A Look Back in Time: Centralia Jail Work Gang Escapee Apprehended After Failed 1953 Robbery in Thurston County

Mar. 3—John Dorris, of Centralia, was transferred from the Centralia Jail to the Thurston County Jail after he fled a police work gang on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 3, 1953. After fleeing, Dorris attempted to hold up a Tumwater tavern but failed and was beaten by a bartender and a Marine.

Dorris, who The Chronicle reported was "about 40," was serving a sentence in Centralia for drunkenness, which he had been repeatedly arrested for, and was a part of a work gang at Borst Park when he escaped.

"After fleeing, Dorris turned up Tuesday night in a Tumwater tavern and first attempted to sell a .38 caliber revolver to the bartender," The Chronicle reported.

After the bartender said he didn't want to purchase the gun, Dorris pointed the gun at the bartender's stomach and said "Gimme $20. This gun is fully loaded, and I'll plug you if you don't."

The bartender then "slugged" Dorris before a Marine "got into the act and slammed the Centralian half through the tavern door with another blow." Both the bartender and the Marine then charged Dorris and disarmed him during a struggle.

Thurston County Sheriff Frank Tamblyn apparently believed Dorris had stolen the revolver, which was fully loaded, from his father, who lived near Tumwater.

Saturday, March 4, 1933

—The Chronicle reported on the inauguration of Franklin Roosevelt as president on March 4. The front page of The Chronicle prominently featured pictures of Roosevelt and his new vice president, John Garner, who had previously served as Speaker of the U.S. House. The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story reporting over 100,000 people attended Roosevelt's inaugural address. "Cheered by thousands as he pronounced the words of his faith from the north steps of the capitol, the new president added that if congress did not help to carry this program into fulfillment, he would ask the wartime powers be vested in the presidency," the AP reported.

—Glenn Smart, a Kelso resident, died at the age of 23 in Centralia because of a train accident on Friday, March 3, The Chronicle reported. Smart was apparently returning to Kelso from Olympia when he either jumped or fell from a south bound train as it was pulling into the Centralia Depot and was struck by a northbound train. He received a skull fracture and died two hours later in a local hospital.

—Mabel Sydowski, a 21-year-old lifelong resident of Centralia, died in a local hospital following an "extended illness," The Chronicle reported. Sydowski was survived by her husband John Sydowski; their children, John and Joye; her mother; two sisters; and four brothers.

—Hallie Knapp, a "young" Chehalis businessman and a former member of the fire department, was credited with saving four lives in a fire late on the night of Friday, March 3, in Chehalis. Knapp was returning with his wife to their home around 11 p.m. and found their neighbors' house on fire. Knapp rang a fire alarm and broke open the door of the burning house. He then rescued Phyllis Moore and her three children, carrying all four from the burning house. The four members of the Moore family were taken to the St. Helens Hospital in Chehalis for treatment from the smoke and "slight burns," and were reported as recovering "satisfactorily" the next day.

—Rev. J.C. Tourtellot of Chehalis' Westminster Presbyterian Church was expected to deliver a sermon on the topic of "Good News for Bad Times" on the evening of Sunday, March 5, The Chronicle reported. For the Sunday morning service, Tourtellot was to deliver a sermon called "The Boat that Became a Pulpit."

—Lieutenant Governor Victor Meyers promised to make amends for missing a Chehalis Kiwanis Club luncheon on Thursday, March 2, even if he had to "bring down my band for your entertainment." Meyers' message came through a telegram sent to Clyde Madsen of the Chehalis Kiwanis Club. Meyers said he was unable to make it to the luncheon because of a conference that was held because of a gathering of 5,000 "hunger marchers" in Olympia.

—Eliza Clevenger died at her daughter's home in Morton on Wednesday, March 1, The Chronicle reported. Clevenger was 88-years-old when she died and had been born in West Virginia on April 2, 1845 when the state was still a part of Virginia. She had lived in the Morton area for 26 years at the time of her death. She was survived by three sons and a daughter.

Thursday, March 4, 1943

—School districts across Lewis County were set to hold elections on Saturday, March 6, The Chronicle reported. There were no competitive elections in Chehalis or Centralia where incumbents William Luebke and Earl Johnson, respectively, were running unopposed. Candidates for school board were running for three year terms. In Chehalis, ballots were to be cast at the high school while in Centralia ballots could be cast in the high school gym.

—Kathryn Zachman, described by The Chronicle as a "pioneer resident of Lewis County," had reportedly died at her Chehalis home on Wednesday, March 3. Zachman, who was 86-years-old, was born in Illischestie, Austria on June 27, 1856. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1887 and settled in Chehalis where she had lived for the previous 54 years. She was survived by four daughters, four sons, a sister, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

—Jennie Edwards died in a Chehalis hospital on Wednesday, March 3 following a 10-day illness, The Chronicle reported. Edwards, 62, was a "native pioneer" of Lewis County, having been born in Forest on December 27, 1879. She had lived in Centralia the past 14 years. Edwards was survived by her mother, a brother, two sisters, an aunt and a "host of friends."

—A fire "badly" damaged a Centralia house on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 3, The Chronicle reported. "Apparently starting from a defective flue, flames burst through the roof with explosive-like force a few minutes after 3 p.m., and when firemen arrived almost the entire top of the house was ablaze," The Chronicle reported. Over 200 spectators had apparently gathered to watch the fire at one point. The fire was apparently difficult to extinguish with firefighters spending about 90 minutes trying to put it out.

