The Prize Apple Was Stuffed With Shot
A judge's suspicion at the Spokane fair exposed a prank that briefly put a Wilbur exhibitor's reputation on the line.
Wilbur district made a good showing and carried away, among others, the first prize for best half bushel of wheat. In the contest for the prize for the big apple, Judge Smith discovered that Wilbur had entered an apple exceeding by seven ounces any other in the competition. The judge was suspicious, however, and cutting it open discovered that it had been hollowed out and filled with shot. It seemed a bad case for J. H. Friedlander, who was in charge of the Wilbur exhibit, but later developments brought out the fact that the trick had been turned by the frisky Walla Walla boys—and Mr. Friedlander still retains his spotless reputation.
“The judge was suspicious, however, and cutting it open discovered that it had been hollowed out and filled with shot.”
County-fair rivalries and the lure of a blue ribbon are still with us, and so is the temptation to rig a contest. The episode also shows how quickly a public accusation could damage an exhibitor's reputation—and how a later explanation could restore it.
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