June 16, 1921: Hot on trail of Addy gang

-Posses out all night — find robber trio traded autos

A man hunt for the Addy bank robbers, started yesterday morning on the Colville Indian Reservation between Meteor and Covada when Stevens County deputies captured E.F. Tucker, an alleged accomplice, was continued in Lincoln County for about eight hours last night until trace of the robbers was lost west of Almira in Grant county about 3 a.m. today. Not since the days of Harry Tracy has there been as much excitement in this section.

Sheriff Mark Decyous of Ephrata and Sheriff A.H. Davis of Douglas county were out with posses all night and have blocked each of the dozen or more Columbia River crossings in the two counties.

Sheriff F.D. Rennie of Lincoln county and his deputies, who traveled more than 2,000 miles in the last 12 hours, returned here this morning after chasing the robbers from Lincoln, through Peach, Creston, Wilbur, Govan and Almira. West of Almira the roads fork in three or four directions and the trail was lost.

The officers shot three or four times over a Buick roadster headed east near Wilbur about midnight but the driver, whom the officers think was a booze runner, or some one scared of a holdup, put on speed and disappeared down a side road after putting out his lights while running 50 miles an hour. The officers only wanted to learn if he had passed the robbers' car going west.

CHANGED AUTOS

HUNTERS – How the three Addy bank robbers succeeded in eluding posses on their trail since Saturday by changing automobiles, was told here this morning by Deputy Sheriffs Walter Woodard and Nick Sizemore, who captured E.F. Tucker, an alleged liquor runner, between Meteor and Covada yesterday. Woodard and Sizemore are authority for the statement that the robbers used Tucker's Oakland car while at Addy, then changed to a Dodge car on the reservation yesterday morning. It was while Tucker was parleying with the robbers that Sizemore, Woodard and several other deputies approached. The three escaped after a fusillade of shots, none of which apparently took effect. Tucker is in jail at Inchelium awaiting charges being filed against him by the Ferry county prosecutor on liquor charges. 

POSSES OUT

More than 25 possemen have been scouring the south half of the Colville Reservation since Sunday. The robbers crossed the Columbia River at Gerome back into Stevens County about 6:30 p.m. yesterday. Posse numbers were about two hours behind and learned at Gerome that the robbers has passed Lincoln at the mouth of the Spokane River, headed down the Columbia toward Peach.

Sheriff Rennie of Lincoln County and his deputies stationed at the Detillon Bridge over the Spokane River at River Homes, were outwitted by the robber trio, who crossed at Lincoln. The Lincoln County officers were but an hour behind the robbers at Peach.

AFTER MORE MEN

EPHRATA – Sheriff Mark Decyous returned here this morning following a futile search for the Addy bank robbers, supposed to have entered this county near Hartline early this morning. The sheriff returned for more men. He has stationed deputies at ferries at Beverly, Vantage, Columbia Crossing and at Richland.

READY TO GO

WATERVILLE – After being out most of the night stationing deputies at Columbia river ferries at Brewster, Central ferry, Beebe, Bridgeport, Wild Goose Bill's Crossing, Pateros and other places, Sheriff A.H. Davis is prepared to rush to any portion of the county that might report the Addy bank robbers. So far no trace of them has been found in this county.

Sheriff long received a report from the authorities of Lincoln County at noon today that the bandits who robbed the Addy bank crossed the Columbia River at vantage ferry at 7 a.m. today and were headed west at that time in direction of Ellensburg.

"We have notified the authorities at Ellensburg, Yakima and all points west of Spokane to be on the watch," said Sheriff Long. "Last night my entire force of deputies assisted by members of the police department patrolled all of the highways of Spokane county on the lookout for the bandits. We received word last night from the Stevens county authorities that the bandits were headed south toward Spokane. They evidently turned west and passed through Lincoln County."