in Lilac City as a justice chastised boys for visiting a pool hall

From 1974: A forensic chemist testified in Spokane that the pipe bomb which killed a Pasco judge was a “victim-functioning device.”

By that, he meant that whoever unwrapped the mailed package would detonate the bomb.

The package contained a letter, purporting to be from Expo ’74 officials, which said that they were giving him a “fun” souvenir.

Judge James J. Lawless never saw the letter. The bomb exploded when the package was opened in his chambers.

Ricky Anthony Young, 23, was on trial for first-degree murder.

From 1924: There was trouble, right here in Lilac City. Trouble with capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool.

Police justice Witt lectured a half-dozen boys in his courtroom about the evils of pool halls. He said pool halls “tend to develop pool hall ‘sharks’ and fellows waste a lot of time hanging around with them.”

“A lot of these halls are meeting places for criminals and 90% of crimes are hatched there,” he told the boys.

The boys were all arrested after they were found playing pool at a downtown pool hall. Youths under the age of 18 were banned in pool halls. They were fined $5, but the fines were suspended, and warned never to do it again.

The proprietor of the pool hall at 120½ N. Post St., J.H. Berkel, told the justice he didn’t see harm from the boys spending a nickel at his establishment. He was fined $10.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1941: Imperial Japanese Navy attacks U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.