Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
ROSALIA - A tragic love affair culminated in the murder of a Rosalia man in the early 1980s, when 20-year-old Richard Miller from Lewiston shot Glen D. Henning, 48, with a .22 caliber rifle. On Wednesday, October 7, 1981, just eight months after the fatal shooting, Miller was convicted of first-degree murder in Whitman County Superior Court. The incident occurred on January 8, when Henning was shot while attempting to retrieve a cookie sheet from the oven of a camper stored in an outbuilding on...
WASHTUCNA — A petition seeking the release of Henry Bley from the Washington State Penitentiary was filed 127 years ago, regarding the infamous double-homicide of the Moritz brothers. According to the Weekly Commoner, a predecessor to the Whitman County Gazette, dated Friday, August 20, 1897, Bley, who had been imprisoned for nine years, was connected to the infamous Moritz brothers’ murders, and filed a petition for his freedom. “This piece of criminal history is highlighted by the vigorous efforts which are now being made by citizens of Wa...
COLFAX — On September 21, 1932, three notorious criminals—George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Albert Bates, and Edward “Eddie” Bentz—executed a daring robbery at the First Savings & Trust Bank. The gang stole $71,605 in cash and securities, which, adjusted for inflation, would be equivalent to approximately $1,643,988.08 today. This represents a staggering increase of $1,572,383.08 over 92 years. The heist began around 2:30 p.m. when the armed men stormed the bank located at 102 North Main Street, a sturdy two-story building with a flat roof and front...
COLFAX — A long-lived legend remains along the shores of the Palouse River. The legend lives after 132 years in an article published in the Adams County Newspaper dated July 7, 1892.According to the article, E. K. Loyd, a local resident, made a grim discovery along the Palouse River. He was walking by the riverbank, one mile west of town, when something peculiar caught his eye. There, partially submerged in the mud, lay a pile of clothing, hinting at a dark and sinister story. Loyd’s curiosity led him to inspect the garments. The first ite...
TEKOA — An alleged assault on a local man ended fatally in 1947. According to an article published in the Tekoa Sentinel on Friday, June 27, 1947, Walter Decker, Northern Pacific Car Shop laborer in Spokane and brother of Mrs. Howard Jennings of Tekoa, died Sunday night on June 22, 1947. Decker died at Sacred Heart Hospital and was reportedly a victim of robbery and assault. According to the article, Spokane police said they knew nothing of Decker’s injuries until Monday, June 16, when the emergency hospital attendant was summoned by Dec...
COLFAX — It was on February 28, 1969, that forty-two students participated in a demonstration that prevented five Black students from entering the Whitman County jail to begin serving sentences on assault convictions. According to a news article published by the Colfax Gazette on April 17, 1969, Carl Maxey, Spokane attorney, entered a technical plea of guilty for the students at the session, which began at 10:30 a.m. and lasted less than an hour in the superior courtroom at the courthouse. “I have a feeling some of these people did not exa...
COLFAX - Fifty-five years ago a high-speed car chase ended in the Spring Flat flood control channel just south of Mill Street. Two suspects were arrested at 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18, 1969, in Steptoe, ending a 14-hour manhunt that started after a 1951 sedan crashed at high speeds into the Colfax flood control project. Arthur George, 24, of Harrah, Wash., and an unidentified fifteen-year-old were reportedly stopped at 6:25 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17, 1969 for a minor traffic violation. Repor...
COLFAX — The granddaughter of a Colfax banker in 1935 was found dead in Seattle after a four-hour disappearance. On October 6, 1935, 7-year-old Sally Kelley went missing from her grandmother’s apartment in Seattle, plunging the community into a state of fear and suspicion. Reports say Sally’s parents, Phyllis and Albert Kelley, had left her with Phyllis’ mother, Edith Coolidge, while they attended a dinner. That evening, Sally was seen playing in the hallway of her grandmother’s apartment building, Ben Lamond Apartments. She wore a red plaid dr...
ROSALIA — The day was August 14, 1935, when alarms sounded throughout the town while bank robbers fled, killing the local town marshal. Marshal Albert “Bert” Lemley, 58, fired shots at the desperadoes in the Bank of Rosalia’s window. However, a single shot of a 32-caliber was fired, striking Lemley in the back, penetrating the shoulder, heart and lodging in the ribs. He was killed instantly. An article written by the Spokane Chronicle reports that Lemley was ambushed by a third robber dressed as a woman at the point across the interse...
