100 years ago in Spokane: Accused streetcar robber shot and killed by off-duty police officer

Spokane police officers had one of their “most strenuous nights in a long time,” resulting in the shooting death of a man identified as the perpetrator in an attempted holdup.

Patrolman D.N. Carter said he was off duty and out of uniform when he got off a streetcar. He was accosted by a man who pulled a gun on him and told him to put his hands up. Carter complied, but then quickly drew his own gun. Two or three gunshots were exchanged. Carter was not hit, and the bandit jumped into a running getaway car and sped away.

Soon after, Arthur Spencer knocked on the door of a Valleyford pastor, claiming to have been shot by a motorist. He begged for assistance. Spencer had gunshot wounds in his stomach and thigh. He was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital where he died after an operation. Carter identified him as the man who had accosted him.

Spencer was also one of the suspects in a series of holdups that night. Another man, Marshall Jones, was arrested for holding up the Hollywood line streetcar and taking money from the fare box. Jones was arrested soon after when he tried to pay for a room at the Madison Hotel with $1 worth of nickels.

Police suspected that Jones and Spencer were accomplices.

From the court beat: The jury had been out for 24 hours in the Maurice Codd subornation of perjury trial, but no verdict had been reached.

This was no surprise, since there were 13 defendants and each would probably have to be decided separately. The 13th juror, an alternate who was dismissed at the beginning of deliberations, told reporters he did not expect a verdict for another three days.

“There is going to be a great deal of arguing in that jury room before the jury reports to the court,” he said.

He also said that it was “almost certain” that three of the defendants – Fred Robertson, Ruth Fryett and James Fryett – would be acquitted. He declined to speculate about the other defendants.