The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1922-03-16
Officers Do Quick Work in
Capturing Suspected
Safe Blowers
RAID ON BANK AT
WHITE BLUFFS FAILS
Burglars are Surprised At
tempting to Blow Door
of the Vault

Deputy Sheriff C. E. Copeland and
Chief of Police Jack Dale returned
home this evening from Prosser where
they assisted in landing in the coun-
ty Jail three men who are suspected
Of an attempt to rob the First Bank
of White Bluffs Tuesday night.
There is no doubt in the minds Of the
officers but that they have the right
men.
About one o'clock Wednesday morn
ing, JAS. Sells, who lives across the
street from the bank was awakened
by the barking of dog. Upon go
ing to the street to investigate the
cause of the disturbance he saw a
man come out of the bank. Thinking
it was Cashier w. j. Kinkaid, Sells
called to him. There was no reply
and a second man came out Of the
bank and the two backed away in the
shadows and was joined by third
who was waiting on the outside.
Sells gave the alarm and posse was
quickly formed.
Within an hour afterward Sheriff
L. C. Rolph and Deputy Bob Lord
were speeding to White Bluffs from
Prosser by the Yakima road, Deputy
Copeland and Chief Dale were hurry
ing from Kennewick via the River
Road, Sheriff Mack Deycous and
deputy of Grant county, were headed
from Ephrata toward White Bluffs
and party of American Legion men
were following the trail of the rob-
bers from the ferry landing on the
Wahluke side of the river.
About eleven o'clock the Grant
county officers met three men in a
Ford car and ordered them to halt
but the command was ignored. Then
ensued a two-mile chase at fifty per
hour at the end Of which the Ford
was crowded into the ditch and the
three occupants placed under arrest.
Attic the men were armed they Of
fered no resistance. Within 20 min
utes after the capture Sheriff Rolph
and Deputy Lord arrived, the White
Bluffs posse having been left behind
with a disabled car.
After their arrest the three men
admitted they had passed thru White
Bluffs Tuesday but denied all know
ledge of the attempted robbery. In
the car was found a complete set of
burglars tools. They gave their names
as John Morrison, age 81, c. l.. Pos
ter, age az, and John Burke, age SO.
They claim their homes are in Cali
fornia and their car, 1921 Ford,
bears California license.
Deputy Copeland and Chief Dale
devoted most Of yesterday to track
ing the robbers from the bank to the
river where they took row boat and
crossed to the Grant county side.
From information obtained from the
ferryman and the tracks of the car
and the men they say they were en-
abled to trace the men from the time
they left White Bluffs Tuesday af-
ternoon. After crossing the ferry
they went several miles on the Ephra-
ia road and then doubled back toward
the river by roundabout route and
camped in the sagebrush until night
fall when they crossed back to White
Bluffs in row boat.
Their attempt to blow the bank
safe was unsuccessful. They knock
ed off the combination from the vault
door and inserted charge of nitro
glycerin. The explosion, however,
failed to make an impression on the
outer door and had they entered this
they would have found all of the
banks cash locked in modern mag