The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-03-05
THE DEED OF A DEMON
A Prisoners Piendish Attempt to Burn
Seattle's County Jail.
After Setting Fire to His Mattress
He Keeps His Cellmate from
Giving the Aiarm -
FriRhtful Struggle.

Prom TN, seattle Post ! ntsiligcncrr.
David Deuec, the dime novel hoy Dies
rerado. who stood up the Elite faro hank
and shot Dick Richard about u month
ago. and who il now under IA years SEN
tcncc for these crimes. last night gave
new evidence of his desperate and diatoI-
ical character Ivy setting fire to the mat
tress in his cell i'm the county jail, thereby
not only ~cndangering his own life anu
that of his ccll-nate, Jack Cay, but the
lives of the thirty odd other PRISONERS con.
fined there. As il was. his terrible decd
was discovered in time to prevent IA hoio-
causi. although not before his ccli-'nate
had been nearly asphyNiatcd.
pens. occupied the fourth cell ON the
south corridor with Jack Gay. who is
under indictment for stealing merchan.
disc from tho Columbia d Pugct Sound
Shore road. Last night the two men were
Densc had already undrcsseI and retired
tn his bod. winch was ON the hoor about
two fee, distant from Gays:
Gay went to he'd about - o'clock, and inn
mesliately fell asleep. He was aroused
about l2::D and found the narrow cell
filed with smoke, while fiames wcIr. shoot
ing up the opposite wall from Denec,si
mattress and blankets. Dcnce, fully
dressed. was standing over him, keeping
I'm his terror Gay sprang tu his feet with
"a yell. hut Dcnee sprang at him, and with
"a curse told him not to utter another
sound or il would la his last.
Inspired 10y fear Gay commenced ~
struggle with the demon, who was hold
ing him on the floor. and succecsicd in
shak ing his hands loose from his throat
and giving voice. tn several loud cries for
help.
BY this time the Who'll: jail was Tiled
with smoke and several other prisoners
wer. aroused. Night Jailer Ryan heard
the cries and rushed down stairs: closely
followed by Chief Mitchell and Police Cap
tain Bigclow. who heard Gay yelling while
passing 10y the Jail. Jailcr Pat Farraher
was also awakened by the smoke which
below.
Jailer Ryan. who was the. first tn reach
the jail. being alone. passed his Keys
"A trri-ty. instructing him tn rush to the
cell and do what hr could until other help
Terry did as commanded. On reaching
the cell he found the two prisoners
clinchcd i'm a struggle. Gay was evidently
although he still tried tai call for help
while Dcncs. appeared tai he all right and
was attempting u" choke the utterancc OF
his unfortunate cell mate.
The cell door was thrown open ana tile
two mon were with difficulty pulled OUT OF
the cell. Both men fell To the hoor al the
IL was soon made evident that Dcnce
was shamming, while Gay was really i'm II
critical condition. The desperate, when
lac saw that his rusc would not work with
the ~jaitcrs. straigltcnct up. and with hor-
rible oa'hs cursed thos" who had baiked
back tn his cell and locked up.
Gay was suffering terrible agony from
the smoke he had inspired. and City Ply
stefan Grant. who was hastily summoned,
pronounced his condition To bc critical.
Sheriff Mc(iraw arrived "a few minutes
later AMI had tl.. suffering man carried
upstairs.
He suffered terrible agony, breathing
with tbs, greatest difficulty and pain. His
throat and lungs were terribly conHcstcd
10y the smoke lie had inhaled, and his ter
riblc struggle with Dcnec had left him i'm
- greatly weakened condition. DIR. Grant
worked with him until his sutferings were
alleviatcd. and at :: O'clock this morning
he was much easier. While there ia no
Immediate danger of death, his lungs are
i'm such "a condition that he may not re-
cover.
Dcncc absolutely refused To giv. "a rca-
son for his decd. IL is supposed, however.
that II was his purpose Ia Hire the jail
in hope of making his escape in the ex-
element. ar il may have been that i'm his
desperation lc chose this means of CONF
hitting suicide. which Inc threatened to do
il his sentence was not in part RENTED.
A drachm bottle of morphine was found
in his cell after the fire. and Cay says that
he must have taken some of il just before
setting the fire.