Murder & Mayhem in Central Washington

Crime ran rampant at the turn of the twentieth century across Central Washington, from jail breaks, lethal bootleggers and assassinations in Kittitas County to shootouts and burglaries in Benton County.

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 had 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.