COLTON - On the evening of September 13, 1998, Wawawai Landing was disrupted by a distress call that would unravel a web of intrigue and deception. Whitman County Sheriff's Deputy Douglas W. Hurlburt responded to a report of a potential drowning at approximately 9:10 p.m. Reports say that he observed a man, Joseph S. Tanner, 26, of Lewiston, in an upset state. Tanner reportedly relayed a troubling narrative to the deputy as he described a boating excursion with his friend, Gwydyn Stryder...
Yesterday marked another exciting chapter in my journey as a reporter, as I had the honor of speaking to two forensic criminology classes at Gonzaga University in Spokane. The opportunity to share my experiences and insights into cold cases, a passion I’ve pursued since the age of 19, was truly exhilarating despite the pressure of being a guest speaker in a classroom full of students my age. The classes I spoke to were held at 12:20 p.m. and 4:40 p.m. I was impressed by how Professor Matthew DeGarmo seamlessly introduced cold cases and i...
Tekoa’s charming streets were lined with cars as former Rep. Dave Reichert, a former detective turned political hopeful, arrived on his campaign trail seeking to win over local voters and solidify his bid for governor. Amid election fervor, I attended not to discuss politics, but to talk about the crime that had defined Reichert’s career — the Green River murders. Meeting Dave was like stepping into a scene from a crime thriller and finding myself face-to-face with a living legend. As a self-professed “crime junkie,” my fascination with the...
WALLA WALLA — The Great American Frontier was a time of prosperity, farming, growth, and exploration. Two missionaries gave Whitman County its name in 1871. This was long after their grizzly murders in 1847 when the two missionaries, Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, were killed by the Cayuses and Umatillas people, after being accused of poisoning 200 Cayuse in their medical care during a measles outbreak, including the Whitman household. On November 29, 1847, Marcus, his wife Narcissa, and eleven other men served in a medical tent to aid locals. T...
THORNTON -Locals may recall the ghost story that shook Whitman County to its core. Not many remember his name, but some will remember the stories of a man that seemingly disappeared without a trace while hopping from property to property. People called this ghostly figure "The Phantom of Palouse." The Phantom would not be caught until the story of Whitman County's missing millionaire unfolded in December 1964. Whitman County Sheriff Mike Humphreys reported his close friend, Clarence E. Wittie,...
PULLMAN — Twenty-five years ago, on Sunday, May 3, 1998, a mass party that broke out of control due to an alcohol ban on campus led to several students being arrested and charged at Washington State University (WSU). The incident occurred in an area known as College Hill, just west of the WSU campus, where roughly 200 people rioted during the early morning hours. A WSU ban on on-campus drinking allegedly provoked the riot. In the event, between four and a dozen individuals, along with twenty-three police officers, were injured. At a...
COLFAX - On January 7, 1898, a mob of 20 to 30 men stormed the Whitman County Jail, in Colfax, with the intent of lynching two murder suspects. One suspect is lynched, but the other successfully fakes his own death and escapes with little injury. The two men in question were none other than Charles Marshall, known as "Blacky," and Robert McDonald, known as "Dakota Slim." The events leading up to the storming of the Whitman County Jail started with the murder of Orville Hayden and the robberies...
TEKOA — Tekoa was a wild-west country during the railroading days of Whitman County’s history. One of the most notorious crimes in Tekoa was the deadly poker game that occurred on August 24, 1912, at Curley’s Bar, a saloon located under the Commercial Hotel. Four men were killed, including John B. Eastep of Colfax, a deputy sheriff of Whitman County; Grant Dickinson, marshal of Tekoa; Ernest Gardner, a Tekoa saloon man who shot the top of his head off after killing the two officers; and Patri...
COLFAX — Locals of the area may be familiar with a haunting unsolved murder that rocked the county in 1980 just two blocks from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office. Dorothy Walker was 65 years old and lived in Apt# 304 at Wheatland Arms Condominium, 203 N Mill St. On April 16, 1980, at 10:30 a.m., her sister found Dorothy’s body lying in a pool of blood on the floor in the bathroom. Her sister reported arriving at the apartment because the two were going to Walla Walla together to scout out lodging and restaurants for the “Daughters of Rebekah...
