This day in history: American Freedom Train rolls into Spokane with historic items on display; Police take in alleged gang of robbers who burgled across region

From 1975: Here’s a few of the items on display on the American Freedom Train, which was in Spokane for a four-day visit.

• The first English Bible printed in the United States.
• George Washington’s notes on a draft of the Constitution.
• The bat that Hank Aaron used to hit his record-breaking 714th home run.
• Julia Ward Howe’s original manuscript of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
• A suit worn by Robert Redford.

Thousands of Spokane residents were thronging to the train, which was an early harbinger of the national bicentennial celebration.

From 1925: A five-man robber gang was rounded up by police, who recovered thousands of dollars of loot from burglaries around the region. The gang was suspected of being behind the burglary of the Oakesdale railway depot, a clothing and grocery store in Boville, Idaho, and a break-in at an Ione, Washington, merchandise store.

Police said they broke the case after a stolen auto was wrecked near St. Maries a week earlier. In investigating that case, “officers discovered a clew” (yes, that’s how the paper spelled it in that era), which indicated the time and place of the gang’s upcoming rendezvous.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1795: Pinckney’s Treaty is signed by Spain and the U.S., which established the southern boundary and gave Americans the right to navigate the Mississippi River.

1982: China announces its population has surpassed 1 billion people.