A Fistfight at City Hall
A political dispute in Spokane turns physical, landing councilmen and a street commissioner in a public brawl.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Great excitement was occasioned on Riverside Avenue this evening by a row in which several city councilmen and Street Commissioner Lynch were engaged. Lynch tried to thrash Councilman Jones, when Councilman Notbohm interfered on behalf of Jones. In the melee, Notbohm received a crack on the head with a cane in the hands of one of Lynch's friends. The row began today at the City Hall when ten councilmen, seven being Republicans, demanded of J. M. Buckley, chairman of the board of public works, that he remove Lynch from office on penalty of being removed himself. Lynch, who is a Democrat, was incensed at Jones and Notbohm, who are also Democrats, because they stood in with the Republicans in the attempt to remove him from office.
“Lynch tried to thrash Councilman Jones, when Councilman Notbohm interfered on behalf of Jones. In the melee, Notbohm received a crack on the head with a cane.”
Local government infighting often feels like a relic of a more theatrical era, yet the fundamental tension between partisan maneuvering and city governance remains a feature of municipal life. What started as a dispute over a commissioner's appointment turned into a physical scuffle on Riverside Avenue, serving as a reminder that political rancor can quickly spill off the page and into the streets.
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