In the raw and untamed landscape of early 20th century Montesano, Washington, a tragedy unfolded that would leave a lasting scar on the community. On a fateful day, March 9, 1912, a White/Caucasian male lawman named Albert Elmer met a violent end. He and his partner, Deputy Colin M'Kenzie, were tasked with the perilous duty of apprehending a man wanted for the murder of his own two nephews.
Their attempt to bring the suspect to justice proved to be their final act.
The two deputies ventured into the rugged terrain to confront the alleged killer, but they would not return. When they failed to report back, concern grew, and a search party was dispatched to ascertain their whereabouts. The grim discovery confirmed the worst fears of their colleagues and loved ones. The bodies of both Deputy Elmer and Deputy M'Kenzie were found, bearing fatal gunshot wounds, hastily buried in a shallow grave. The suspect they had been pursuing had vanished, leaving a trail of bloodshed and eluding capture.
For more than a year, the killer remained a ghost, hiding within the dense woods of the Satsop and Wynoochee Valleys. The law, however, did not forget the brutal slaying of two of its own. In April of 1913, a determined posse received information that the fugitive was holed up in a remote cabin. As they cautiously approached the dwelling, the suspect unleashed a deadly ambush, opening fire from the cover of the woods. Two more men from the posse were tragically cut down in the ensuing firefight. In the end, the other members of the posse returned fire, and the man responsible for the deaths of Deputy Elmer and three others was finally brought to justice, not by a hangman's noose, but by the very violence he had lived by.
