The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-07-25
LIBERTY THEN DEATH
,CaIlows-Bird's Flight From
the Spokane Jail.
THE DEPUTY USED A BICYCLE
..,..,, Pursued Closely He Jumped Into
,h.. River. and, Being Caught, He
cat His Own Throat.

s,,.uf Wash, July 20.-H. D.
.n,,+b convicted of the murder of old
r,bn WANT, cheated the gallows this
.+r.rno3n by killing himself, in an in
'4aru4l attempt to gain his liberty.
r.rlu hour this afternoon excitement
r.i,ppd supreme at the county Jail.
Will. deputy sheriffs were out chasing
.,o4 fleeing prisoner, a wholesale Jail
delivery was nearly accomplished.
Smith who occupied one of the
strong cells outside the main Jail COR
rider. had Just been served with his
meal bv Jailer Thompson. The latter,
with the cook, Jim Brady, had gone
inf, the upper tier of cells to feed
twenty II more prisoners there, when a
rustv in the kitchen sang out:
say Brady, Smith has got away"
In moment Thompson and Brady
came fying down the iron stairs, and
SAW Smith rapidly making tracks
through the jail yard. Brady shouted
~ Deputy Lon Cisna of Smith escape,
and kept on close after the fleeing man.
Cisna hurriedly mounted his bicycle
and Joined i'll the chase. Smith ran
like deer, and was gaining on Brady;
but when he saw he was being pursued
on wheel, turned round and started
for the river, which he reached a short
distance ahead of his pursuers. With
ont a moments hesitation he leaped
into the rapid current and attempted
to reach the other side; but the water
was running too swift for him, and he
was gradually carried into shore. A
man fishing near the bank saw Smith
coming, and hearing the shouts of the
pursuing officials for him to grab the
swimmer, waded out a few feet and
grasped the now exhausted Smith by the
collar Of his shirt. Smith struggled
moment, suddenly pulled razor from
underneath his vest, and before the
man holding him could interfere drew
the razor across his own throat, COM
letely severing the windpipe. Blood
spurted from the wound in a stream.
After staggering moment, Smith sank
to the ground and expired in few
moments.
In the meantime the prisoners in the
Jail We're not idle. Deputy Thompson,
IN his haste, had forgotten to lock the
great iron door leading out from the
upper corridor, which he had opened to
carry food to the prisoners. When he
started out to chase Smith it left the
Jail without guard. The prisoners
We're soon running loose around the
JAIL trying to find an avenue of escape.
Finding none, they took one of the
ball and chains nsed for shackles, and
commenced hammering hole IN the
wall. They had just succeeded in
knocking a hole through when Deputy
Sheriff Goodsell, who had joined the
chase, was notified of what was going
on. Rushing to the Jail, he found
about twenty desperate criminals con-
fronting him. He drew his revolver,
fired over the heads of the desperate
crew and ordered them to get into their
cells at once or he would kill them.
Seeing he meant business and that
many others had surrounded the Jail
door, drawn thither by the excitement,
the prisoners concluded to obey and
walked back into their cages. While
the deputy stood with his gun pointed
at the open corridor Mr.. Cisna went up
and locked the door upon them.
Smiths escape from the Jail was
made easy by an oversight of the jailer
who had neglected to lock the door
after taking i'll the food. Alex Hogg,
visitor was sitting reading a paper
near Smiths cell at the time. He says
all of sudden he looked up and found
smith was gone, and at the same time
he heard the trusty yell out that he
was Jast making his escape.
The crime for which Smith was SEN
fenced to hang was the brutal murder
OF Farmer John Wyant at Spangle
mTee years ago. An appeal is now
pending III the supreme court.