100 years ago in North Idaho: Manhunt was launched for suspects in pool hall slaying in Idaho

Two men robbed a pool hall in Hope, Idaho, and “then began shooting.”

They fatally shot W.A. Crist, the proprietor, in the abdomen, and J.L. Campbell, Hope postmaster in the head.

Authorities in Sandpoint were notified, and a 50-man posse was immediately organized. They “scoured the hills back of the town” in the morning, without success.

Meanwhile, authorities in Spokane were notified, and a patrolman saw two men, matching the description of the bandits, disembarking on a Northern Pacific train from Idaho. They matched the description of the robbers, although the descriptions were less than perfect because the bandits “had been seen from a distance.”

The two men said they were butchers by occupation, but a detective found their stories suspicious.

However, both were released the next day when two witnesses to the shooting said they were not the wanted men.

Meanwhile, a Sandpoint posse discovered two other suspects fleeing into the woods near the Pack River. Another search, involving bloodhounds, was on.

Campbell survived with only a scalp wound, but Crist died later of his wounds at Spokane’s Sacred Heart Hospital.