The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-04
RMD N HIS SHOE.


Il a.nserous looking knife was found
s41s.s.a1v afternoon on the inside OF pr;s-
lI.s<s ehoe AZ the county jail. The dis
- VAS the result of rigid search
n .sssrted BY Eberin Meyer.
~ esory IL brief one, and is interest
= sziniy because it suggests possible
sSes1y. The suggestion Is all the more
&s;Ii1sr on account Of the recent unex-
1921 and lamentable killing OF Jim
SNe ~ an obscure prisoner. arrested Tor
3 esstv ofYerse and not known TO Be
~ meu we're sent up In bunch yes
.ss- frvm police headquarters to the
-. ali. Each of the four was charged
ass< seflf larceny. They were James Cor
- fehn Burns, Tom Graham and Tom
% They had free ride up the hill
) ). ~ ~hurry up" wagon, In which, be-
~ M driver, they were escorted by
&....,mer Welsh. AS an additional pre-
8 as-sasn they were handcuffed and tied to-
G~19 Meyer was in his Office when the
- "a the patrol wagon announced the
Sss5rai a. q new lodger for the Hotel
%era. He glanced out CT the window and
-s.feA four men In the wagon besides
u. sGeer. ssThere are four of them" he
- sWe had better all go down" 1t
S.sssuneA that there were couple OF depu-
~ - The Office so that when Sheriff
Ss~,, received his new guests he was
S..fea ~ Winsor, Atwell and Erisman.
-. sufsouers we're brought in and, the
2ssa.s,fPs having been removed. the patrol
- took its departure. Then Sheriff
Szsss, ordered a search. Nothing sus-
ss[sss * objectionable was found on any
II r. men until Burns was reached Even
- Ioekkts failed 10 reveal anything. But
- a a. deputies happened TO touch the
esseY part of his shoe and felt a hard sub
Gcoea which turned out TO be KNIFE X
&. ~ afoutiy fashioned pocketknife with
sSsaSorn handle and q big blade which
- heaye 10 point measured 5ust "a
~ fa!s blade was whetted down to
: SSea ooinf and edge. and would be an
~ ueapon In hana-to-hand fight.
TssSasea q say, Il was promptly confis-
s1is1. Il Vas slowed away In paper sack
SS5 - occupies place of honor on the
ssnsse / had happened to be alone
- lkoee men were brought In" said
ss1e Noyer, In talking over the little
ss1r1ae tscr ouppose. as Is often the case,
~ M hen only one man In the Office.
~ vere these four men brought into
~ "a. Up 70 that time they had been
hra6cnlIed, % that the police officer VINO
kepuaAt them up was safe. But the
41nG1 Nsre taken OF. Against these four
-. ops d them armed with dangerous
fnIle ! single oficer would have been
poverioss. They could have set upon MIN.
end not only elected their own escape but
TIT II every prisoner In the jail.
M sheriff DID not seem to think that
4 snatins such q hypothesis he was deal
~ fn any extrayagance or sensational
af.-...s~s. rnrtein II is that by a titfla
ccansnon sense and vigilance he and his
1esu,t,ea kept out Of the county jail a very
ueiy ana dangerous weapon. Granting even
al the knife had not been used In the
corridor At once for murder aud general
in 1eIivery. Il would have been very
Unsafe sleeping companion for some of the
criminals who are now ianguishing behind
the biz hars and steel screens. and whose
fate d Of much more consequence to the
county ana much more interest to the
eublic than that Of the four petty lar
cenists who rode up In the police van yes
terday.
The gravity Of the situation. 80 far as
he knife b concerned. was increased when
Il was ascertained later that all four pris-
sners knew Just where II was. A by
SANDER 1t police headquarters noticed the
cuartette Of larcenists just as they were
having for the county Jail. When one
q the officers asked Burns whether he
hsd knife about his person. he answered
"a one Of the other prisoners thereupon
a. qulszicai glance at one OF his COM
laaA whefeupon the latter distinctly
psaateA With his thumb directly toward
ihs top q Burns shoe. clearly Indicating.
h nm n the subsequent discovery. that
b INV where the knife was secreted.