The Trial of the Roslyn Bank Robbers
Accused men maintain their innocence as their attorney accuses authorities of seeking rewards rather than justice.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The trial of the accused Roslyn bank robbers, which was to have taken place at Ellensburg yesterday, was continued at the request of the prosecution until January 30. Two of the alleged robbers, William Zachary and Peter Humphrey, have been discharged for lack of evidence. This information was furnished by George W. Goode, one of the attorneys for the prisoners Cal Hale, George Zachary and Tom Kimsey. Mr. Goode says: 'The men arrested are well and favorably known at their homes in Gilliam county, and the whole country is indignant over their arrest. To any one who is acquainted with the prisoners the idea that they could have been the robbers is too ridiculous to be considered. The only reason that these men were arrested was in order that Sullivan and his henchmen might get their hands upon the rich rewards that were offered, whether the men arrested were innocent or not. We have nothing to conceal; our defense is an alibi, and we can prove it beyond question.'
“The only reason that these men were arrested was in order that Sullivan and his henchmen might get their hands upon the rich rewards that were offered.”
This case highlights the volatility of frontier justice, where bounty-seeking and public pressure often prioritized arrests over the actual facts of a crime—a recurring critique of the criminal justice system even in modern times.
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