The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1922-12-07
Suspicious Truck Driver
Gets Gun; Hides among
Mail Sacks
PRISONER MAKES
PLEA OF GUILTY
His Arrest leads to Raid
of Home of Pasco Chink
Dope Peddler

Ivan "Tack" Ferrell and q big
45-calibre revolver were respon-
sible for the apprehension of an
U. S. msil thief in Kennewich and
. Chinese dope peddler in Fssco,
this week. Ivan nabbed the thief
Tuesday evening and federal and
N. p. railway officers raided the
home Of the dope peddIer yester-
day.
Fcrreli, who drives the y. all de-
livery truck between the postof-
flee and the trains, Mcnoay e7e-
ming missed parcel post package
when he delivered the mai to N.
p. train No. 2. He was convinced
that it was stolen from the truck
as it was standing at the station.
The following evening he put Floyd
Harper on the truck as driver, arm
ed himself with revolver and hid
among the mail sacks. Arriving
at the station Harper jumped
from the truck and went into the
depot. He had hardly disappear
ed when a man started to climb
into the truck but changed his
mind when he saw the barrel Of
Ferrell's forty-five.
The plucky truck driver march
ed his victim into the depot, thru
the waiting room into the office
and asked the operator to call the
police station. Chief Jack Dale
and Deputy Sheriff Copeland an
swered the call and took the man
into custody.
Ferrell then tracked the man
from the truck to his hiding place
under the loading platform at the
warehouse Of the Kennewick Sup
ply & Storage company. Here he
found the wrappings of parcel
post package and the fastenings
which had been. cut from a parcel
post mail sack. Both were identi-
fled as part of Sunday evenings
mail.
The prisoner was turned over to
Postal Inspector Rowan, who ar
rived in Kennewick Tuesday eve
ming enroute to Richland and to
F. R. Jeffrey, U. S. district attor-
ney. He gave his name as Harry
Martin alias Harry Leonard and
said his home was in San Francis
co. He was unarmed but two hy-
podermic outfits and consider
able quantity Of cocaine was found
in his possession. He admitted
that he was a drug adict but de-
MED that he was dope peddler.
he also admitted taking the pack
age and sack from the mail truck
Sunday evening, a package Mon
day evening, and a 30-pound box
OF butter from an express truck
last Friday evening.
Further questioning led the Of
s6eers to believe that the man had
peddled the stolen goods in Pasco,
although he insisted he had thrown
. most of thestuff into the river. He
WasHclosely questioned by Mr.. JEFF
frey as to the source Of his dope
supply but on this subject he was
uncommunicative. Enough in
formation, however, was obtained
to confirm the federal attorneys
suspicion that most of the dope
which finds its way into this part
OF the state passes through the
hands of Pasco Chinese.
AS result Inspector Rowan and
special officers of the N. p. rail-
way company yesterday made a
surprise call at the home Of Mack
Wong, whom they caught in the
act Of mixing opium paste. Sc
creted in the oriental's bed the Of
flcers found quantity of narcotics
and two loaded revolvers.
Martin was taken before Harold
Fyfe, U. S. court commissioners,
Tuesday night and plead guilty to
the charge of theft of U. S. mail.
He and the Pasco Chinaman were
this afternoon delivered to J. p.
Butler, deputy U. S. marshal. They
will be taken to Yakima to await
the next term Of Judge Rudkin's
court.