The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-08-03
STATION ROBBED AT OKANOGAN

A rather sensational robbery took
place at the county seat Sunday even
ing, not so much on account of the
amount involved as the bOldness of
the robbery and the fact that those
guilty of the crime were young men
who have long lived in the county. By
breaking out window panes in the
railroad depot the amateur yeggs Sc
cured entrance to the building. and
the rest appeared to be easy enough.
To the credit of Deputy Sheriff Nc
Cauley. who did not hesitate in doing
his duty although. sad to say. one OF
the trio engaged in the performance
was brother. the three house break
ers were speedily apprehended and
two of them just as speedily SEN
fenced. The Independent gives the fol-
lowing account of the incident:
Harry (Bum) Brown, Joe McCauley
and Gene Gibson were sentenced to
Monroe reformatory as the result Of
a robbery committed at II p. m. Sun
day, when the safe in the Great North
ern depot was opened and 1852 stolen
Gibson and Brown entered a plea of
guilty when arraigned before Judge
C. H. Neal at II a. m. Monday.
Joe McCauley. who was implicated
by the confession of the sentenced
pair, maintained his innocence so was
not brought before the Judge Monday,
but Tuesday morning he admitted his
guilt, was brought before Judge Neal
and given the same sentence of / to
Is years.
The trio that was sentenced to the
reformatory will be taken away as
soon as a travelling guard from that
institution arrives. Monroe was noti-
fled and the guard is expected within
a few days.
The quick action in arresting the
three boys was made possible by
man named Burns, who has been liv-
ing on Happy Hill. Burns intended
sleeping in box car and leave for
the Big Bend harvest fields Monday
morning. He saw the three men on the
station platform and heard them break
d window with stone.
Two of them crawled into the sta
tion while the third. stood watch.
Burns stole around the station and
across the bridge to the Bureau hotel
from which point the sheriff's office
was called.
Deputy Sheriff Bernard McCauley
was sitting up reading when the
phone rang. Within a few minutes he
was in his car headed for the depot,
but the trio had fled by the time Nc
Cauley arrived.
The combination on the safe had not
been turned by Mrs. George Smith,
when she locked the station up for
the night. A stove shaker was used to
smash the wooden doors on two small
compartments, which contained $40.
but this money was not touched.
The trio did not cross the bridge,
but waded the river under the struc-
ture insted. From the description Civ
en- by Burns, Brown and Gibson were
suspicioned at once, so their rooms
were visited by McCauley at a. m. He
called again at 4 a. M, but they had
not shown up yet.
In the meantime McCauley had gone
to Omak and warned Town Marshal
Latshaw to be on the look k-out for the
trio. Sheriff ELI Wilson had awakened
w. d. Stilwell, station agent and he
made rough check of what was
missing.
Brown and Gibson were found in
their rooms when a third visit was
made by McCauley. They admitted
their guilt, told where part of the
money mad been hid. and implicated
Joe McCauley, at whose wood shed
the money had been cached McCauley
was found at home asleep and placed
under arrest. About $3.50 was recover
ed.
The speedy work of Deputy Sheriff
McCauley in checking up on the activ-
ltles OF two of those who were caught
was responsible for their arrest. Mr..
Stilwell was emphatic in his praise of
the officers work.
Mrs. Smith would have been the
heaviest loser had the young robbers
made their escape. for $l35 of the
money stolen was hers. They also took
some trinkets, including lavelier and
two rings which belonged to her.