Two Green Hill escapees, both 17, admitted to sheriff’s officers they committed a string of thefts before being apprehended, The Chronicle reported on Monday, March 25, 1963. The two escapees fled Green Hill on Sunday, March 17, and had been on the run for a week before they were captured, living in vacant houses and in the woods. They were caught near Kosmos on the afternoon of Saturday, March 23 while walking along the highway.

“Until their apprehension, the two boys broke into numerous homes and automobiles,” The Chronicle reported. “Green Hill School officials said three boys left the campus together by breaking out a cottage window. One gave up to school officials about 30 minutes after fleeing the campus. The other two remained at large for one week.”

According to Bill Wiester, who was the chief criminal deputy with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, the escapees entered homes, stealing clothing, a camera, cigarette lighters, wrist watches  and other articles. They also stole two rifles from one home and then sold them for $26. They also attempted to steal a car in Onalaska, though that effort failed when the car wouldn’t start. 

The young men had thrown away their state-issued clothing and were wearing stolen clothing when they were apprehended. 

Saturday, March 25, 1933

• Plans were being developed for the annual convention of the Lewis County Religious Educational Association. The convention was to be held at an unspecified church in Chehalis on May 2. The principal speakers were to be Hazel Lewis of St. Louis and Rev. W.G. Mosely of Spokane. 

• Chehalis was among the many cities across Washington that was determining what it would do should a constitutional amendment ending prohibition be ratified. “The question is one of the most ticklish before the city commissioners in a long time,” The Chronicle reported. 

• Sears formally opened its business in Chehalis on Friday, March 24. “Leonard Lillegard, manager of the store, believes the department will find favor with this district,” The Chronicle reported. Sears seems to have initially opened its location in Chehalis as a furniture store. 

• Sam Howell, 79, was reported to have recently died in Portland. A former resident of Chehalis “for many years,” Howell was survived by his wife, a daughter, a sister and two brothers. 

• Students at Chehalis’ St. Joseph’s School were expected to present the operetta “Jack, the Giant Killer” in the school hall on April 4. Described by The Chronicle as a “colorful little operetta” that “sparkles with joyous songs and sprightly dances,” the play was expected to be accompanied by performances by students from various grades. 

• The Tenino City Council decided to make changes to its laws on alcohol at its meeting on Tuesday, March 21. The decision came as larger efforts were underway to end prohibition. “The new requirements will repeal liquor ordinances in respect to beer and wine, and places a license charge on those selling it,” The Chronicle reported. City Attorney P.C. Kibbe was asked to write an ordinance for publication the following week. 

• Tenino High School had elected student body officers for the second semester, The Chronicle reported. The new officers were Ralph Lennox as president, Arthur Anderson as vice president, Frank Barney as secretary, Donald Swain as auditor, Emma Jean Russell and Bud Prince as yell leaders, and John Nichols as sergeant-at-arms.

Thursday, March 25, 1943

• An effort in Lewis County to raise $25,000 for the Red Cross was described as “lagging” with a week left in the drive. “I have, in the last week of our drive, a none too encouraging report,” said W.M. Luebke, chairman of the county drive committee. “We have raised less than one-half of our quota. Lewis County, with 40,000 people has contributed only 25 cents per capita to this greatest of all mercy organizations, in spite of the fact that many people have given from $100 to $300. … This is an indication there are too many who have contributed little or nothing at all.”

• An event honoring a group of 14 Centralia men who had been drafted into the U.S. Army for service in World War II was held on the morning of March 25 at the Centralia Union Depot. M.L. Countryman, the “exalted ruler” of the Elks, presided over the event while Waldo Roberts, a high school athletic coach and Rotary Club President, spoke on behalf of the community. The 14 drafted men were Donald Chappell, Robert Robertson, Dennis Hogan, LaRue Breckenridge, David Blanfield, Harold Swenson, John West, Albert Oster, Owen Hansen, Charles Blizzard, Harold Perrott, Ray Shupp Jr., William Walters Jr. and Stanley Smilie. 

• William Aimge, 73, passed away in a Centralia hospital on March 25. The Onalaska resident was born on Jan. 20, 1870 in Spanish Forks, Utah. He was survived by five brothers and five sisters. 

• The Chehalis Boy Scout District was set to hold its monthly court of honor at the Lewis County Courthouse on Monday, March 29 at 8 p.m. The court of honor was expected to be one of the largest of the year. The event was to be presided over by Chapin Foster, vice chairman of the Chehalis District. 

• A three room apartment in Centralia was listed for $17 a month in rent. The apartment was described as being furnished and had lights and water. 

• George Paroz, 43, was arrested on Wednesday, March 24 on charges of speeding. The Toledo resident was released from custody after posting $15 bail. 

• During fighting in Tunisia during World War II, it was reported Forty Italian soldiers who came forward to surrender to American forces were fired upon by German forces to their right. The news was from an Associated Press story featured on the front page of The Chronicle. “I am unable to tell you the result of this action or the number of prisoners taken by us from this group. But I can say we regard this firing on Italian troops by Germans as highly significant,” an American officer said. During the fighting, which was located in the Maknassy-El Guetar area of Tunisia, over 1,000 Italians had been captured while only a few Germans had been.

Wednesday, March 25, 1953

• A $40,000 telephone project in Napavine was expected to be completed on the morning of Thursday, March 26. The project created an enlarged dial system in Napavine but was also expected to improve service for the Twin Cities. “Starting Thursday morning, calls between Napavine, Centralia or Chehalis should be dialed directly by persons calling instead of placing the call with the operator,” The Chronicle reported. 

