Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
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 columns topped with scrollwork.
They ordered employees and customers to lie on the floor.
According to Matthew Elliott, the assistant cashier, one of the robbers brandished a revolver and demanded he “stick ‘em up and get to the back of the cages and lie down on the floor.”
The robbers moved quickly with one man stationed in the lobby, another on the second floor where the executives worked, and a third, armed with a revolver and machine gun, guarding the front door.
They forced a cashier to open the vault, filling a bag with $10,625 in cash and approximately $60,980 in securities.
Witnesses reported seeing a getaway car, conflictingly describing it as a green Chevrolet or a Hudson.
The robbers escaped within eight minutes. Despite a thorough search by local authorities, including Sheriff W.I. Dailey and his deputies, they were not immediately caught.
Within six weeks, most of the stolen bonds were recovered in Seattle. By early November, Bentz and Bates were tracked down in Fort Worth, Texas, but legal complications delayed their return to Washington. Bentz’s trial for the Colfax robbery was postponed as he faced charges for a different robbery in Texas.
Bentz eventually posted bail and vanished, while Bates was released due to insufficient evidence.
Ernest Johnstone, suspected of driving the getaway car, was later arrested in Reno, Nev., but no one was prosecuted for the Colfax robbery.
Eyewitnesses identified the robbers as Bentz, Bates and Kelly from photographs, but the case remained unresolved in Colfax.
The First Savings & Trust Bank was later closed and replaced by a new structure on the same site. The original columns from the bank’s entrance were preserved and now stand at the entrance of the Colfax Cemetery.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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