100 years ago in Spokane: A 9-year-old girl’s arm was ripped off by polar bears at Manito’s zoo, but she was recovering as best as could be expected

Elizabeth Harris, 9, was recovering well at Sacred Heart Hospital after her arm was torn off by two polar bears in the Manito Park Zoo.

She was feeding part of her sandwich to the bears when one of them bit down on her fingers and held on, while the other bear jumped in and tore at her arm. Her arm was bitten off at the shoulder.

Her parents said they did not plan to make any complaint over the incident. Two park attendants, working at a nearby concession stand leaped over the counter, swept her up and rushed her to the hospital. A doctor visiting the park leapt in the car and stanched the wound along the way.

The two young park attendants spoke of the incident the next day “in hushed tones, stricken by the tragedy.” A zookeeper risked his life trying to enter the cage with the agitated bears, apparently in an attempt to retrieve the girl’s arm.

Although the father said he “did not care what became of the two bears,” the Manito Park superintendent said the park board was considering what steps to take.

From the college beat: The Washington Synod of the Presbyterian Church was taking steps to address the fiscal crisis threatening the existence of Whitworth College.

It recommended hiring a new president and reopening the college in September with a full staff of instructors. It refused to accept the resignations or 24 members of the college’s board, although it suggested that they reduce the size of the board to 11.

The synod recommended that the board raise $200,000 for its endowment. The synod promised to donate $7,000, on the condition that an investigating committee concluded that the college should reopen.