100 years ago in North Idaho: Authorities claim to be close to catching murder suspects

A 100-man posse was closing in on two murder suspects in the Pack River area.

At least one of the men had been wounded the day before when the pair leapt off a Pack River bridge after failing to comply with command to halt. A bloodhound picked up their trail but was later called off, to prevent it giving away the searchers’ movements by barking.

Later, two men fitting the suspects’ description were seen by loggers in the Beardsmore Lumber Co. logging camp on the Pack River. Later, a rancher said he saw them on the road to Bonners Ferry.

Police said one of them dropped a .45 caliber revolver on the Pack River bridge before they jumped. The other man was believed to be armed. The bandits were believed to be wading through Pack River and Trestle Creek in an effort to throw off the intruders.

Authorities confidently predicted capture of the pair was “only a question of hours.”

Yet the question remained about whether the men they were pursuing were actually the ones who had robbed and murdered a Hope, Idaho, pool hall proprietor. Witnesses described the murderers as Black men, and authorities had already arrested and detained at least four Black men before determining that they were innocent.

From the parks beat: A plan was in the works to make Steptoe Butte into state park “on account of its historical significance and because of its commanding view of the Palouse country.”

A number of Colfax and Spokane civic leaders were in favor of the idea. It would, however, require construction of a new road to the top.