100 years ago in Spokane: Gonzaga University plans big party for opening of football stadium

A two-day opening celebration was planned for Gonzaga University’s big new football stadium.

On Friday, a “pep rouser” was scheduled in the stadium, complete with “speeches, songs and yells.”

The next day, Gonzaga was slated to play Washington State College. Before the game, the 40-piece Washington State band would parade through the downtown streets, ending up at the stadium.

Then the stadium would be dedicated in a pregame program.

The stadium no longer exists. In fact, Gonzaga’s football program no longer exists. The program was shut down in 1942, and the stadium was torn down in 1949.

From the court beat: Herman Schultz, Waterville farmer, was acquitted of manslaughter charges – but he still faced a pair of $25,000 damage lawsuits brought by the widows of the two men who were struck and killed by his car.

The two men were on the side of the road in Vera when Schultz’s car struck them.

In another trial, Louis Adams (sometimes spelled Adamo) was employing a self-defense strategy in his retrial on murder charges. Adams shot a man during a dispute at a Spokane fruit warehouse. He was convicted in his first trial, but granted a second trial on appeal.

Attorneys for Adams claimed the other man started the argument and was threatening Adams with a hammer.

Also on this day

(From onthisday.com)

1871: After three days, the Great Chicago Fire is extinguished, leaving approximately 300 dead, 100,000 homeless and costing $222 million in damages.