This day in history: A courtroom melee sent a detective to the hospital

From 1975: A defendant in a Spokane courtroom kicked Spokane County detective Lt. Larry V. Erickson in the jaw when the defendant lashed out at officers who were attempting to restrain him.

Erickson was taken to the hospital, where he required stitches to close a wound in his mouth.

The defendant, Ernest J. “Buster” Finnie, was in court following a custody dispute, in which he refused to say where he had taken his 3-year-old son. The judge cited him for contempt and ordered him jailed for six months, or until he disclosed the boy’s location. The defendant then attempted to walk out of the courtroom while officers tried to bring him back to his seat. He was standing on a chair when he kicked Erickson.

Larry V. Erickson would later go on to become the Spokane County sheriff.

From 1925: Anticipation was running high for the first Northwest Indian Congress in Spokane – and that was only one part of what was being called “a three-ply” festival that would attract thousands.

The two other parts were a gigantic Halloween parade and a big football game between the Haskell Indian School and Gonzaga University.

Organizers believed that at least 3,000 Indians would attend the congress in the Armory. The Indians would have a major presence in the other events, which included a pre-football street parade and the colorful Halloween parade the next day.

“The Indians will be quartered at the fairgrounds, where hay, water, fuel and camping space will be furnished them without charge,” said The Spokesman-Review. “They will have typical tepees on exhibition on Riverside Avenue west of the Monaghan monument. They will be urged to sell blanket and beadwork and 13 stores will feature window displays of Indian handicraft.”