Murder & Mayhem in Central Washington

by Ellen Allmendinger

Overview

Crime ran rampant across Central Washington at the turn of the 20th century.

From jail breaks, lethal bootleggers and assassinations in Kittitas County to shootouts and burglaries in Benton County, lawlessness abounded. In Zillah, the Dymond Brothers Gang were known for stealing horses between prison stints. In Yakima, residents reeled in shock over the premeditated killing of a gambler, a riot and the discovery that a respected brewer committed murder. Through it all, sheriffs like Jasper Day tried to keep the peace with mixed success.

Author Ellen Allmendinger recounts the tales that once made this the roughest region of the Pacific Northwest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467148139
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	02/15/2021
Series:	Murder & Mayhem
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Ellen Allmendinger lives in Yakima, Washington, with her son, Zakary. This is her second book. Along with sharing local history, Ellen also leads historical walking tours in downtown Yakima, Tahoma Cemetery and other locations. She has given numerous presentations on various Yakima Valley history topics at public and private events, conferences, organizations, clubs and community gatherings. She can often be found researching at various libraries, museums, archives and historical locations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

Part I Kittitas County, Washington

The Assassination of Dr. Lyon (Roslyn) 11

The Vinson Murders and Lynching (Ellensburg) 15

The Assassination of Coroner Murvy Bridgham (Ellensburg) 23

The Bootlegger Murder of Police Chief Alva Tucker (Ellensburg) 26

Part II Yakima County, Washington

The Assassination of Nathan "Tex" Bagwell (North Yakima, Now Yakima) 33

The Coxey's Army Riot (North Yakima, Now Yakima) 55

Charles Schanno, Founder and Murderer (Yakima City, Now Union Gap) 61

The Perkins Murder and Indian Hangings (Yakima City, Now Union Gap) 69

The Murder of William Lusby (Alfalfa) 82

The Dymond Brothers Gang (Zillah) 90

Part III Benton County, Washington

The Hobo Homicide of Mr. W.W. Scott (Prosser) 101

Halloween Shootout at Poplar Grove (Kennewick) 108

Bibliography 115

About the Author 125