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| Alva Tucker's Grave |
On Saturday, July 2, 1927, Ellensburg’s veteran Police Chief Alva Tucker had received a tip that a notorious local bootlegger named Johnny Emerson had “gone gunning” for him. Enlisting the help of his night patrolman, Officer William (“Salty Bill”) Edmondson, he began combing the streets of the downtown, hoping to spot the 25-year-old Emerson.
The production and sale of alcohol had been banned in Ellensburg since 1914—more than six years before the passage of the 18th Amendment that codified Prohibition nationally. While the city might have been one of the first to go “dry” in the state of Washington, that didn’t mean everyone abided by the new restrictions.
Among those who ignored the law were Emerson, who had been born in the Kittitas Valley in 1902, and his best friend and associate, Jimmy Hayes. According to news accounts, the two had constructed their first still while they were still teenagers and had even given their moonshine enterprise a name, the Rattlesnake Whiskey Company. They reportedly had several stills hidden throughout the county and were producing some 1,000 gallons of the illegal elixir weekly from each still.
According to Hayes, who was interviewed by Thomas J. Lineham in the late 1970s, the two bootleggers received plenty of support from locals, including several local grocery stores that “secretly and illegally supplied the large quantities of sugar important to moonshining.” Additionally, a local lumber company supplied a truck to ship supplies to the remote areas where the stills were located. Farmers and ranchers who allowed the stills on their property were supplied with free moonshine. A local youth who assisted the operation was Clovis Chartrand, a metal worker who fabricated the copper base, cap, coil and arm for the stills.
As the profits from moonshine began to roll in, the entrepreneurial Emerson decided to branch out. He purchased a used Model T and established a legitimate taxi service in downtown Ellensburg, which he called the Highland Taxi Company. The business was actually an ingenuous cover for the bootlegging business; he could peddle his moonshine wares to his cab customers and use the vehicles to make deliveries. Within a short time, the Highland Taxi Company had grown to three brand-new vehicles—at least partially paid for in moonshine traded to the owner of the dealership.
Emerson already had had several encounters with local police over the years. In May 1925, he and Hayes were arrested when authorities discovered one of their stills. The two, however, were released because of a lack of direct evidence.
His next experience with law enforcement occurred in July 1926, when he went to town to visit local businesses. While in a restaurant, he was confronted by Officer Edmondson and another officer, Patrolman “Shy” Love, who said they only wanted to ask him a few questions. Emerson agreed to go with the officers but when they reached the jail, Love forced him to put on handcuffs.
“For a flashy bootlegger whole only crime was outwitting the cops, a night in the Ellensburg jail didn’t seem appealing,” Lineham said. “While Love was unlocking the jail cell, Johnny tried to make a break. A free-for-all ensued. Officer Edmondson broke away, firing his gun at Emerson. The bullet hit the prisoner’s wrist and deflected into his leg, lodging there.”
Lineham noted that after being treated at the local hospital, Emerson was released with no charges filed—but also no apology. The injury caused Emerson to walk with a limp for the rest of his life.
It was at this point, according to Lineham, that Emerson “swore an oath against the police force, claiming he would someday get his revenge. Up until then the contest between the young bootlegger and the city police had had a sporting aspect; now it soured into stubborn bitterness and hatred.”
The Ellensburg Daily Record also reported on the Emerson shooting but claimed Officer Edmondson had arrested Emerson for public drunkenness. “The officer was forced to shoot him when Emerson, who is a big man, fought back,” the Daily Record reported a year later, in its July 5, 1927 edition. “Since then, it is stated, Emerson has borne a keen grudge against the police and had told several persons he would ‘get’ both of them some time.”
The story added that Emerson had been to court several times in the past but had never been convicted of any wrongdoing. It said he had not held any type of steady job in many months but previously had worked as a truck driver for a local farmer.
Emerson had one other reported encounter with Chief Tucker. In October 1926, a few months after being shot in the leg, he stopped in at a cigar shop that doubled as a gathering place for local gamblers and betters. Inside, Chief Tucker was already holding court, talking about the upcoming World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees (the Cardinals would eventually win the series, four games to three). The chief loudly opined that the Yankees would easily win the series.
In response, Emerson held up a $100 bill and challenged the Chief to cover his bet on the Cardinals. Chief Tucker tried to save face by saying that Emerson didn’t know anything about baseball. Citing Hayes as his source, Lineham said that Emerson spat back, “At least I know a dead man when I see him.” The encounter ended when Chief Tucker “stalked out of the cigar store without accepting Emerson’s wager.”
In the late afternoon of July 2, Emerson walked into the Williams-Smithson Hardware store and asked to purchase some 32-caliber cartridges for his pistol. According to the Daily Record, he displayed obvious signs of being intoxicated and one of the store’s managers, Bob Thomas, signaled to the sales clerk not to sell him any bullets. The clerk, however, had already pulled out a box of shells and laid them on the counter. He attempted to keep Emerson from buying any of the ammunition, which caused the young man to become agitated.
Thomas later testified that Emerson “seized the box and proceeded to fill his gun.” The manager said Emerson also began rambling, “They’re after me but I’ll get them first,” but did not specify whom he meant. Thomas said he tried to talk Emerson into giving the shells back but the young man waved the gun around and refused, then walked out to his car, climbed in, and drove away.
At this point, Thomas phoned Officer Edmonson to tell him about the encounter. The patrolman saw Chief Tucker on a nearby street and flagged him down to tell him about the episode. They both jumped into a police car and began their search for Emerson. At about 5 p.m., the two lawmen spotted Emerson’s car and followed him to Third Street, near Main Street. They parked in front of the Smithson Building while Emerson stopped across the street, in front of two businesses, Mac’s Lunch and the Mint Card Room.
“Tucker without pause jumped out of his car, crossed the street to Emerson’s machine, threw open the car door, and pointing his pistol at Emerson, told him he was under arrest,” the Daily Record said. “Emerson was sitting at the wheel with a loaded pistol in his hand and without preliminaries emptied his gun into the chief.”
Despite getting shot five times, including in the face and head, Tucker managed to squeeze off a single shot, which pierced Emerson’s chest and struck his heart. Within seconds, both Tucker and Emerson were dead. Officer Edmondson arrived a few seconds later and, not realizing the latter was no longer alive, fired another shot that hit Emerson in the arm.
At the time of his death, Chief Tucker had served as Ellensburg’s top cop for about a decade, interrupted only by a short stint as the county sheriff. Born in June 1874 in Salem, Oregon, Chief Tucker had resided in Ellensburg for 44 years and had been a member of the local police department for the previous 15 years. He was married to Annabelle Tucker and was the father of four children.
Emerson, who was not married, was survived by his mother, Mrs. Frank Simonds, as well as three brothers and three sisters. In a weird twist, both Tucker and Emerson shared the same birthdate, June 5.
Only four days after the shooting, services were held for Tucker, who had been only the fifth man to serve as Ellensburg’s police chief. To honor the fallen lawman, the city’s mayor, L. H. Walker, made a special request of the community.
In a decree, the mayor said, “In view of the fact that Alva Tucker, our chief of police, was a faithful and staunch supporter of law and order and lost his life in the discharge of his official duty, I request that the business men of Ellensburg show their respect by closing their respective business places during the hour of 2 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6th, for the funeral.”
