The Boy Who Shot the Sheriff: The Redemption of Herbert Niccolls Jr.

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Fig. 1 Herbert Niccolls Jr., age twelve, was photographed in the typical prison mug shot and given his prison number at the Washington State Penitentiary. Courtesy of the Washington State Archives. Fig. 2 J. F. Anderson, a reporter for the nearby Lewiston Morning Tribune, took Herbert Niccolls outside the courthouse for a photograph, which would appear in newspapers from coast to coast and in Canada. Courtesy of the Asotin County Museum. Fig. 3 Sheriff John Wormell had not only served multiple terms as the lead law enforcement officer of Asotin County but had been a state legislator and one of the region’s pioneers. Courtesy of the Asotin County Museum. Fig. 4 The entire cast of players in the trial were requested to pose for a photograph outside the courthouse, adding a surreal element to the trial. From front left: Deputy Sheriff Wayne Bezona, Herbert Niccolls Jr., Mary Addington, Asotin County Clerk L. A. Closuit, and Deputy County Clerk J. Swain. Back, from left: defense attorney John Applewhite, prosecutor Elmer Halsey, defense attorneys Ed Doyle and A. G. Farley, and Judge Kuykendall. Courtesy of the Asotin County Museum. Fig. 5 Governor Roland Hartley clashed with those who wanted to parole Herbert Niccolls to Boys Town. Courtesy of the Washington State Archives. Fig. 6 Father E. J. Flanagan took his campaign to free Herbert Niccolls to the radio in frequent broadcasts. Courtesy of Boys Town. Fig. 7 Mrs. Armene Lamson was greeted with roses by a Boys Town resident when she arrived at the Omaha, Nebraska, train station on her campaign to bring Herbert Niccolls to Boys Town. Courtesy of Boys Town. Fig. 8 While Herbert Niccolls was in prison, there were frequent executions, including the execution of seventeen-year-old Walter DuBuc, who had a fifth-grade education. Courtesy of the Washington State Archives. Fig. 9 As an adult, Herbert Niccolls lived in a Hollywood apartment filled with books. Courtesy of Jonathan Niccolls. Fig. 10 James Ashe was a literary agent who, while serving time for bilking a society matron out of money she paid him to get her book published, became Herbert Niccolls’s mentor. Courtesy of the Washington State Archives. Fig. 11 Inside the penitentiary, Peter Miller was known for starting the prison library and a fund to help inmates when they got out. Courtesy of the Washington State Archives. ...