On a quiet evening in Castle Rock, Washington, the lives of a long-settled couple were brought to a violent and tragic end. Massey Ann Elliott Knapp, a 56-year-old White female, and her husband, Cornelius Knapp, had resided on their farm near the town for nearly two decades. On November 28, 1900, as the elderly couple sat down for their supper in the warmth of their kitchen, the peace of their home was shattered by the roar of a rifle.
A blast of buckshot tore through a window, striking
both Massey and Cornelius. The majority of the shot hit Massey, and she died instantly at her dinner table. Cornelius, though wounded in the neck, managed to stagger into an adjoining room. As he reached a doorway, a second shot rang out, this one hitting him in the chest and ending his life on the threshold. The assailant then entered the home, ransacking it and stealing any valuables that could be found. The primary motive for this brutal act was robbery; the perpetrator had heard a rumor that Cornelius Knapp kept a large sum of money in the house, though only about $39 was actually stolen.
The investigation into the double homicide led authorities to a man named Martin Stickles, who was known as "The Kelso Killer." Stickles, a reclusive fisherman who lived on a scow, was also a suspect in the murder of a bachelor farmer named William B. Shanklin in Kelso the previous year. Shanklin had also been shot through a window while eating supper. Initially, Stickles claimed he was only a lookout during the Knapp murders and that another man, Ed Pierce, was the shooter. However, the evidence at the scene, which included only one set of fresh footprints, contradicted his story.
During his incarceration at the Pierce County Jail, Stickles was visited by members of the Salvation Army. Following these visits, he converted to Christianity and confessed to the murders of both the Knapps and William Shanklin. Despite his confession, at his arraignment, Stickles pleaded not guilty. His defense attorneys and family argued for leniency, claiming he had a "criminal disposition" and was of unsound mind. His mother even testified that his birth had been abnormal in an attempt to support this defense. The jury, however, was not swayed. After deliberating for only an hour, they found Martin Stickles guilty of first-degree murder for the killing of William Shanklin. He was sentenced to death and was not separately prosecuted for the murders of Massey and Cornelius Knapp because he had already received a death sentence. On January 25, 1901, Martin Stickles was executed by hanging in Kalama, Washington. Before his death, he gave a short speech and expressed a wish to be embraced by Jesus in heaven.
