Bill Jury was there when two ex-cons robbed the liquor store in White Center.

This affable former clerk was one of three people who were still on duty at closing time when two former convicts rushed through the door of the liquor store in April 1959 with guns drawn and ordered everyone to hit the floor.

Manager John Delaurenti had gone home but assistant manager Gino Centioli and his crew, clerks Bob Brown, Helen Anderson and Bill Jury needed no urging and hit the hardwood while the crooks rifled the till and grabbed wallets. They stuffed the loot in an empty booze box and headed for the back door.

Unluckily for them they had not seen Hurley Ring the owner of the Party House next door. But he had seen them. Jury and his pals usually came over after the shift to chat with Hurley. It was half an hour after normal closing and they had not shown up so Hurley walked over and peered into the window, He saw somebody he did not recognize and ran back to his store and called the sheriff. Four deputies were only a few miles away near the old Duwamish Drive-In theater.

After Hurley called he ran to the back of his store and scrunched down amid a bunch of bottles and just waited. Soon he heard gun shots. The banditos had opened fire and one officer drilled Joe Mooney in the forehead.

Some of the money was found in the yard of the Baptist church across from the White Center Fieldhouse and some in the swamp. Mooney was killed instantly but Cameron managed to escape. It is believed they chose the store in White Center because Cameron had a relative living in the old county housing project now being replaced with the shiny new Greenbridge development.

When Hurley came out of the storage closet the whole area was swarming with cops and Bill Jury and his fellow clerks were spread- eagled on the asphalt parking lot. Hurley yelled at them and explained these were the good guys and the cops allowed them to stand up and go home.

Bill Jury is long since retired but is still a tireless Democratic precinct worker.

Hurley Ring retired after 26 years and resides in Arbor Heights.

Jerry Robinson searches the world for people with strange and interesting stories and can be reached at publisher@robinsonnews.com