The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-03-30
SAWEDHIS SHACKLES.
A Prisoner Who Saved the
Blacksmith . Job.
MuaPHY.s LABOR FOR LIBERTY.
- Ces OF HIS Leg 1Feas. bss Dropped
aAsa - the Wrsse Tias-A
Pssty or - waiis Wsisa.

Love may laugh At ioexsmi.hs bat
Love VIZ have 20 gst up early and travel
late 20 keep In sight OF Sam Murphy, .
big ssx-sooser. known to Be an ex-convict.
Who isft last night for WslIa waiia 20
serve out eight pears in prison for bur-
gary sam not only gives the laugh 20
sccksmiths. bat also 20 blacksniths and
Jsiiers who have him in charge
Aarphy yesterday gavs IN instance OF
This About moath ago he was con-
vieesd OF plundsfing . cabin in South
seattle with 3 pai named w. r. Rush,
also an ex-convict, who shared the same
Tate. When he came to he sentenced.
Judge Hnmes made it pretty strong, Muir
Ply Thought. and he Ct once began plan
ming 10 escape. A fey days before the
last city election prisoner in the county
jail sent word 20 Sheriff Woolery that
Murphy and Rush and four convicted
highvaymen, Edward Page. Martin and
John Murphy and Tom Williams, all bad
men. had with several other bad prisoners
Planned . jail break. Investigation
showed that they had obtained hack saws
OF good steel and sawed of the soft bolts
holding In place the locking bar Of the
steel cage, and that IL vas In their power
70 escape At any moment could they but
get tho taller to open, a. they had already
unlocked the outer door. the inner. A
shsksdown was made. the SAWS were
given up and the break repaired.
Sam Murphy confessed that he had been
selected to lead the rush for liberty. He
said that the night before the discovery OF
the plot everything Was favorable, and
that had his heart not failed him at the
finish he would have killed the night
iaiier and led the whole lot Of criminals
out over the corpse. Murphy was put in
the heaviest thrse-quarter inch leg-irons
for punishment. and was supposed to be
wearing them when he was brought cut
into the Jail ONCE yesterday afternoon TO
have them unriyeted and removed before
going ''ovsr the road" An the big burg
lar stood before Jaler Muproe. Deputy
Shsrifis McCorne and Mcdonald. the
blacksmith and few loungers, he looked
~ innocent ~ . babe. The blacksmith
laid out his files. cold chisels and hack
ssws ready ut hand and knelt down to the
task. Murphy had wrapped his ankles
with strips of IN old blanket to prevent
the irons chatting. and these tatters kept
the smish from seeing the irons until he
removed them with . knife. When he
did this there was q rattle and the ironb
fell from Murphy's left leg.
JaiisY Munros looked surprised and
rubbed his eyes beiors looking at the
baby face of Murphy. The blacksmith
looked at Munroc. Then he made slash
at the rags on Murphy's other leg, with q
like result. The irons OF heavy steel had
bssn tied on only with cotton cord. Num-
roe felt that the dignity Of King county
had been offended. and told Murphy 20 In
plain United States and ended by demand
ing Why the irons had been removed.
why, shurs, OF couldn't git my pants
OF eisc." responded the big fellow with .
bland smile.
Munroe summoned tho sheriff, and the
latter in forcible language asked how the
irona had been removed. Then Murphy
grinned again and said:
''oi'il get yes what Oh did it wid, il that
Is what yer are afthsr wantin,."
Get IL then I" said the sheriff
Murphy shsmbied into the Jail, while
the blacksmith was being '.joshed" for
using strings or lead rivets. He took .
bent wire from his collar and poked it
into q little crevice in the cage roof Out
fell little steel saw, much worn. 1t Was
the only one there. for threats OF bread
aud water for ali hands failed to bring
out others. On examination it was
seen the say had been made OF Q piece OF
. spring 70 hold the coat collar shut, such
a. are sold by atress hawkera II had been
notched With sharp knife. such a. arc
known TO be In oil jais At eli times in spite
of vigilance in searching prisoners. With
IL Murphy had sawn through one and one
half inches OF fairly hard steel In the two
rivsts. When Murphy went on the train
last night he wore two pair of the heaviest
leg irons. and was well guarded also, for
Ii IL said that he Is the worst man the iail
ever held for sehsming.
The other prisoners who were taken to
Walla Walla last night were: Mart and
Jack Murphy. the highwsymen. for ten
years each Gust Miller and Fred Ma.ukat.
the Renton burglars. for three and two
years respectively. and James G. and Belle
Martin, convicted rs Belle Doe, the Dove
dance house people. who were convicted Of
grand larceny. Martin goes for four years
and his alleged wife eighteen months. All
six Of these withdrew their appeals yester-
day and asked 10 begin serving sentence At
once. The Martins had gone so far a. TO
have transcript Of the record in their