—S.H. Lilian, a former Olympia resident, had been put in charge of the Chehalis branch of the state Public Works Department. Lilian's predecessor, Allan Mansfield, had been transferred to the agency's Vancouver office. According to The Chronicle, the Public Works office was located in the courthouse basement next to the local office of the State Patrol.

—It had been requested that local members of the Red Cross Knitters accelerate their production of knitted gloves for soldiers deployed as part of American involvement in World War II. "Women proficient in the knitting of gloves are asked to come to the Red Cross offices in the Rush building and receive a supply of yarn," The Chronicle reported.

—Edna Collins of Chehalis and Barbara Hall of Winlock had received orders to report to De Moines, Iowa on March 8 for basic training in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. The two had enrolled in the corps at the Chehalis army recruiting station several weeks earlier. Collins and Hall were expected to leave Chehalis on March 4 and go to Seattle, where they would join a large group of other women enlisted in the corps and leave for Iowa on Friday, March 5.

Wednesday, March 4, 1953

—In an Associated Press story featured in The Chronicle, it was reported Gov. Arthur Langlie was dissatisfied with the 1953-1955 biennial budget drafted by the state Senate Appropriations Committee on the grounds it didn't meet his demand for a balanced budget. The budget bill, which had passed the committee late on Tuesday, March 3, would have authorized $664 million of spending by state agencies. The committee's chair, state Sen. Asa Clark of Pullman, conceded the proposal would spend about $4.5 million more than was expected in revenue. Langlie said there should either be cuts to the proposal or new revenue should be raised.

—Lewis County Superior Court had issued jury summons to 52 people for the court's spring term. The spring term was scheduled to start on March 10 when three cases were set to go to trial. Two of the cases involved men charged with burglary while the third involved trespassing charges.

—Vote counting was underway after annual school board elections for Lewis County's 15 school districts were held on Tuesday, March 3. All districts had elections for school board and "at least two" had large levy or bond proposals on the ballot for construction projects. A bond proposal was on the ballot in Pe Ell for the construction of a gym-auditorium, a shop and "perhaps" a bus garage. Voters in Vader had been asked to vote on a proposal to raise funds for a new grade school.

—The second fatal car crash in Lewis County of 1953 occurred early on March 4 when Mildred Blankenship, 36 of Centralia died. Blankenship died in the St. Helens Hospital in Chehalis from a neck fracture and other injuries. The accident occurred about three miles south of Chehalis on the Pacific Highway. She was injured when the driver of a car she was in drove head-on into another car. The driver was arrested on negligent driving charges.

—An Associated Press story featured in The Chronicle reported a bill creating a presidential primary had passed second reading in the state Senate but lacked a votes to pass on the Senate floor. The proposal would have created a special election during which voters could choose the presidential nominees on the third Tuesday in May of presidential election years, which was also the day regular primaries would be held.

—An ad for white weaner pigs was included in the March 4 edition of The Chronicle. The pigs were listed for $8 each.

—Members of the White Pass Highway Association's Tourist and Promotion Committee were expected to convene in Packwood on the afternoon of Friday, March 6. The meeting was meant to explore ways to attract more travel to the area and was to be held at the Mountain View Motel.

Monday, March 4, 1963

—A large picture of the still under construction Mayfield Dam was featured in The Chronicle's March 4 edition. According to the picture's caption, initial tests were underway with the gates of the 185-foot dam having been closed the week prior to increase the lake level. The caption added the new Mayfield Lake covered more than 2,250 acres and stretched up the valley for 13.5 miles.

—Three Chehalis waitresses had started a 50 mile hike on March 4 "not to break any records but just for the fun of hiking." Kitty Palmer, Nell Goodwillie and Marie Butkus started their hike at 4:15 a.m. on the White Pass Highway near Glenoma where sheriff's officers had marked a 50 mile distance from Chehalis. By noon, the hikers had reached Mossyrock and intended to turn north at Mary's Corner and take Jackson Highway to Chehalis.

—State Patrol officers arrested 43 people for traffic violations over the weekend of March 2 and 3. A total of 53 citations were issued, including 27 for speeding.

—The Twin Cities were experiencing cold and dry weather, with temperatures reaching 26 degrees on the morning of March 4, The Chronicle reported. Temperatures had reached below freezing over the weekend with no precipitation. The dry, cold weather was expected to continue until late on Wednesday, March 6.

—A fire destroyed the Randle Saw Shop and part of the L and M Service Station on Sunday, March 3, The Chronicle reported. The fire caused over $10,000 in damages with both the shop and the station located in the same building. Firefighters responded to the fire alarm at about 5:30 p.m.

—Two Centralia boys, Arthur Jennings, 13, and Jim Watkins, 14, were apprehended after an all-night search by law enforcement after they failed to return home on the night of Sunday, March 3. According to Lewis County Sheriff O.R. Amondson, the pair had told their parents they were going on a 50-mile bike ride. When they failed to return, one of the parents called the Sheriff's office at about 10:23 p.m. Their bikes were found at the Chehalis railroad depot and the boys were found by Washington State Patrol officers near Kelso.

—Arthur Berry, an 87-year-old resident of Chehalis, died in a Tacoma hospital on Saturday, March 2 after a lingering illness. Berry was born on April 3, 1875 in Garden City, Missouri and had been a longtime Onalaska resident before moving to Chehalis five years earlier. He was survived by two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.