, 1883-12-29
ESCAPE OF the TWO CON.
DEMNED MURDERERs.
fhE sHE2iFf AND JAIIOR >v,p,x
KILLED.
Large Party OF Men In No. Pur.u,,
The Capture OF the harderers Res.
soRably Certain.

on Christmas evening about five o'cIoot
Ike wildfre the news spread around nm,
quiet city that terrible tragedy had occur.
red IN the Court House jail. The uronr;s.
tor OF the STATESMAN was visiting the fan;.
ly OF Mr.. George Thomas at the time and
was about leaving when C. S. White, bette,
known as Whitley" came in bur,;.d,r
and so excited that nothing definite copI6
be gained frcm him-"Oid man Williams -
Jim Thompson, ''Elfus," Court House
were so mixed up that We at once, with ali
speed, made for the court house, around
which large crowd was already congrega,.
ed. Oar request for admission was at once
acceded to and the first thing that met our
view was the iallor, Williams, lying on p
coach, covered with blood, a CHASTITY cut on
his throat, several other stabs on his face
and a nasty looking cut on the ball Of the
thumb as if he had grasped knife In tryipp
to take 1t from the assassin who had been
using it. He was attended by DR.
Boyd and perfectly sensible. The floor
OF the room was covered with blood, as was
also the adjoining room and also the passage
way leaiing from the outer door into the
cell and every evidence OF a most desperate
! struggle abounded on every side. In the
cell where the prisoners were kept was
James Thompson, our sheriff, attended
| by Decor Blalock, also covered with
blood, aud his head apparently battered
III. The facts of the case as We heard IT On
the spot are simply these:
At five o'clock the sheriff, as is his custom,
proceeded to the jail to loch the prisoners up
for the night. All but two were in their
| cells, and those two were the condemned
| murderers, Elius for the murder of Dan
Haggerty, ard Ownbey for the Cummins
murder at New York Bar, both under sen,
| tence OF death. According TO the usual rule
the jaIlor, Williams, after locking the outer
| door, unlocked the inside one and admitted
the sheriff, he standing as usual outside, but
no sooner had the sheriff entered than Own
| bey and E!fus, who had som, how become
possessed OF brick, Immediately attacked
him from esch side of the door, where they
had stationed themselves, and rendering him
aimcs. senseIess with it, but not so much so
| as to prevent his instinctively attempting to
prevent the escape of the prisoners, who
were in the doorway. All this happened be-
fore The iaiior had time to lock the iron door
and when they dashed against it they closed
1t upon the sheriff, maku e him virtually a
prisoner, and then turned their attention to
old man Williams, who at once rushed to
the window and gave tie alarm. On the
sill the villains found Jick- and with
it treated the poor man IN the horrible man
| ner described then they took from him the
key to the outer door and hatless and coat
less escaped out into the darkness Of the
night. As soon as theIr wounds were
dressed, few Ut;zeGs consisting principally
of DR. Boyd, II. Il. Chapman, II. T. Hoi-
mes, Mr.. Gregory sni the proprietor of the
STATESMAN fcrGed thems .lvts into COM
mittee for immediate action and It was re-
solved, d4,k and li-Lg as it vas, to send
mounted n.on In horseback in every direc-
ton 20 CO; tGre the villains II possible,
and alarm the people III the country.
Whil, Dr. Boz and Mr.. Chapman hunted
uo horses, with Mr. Gregory, We hunted mp
Mr.. W.ri. one Of our County Commission
ELS AMI related the dreadful occurrence and
requested him = give his consent to our ae-
tlons, as Ia sherG MAS 100 badly used up
10 take any active measures. We are
pIcased 10 state that without moments, or
the least hesitation, Mr.. Ward told US to go
ahead ard VIC hurried back with the good
news to TIE other gentlemen who had been
hard at work gathtrirg horss. The town
WIS secured for men and in a short time Mr.
Chapmau's Office was crowded with men an
xious to start. Dr. Boyd and Mr.. Chapman
chose some good men and they were making
preparations for immediate departure, when
Mr.. Coomts. the sewing machine man, came in
with the information that the rascais had
stolen the tao horses belonging to ms wagon
from his stable up by Willow street. This
news was looked upon by the crowd as Ia
yorab!e, as coon as they were told the horses
were slow and not riding animals and "ou!d
force the escaped prisoners to keep 10 'he
road. and make Their immediate capture al
most certain. The pursuers all LETT IN gooa
spirits ard as they are composed OF some oi
the best men of the country, who kno" e''
ery fence rail in it, We have Ropes oeiole
We complete this account TO wind up WIN
an account Of their capture. ihe ioiio"ihs
are the names of those in purs Ut: Joe
Woodworth, jenny hnifog. Mcf farlan''
Sm.,,s. Geo. Bender, Eugene Short "0ia-
,,p. Chas Miller, G. F. Robinson George
D u 1af-