September 24, 1892 - Benjamin E. Snipes & Co. Robbery

Matt Warner, at the time known as Ras Lewis, promised his wife Rose he would give up the outlaw life. His promise was broken when The Invincible Three, Warner along with Tom and Bill McCarty, made plans to rob the payroll of the Benjamin E. Snipes & Co. in Roslyn, Washington. The bandits got word a $100,000 payroll was set to arrive in Roslyn via Tacoma on September 24, 1892. Promise or no promise, that kind of money was too hard to pass up.

According to Warner’s autobiography, The Invincible Three followed their usual routine–Tom McCarty waited outside while Warner and Bill McCarty went inside to rob the bank. On the day of the robbery they found four men inside including the cashier on duty T.B. Abernathy. After drawing their weapons and ordering the employees to raise their hands, Warner knocked out Abernathy while Bill McCarty covered the remaining employees. Warner went about collecting the money and, in a repeat of Telluride, led the employees outside by gunpoint. They walked into a tense situation as Tom McCarty had just shot a man who had come too close and was now trying to fend off a sizeable crowd. Covering the crowd, the outlaws jumped on their horses and headed out of town letting off a hail of gunfire to stave off any notions of vigilantism.

While the outlaws managed to get out of Roslyn in one piece, their take was far less than they had hoped. Warner claims the total take from the robbery was $30,000, not bad for a few minutes work, but less than the $100,000 they were expecting. The three men divided the money between them and strapped the cash to their bodies with money belts, each man hauling his own take from the robbery. Newspaper accounts report the actual amount between $5,000 and $6,000.

The money divided up, the outlaws headed towards the Columbia River where they had hoped to lay low until they could safely return to the 7U Ranch. Unfortunately for the outlaws, a posse discovered them and managed to pin them down against the banks of the Columbia. With no time to think the situation through, Warner sent the McCarty’s off and tried to get the posse to follow him instead. Unfortunately for Warner his plan worked. The McCarty’s were able to slip away from the posse while Warner was forced to deal with the full strength of the lawmen.

Trapped between the river and the oncoming posse, Warner was left with three choices – surrender and suffer through prison, fight it out with the posse (certain death), or dive into the river (probable death). Warner chose the latter, jumping his horse into the freezing Columbia. A mile across from side to side, the river was flowing at high flood stage. Between the current and Warner’s wet clothes, not to mention the stolen cash strapped to his body, Warner fought against insurmountable odds to stay above the water. The outlaw struggled to shake off his belongings, only managing to get a boot off before the deputies spotted him and opened fire.

Being shot at while helpless in the water ticked Warner off to no end. Warner credits this sudden anger with giving him the strength to cross the river. Had the posse left him alone, he may well have drowned in the river.

Despite the odds, Warner managed to get across the river in one piece, and more importantly, with his newfound wealth intact. Once across Warner made tracks to the 7U Ranch and reunited with his wife Rose. Two weeks later their daughter, Hayda, was born. Believing his troubles were behind him, and looking forward to the quiet life a family offered, Warner again vowed to leave the outlaw life and dedicated himself to concentrating on his family. With his portion of the Roslyn money, along with the money buried in hiding spots around the 7U Ranch, Warner believed he had no reason to return to the outlaw life.

About a month after the Roslyn robbery three men were arrested for the crime in eastern Oregon. Cal Hale, Tom Kimzi and George Zachary were positively identified by the bank employees present during the robbery despite not having anything to do with the crime. The three men were granted separate trials with only Hale receiving a conviction. He was later released when it became evident that he wasn't involved in the robbery.

Things seemingly quieting down, Matt Warner decided it was time to send Sarah Morgan home to Salt Lake City. The outlaw was nervous about sending her off, as he suspected Sarah of being a greedy and with her knowledge of the outlaws activities she could easily cash in on the $20,000 reward on Warner’s head. In the end, Warner placed his trust in the family bond. An honorable decision to be sure, but one he would soon regret.