• A Lewis County Deputy Sheriff “literally ‘went to the cleaners’” on the night of Tuesday, March 24, The Chronicle reported. The officer, Frank Horst, had apparently run down George Espey, an 18-year-old Olympia man, on a Thurston County bench warrant. “Horst, seeking Espey, found him in a parked car on a farm near Napavine during the evening. … The chase began when Espey fled out of the side of the car away from Horst. It continued over a muddy field, through a clothesline, around a barnyard and into an electric fence — where Horst, shocked at the turn of events, fell for the sixth or seventh time,” The Chronicle reported. Companions of Espey who had been in the car with him took over the chase upon learning Horst’s reason for pursuing him and “shortly captured” Espey. “Other deputies said that Horst and his uniform required detailed cleaning after the chase before either was able to return to duty — not to mention society,” The Chronicle reported. 

• A group of 25 University of Washington international students were hosted on Tuesday, March 24 by Centralia College and Centralia’s Business and Professional Women. The visit, a part of an annual friendship tour, involved the students arriving in the morning and attending a luncheon at the college at noon. During the afternoon, the students, described as benign “from all parts of the world,” visited the Grand Mound Girl’s School, and watched a program. On Tuesday evening, the Business and Professional Women held a banquet for the students at Centralia’s First Presbyterian Church. 

• The spring breaks of multiple Lewis County school districts had been recently announced and were to occur around Easter Sunday on April 5, The Chronicle reported. The Chehalis and Centralia school districts were to hold their spring breaks on April 3, 4, 5 and 6. Many other Lewis County school districts were expected to hold their breaks on the same dates while others were expected to only have breaks on April 2 and 3. Based on the dates reported in The Chronicle, it appears schools did not hold week-long spring breaks as is common today. 

• A car driven by Private Richard Bauer was “reduced to a pile of twisted wreckage” when it hit a train at a road crossing north of Tenino on Sunday, March 22, The Chronicle reported. Bauer reportedly suffered from head injuries and was transported to a hospital. The damage to the train was “negligible.” 

• Carolyn Peterson, a 92-year-old Chehalis resident, reportedly died on Monday, March 23 in a Centralia hospital following a five-month illness. Peterson was born on Sept. 12, 1860 in Scona, Sweden and had lived in the U.S. for 87 years. She was survived by two sons, seven daughters, a half sister, 19 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.

• Mary Hess, 78, died on the morning of March 25 in her Chehalis home. Hess was born on Dec. 12, 1874 in Walton, West Virginia and came to Chehalis from her home state 52 years prior to her death. She was survived by her husband, two daughters, two sisters, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. 

Monday, March 25, 1963

• An Associated Press story featured in The Chronicle reported on an ongoing fight in the Legislature over redistricting. The legislative conflict was renewed after two Republican proposals were sent to the state House floor for consideration. The fight over redistricting, along with an impasse over the state budget, had apparently pushed the Legislature into a special session costing the state $7,000 to $10,000 a day. “The struggle for control of the House began right after the last election when the U.S. District court in Seattle said the Legislature was not fairly apportioned. The court said Washington voters did not have equal representation in the Legislature,” The AP reported. Democrats and Republicans each had developed redistricting plans that would give their respective parties control of the state House in future elections. The Republican redistricting plan, proposed as House Bill 56, was drafted by then-state Rep. Slade Gorton, who would go on to become the Washington state Attorney General and a U.S. Senator. 

• Rhoda Allison, 88, died on Saturday, March 23 in Leavenworth following a lingering illness, The Chronicle reported. Allison was described by The Chronicle as a “Lewis County pioneer” who had lived on a Lewis County homestead for 43 years. She was born on July 20, 1874 in Lima, Ohio and moved to Washington in 1886. She moved to her homestead in the Winlock area in 1893. After her husband's death she moved to Aberdeen and then Leavenworth with one of her daughters. Allison was survived by two daughters, three sons, three sisters, eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

• Peter Adamski, 82, died in a Chehalis hospital on Sunday, March 24. A Pe Ell resident for 56 years, Adamski was born on June 27, 1880 in Poland. He was survived by his wife, a son, five daughters, 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. 

• Elizabeth Orth, a 97-year-old Centralia resident, died on the evening of Sunday, March 24 in a local nursing home. Orth was born on July 8, 1865 in Sheridan County, Nebraska. She was survived by a daughter, two sons, a sister, seven grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. 

• A three bedroom house in Chehalis was listed for $14,800 in The Chronicle. The house included 1 and a half bathrooms, a fireplace, a large kitchen and a patio. 

• A horse was listed in The Chronicle for $225. The horse was described as a “standard-bred mare with papers.” 

• In an Associated Press story included in The Chronicle, it was reported Davey Moore, 29, a “colorful ring champion,” died in Los Angeles after injuries he had received in a boxing match the previous Thursday that had cost him his world feather-weight title. Moore had lapsed into a coma shortly after his fight and never regained consciousness. The news of his death led to reactions from figures around the world. “Pope John XXIII called the sport of boxing barbaric and ‘contrary to natural principles,” The AP reported. “At Lenten services in Ostia, Italy, the pontiff declared: ‘Christ engaged in neither boxing nor politics.” Edmund Brown, the governor of California, also expressed opposition to boxing and called for its “banishment” from California.