FROM THE FILES

125 Years Ago

Adams County News

August 17, 1898

It is interesting to be down at the police court when a case is in progress and learn that of the large number of the hobo element that are always attracted there, a very large per cent are ex-police, ex-sheriffs, ex-judges and ex- lawyers.

These fellows are veritable walking encyclopedias of law-in their mind. They usually take sides with the case on trial and their muttered objections to some of the rulings of the court, or their ill-concealed approval of some drunken nonsense, would be no credit to a dog fight.

They are great sticklers for what they call constitutional rights. They scarcely believe anybody guilty except the city marshal. They are fond of telling how things are done in Tacoma or some other place.

They occasionally work in the old gag about being laboring men as though a laboring man had a better right to get drunk and make a fool of himself than anyone else.

Local and Personal

Mangled remains of an unknown man were found on the railroad track about 4 miles east of town this morning by the crew of the work train as they went out to work. The body was frightfully mangled, the limbs being torn from the trunk and scattered along the track for 1,000 yards. Sheriff Thompson, Prosecuting Attorney C. Staser, Deputy Sheriff E.D. Gilson, Dr. Burroughs and Claude Harris went out and brought the remains to town. An inquest will be held sometime this afternoon.

Saturday was no slouch as far as police court was concerned. Gus Zabel, the proprietor of one of our saloons, was fined $40 and costs for playfully clubbing the head of an Irishman. The Irishman was assessed $15 and costs as a penalty for engaging in the little pleasantry of firing a few rocks, beer bottles, etc., into Zabel's saloon.

Oliver Armstrong purchased a gramophone in Ritzville last week and he now entertains the people with music.

100 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

August 16, 1923

Wanted here for forgery

A man by the name of G. Gilbert, who is accompanied by his wife, is sought by the county officers on a charge of forgery. It is alleged that he forged the name of Richard Dehnel to some checks and passed them on local merchants.

So far three checks are known of, one for $15; another for $25; and another for around $40. He is said to have cashed checks at the J.C. Penney store and at Mrs. Hallin's. He is said to have attempted passing the $40 check at the Rieker Motor Co. and his wife to have tried it at the Ritzville Drug Co.

Later it is reported he tried to cash it with Henry Wellsandt at the Pastime Cigar Store, but Henry questioned the signature and turned it down. The cashed checks were rejected at the bank when presented. When the alleged forgery was discovered, the sheriff's force started search.

Local Brevities

O.H. Greene, president of the First National Bank, came over on Sunday night from his summer home at Wauna to look after business matters a short time.

75 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

August 5, 1948

4 windows broken at

farm shop here

Minor vandalism continues to plague school officials, Superintendent H. A. Trimble said this week in reporting that four windows had been broken in the Ritzville high school farm shop building over the weekend. A large window was shattered by a large rock-the size of a man's head-which was found in the middle of the farm shop floor surrounded by pieces of glass, the superintendent said. Three smaller windows were broken by three smaller rocks.

New store opening Saturday

Ritzville Jewelers, formerly Ritzville Motor Co., is opening across the street from the Ritz Theatre. C. A. "Chip" Young is the Manager.

At the Ritz

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in "The Noose Hangs High"; Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn, and Van Johnson in "State of the Union."

50 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

August 16, 1973

School board fixes dress codes

The board adopted a six-part clothing code:

•All clothing shall be clean and properly mended. Ragged or frayed clothing will not be permitted.

•Shorts or cutoffs are inappropriate dress during regular classes.

•Beards or mustaches will not be permitted.

•No tank tops or halter tops.

•No bare feet.

•No hats.

Machine sells stamps

A stamp-dispensing machine at the Ritzville post office lobby sold 500 8-cent stamps in the period June 19 through July 31, Postmaster Rudy Thaut reports. The machine also dispenses one-cent and five-cent stamps, but fewer of these denominations are sold.

25 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

August 13, 1998

Harvest bee held for Heider family

A harvest bee was held for the Bob Heider family on Wednesday, Aug. 5, with 34 combines, 29 trucks and three tractors pulling bank-out wagons participating in three different fields. Volunteers with fire trucks, water trucks, service trucks and fuel trucks also were at each field. A potluck dinner was held later in the evening for all of the volunteers.

Balfe completes

deployment

Navy Seaman Michael E. Balfe, son of Tom and Debi Balfe of Ritzville, recently completed a five-month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf aboard the dock-landing ship USS Portland. Balfe was one of more than 650 Sailors and Marines aboard the ship which departed its home port of Little Creek, VA, in February as part of the USS Wasp Amphibious Ready Group.

- The Journal