The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1900-01-25
DESPERATE BATTLE IN JAIL
Murderer Flanagan and Seven Other Jail
birds Attack the Sheriff.

sheriff would not shoot. he was in
tercepted in the Jail Office and des-
perate fight followed, the sherif's
wife snatching her child from the muir
derer's arms.
Saturday night the sheriff did not
aim particularly at Flanagan, but it
seemed to be some direction OF fate
that he of the others should be shot
with the same kind of weapon with
which he had murdered two helpless
women.
It was about $50 o'clock Saturday
evening that Sheriff Talley sent Jim
Smith, his negro janitor into the low
er floor of the jail to clean up the cor
ridor. The negro opened the door
leading into the corridor and placed
his lantern behind it.
The sheriff followed behind the jan
itor to see if the prisoners were all
right for the night. As, he passed q
cell Hiram Sharpe, the wife murderer,
confined in cell across the corridor
in which the eight notorious charac-
ters were locked up, handed him a
heavy piece of iron five feet long and
four inches broad and half an inch
thick.
"Mr. Talley," said Sharpe, .'the
man in here with me has been hiding
this piece of iron and I want you to
take it out before it gets US all into
trouble"
The sheriff thanked the prisoner and
walked down the corridor with the
iron bar in his hand.
Not until after the terrific fight with
the desperate jailbirds was over did
the sheriff remember the significance
of the act. Sharpe suspected that the
attack was going to be made and he
had armed the sheriff so he could de-
fend himself from a sndden assault
which might have meant his death.
Sheriff Talley walked to the back OF
the corridor. The eight prisoners
who had planned the escape were
peering at him, watching for an op-
perfume moment to make the break
for liberty.
Not,a suspicion of what was about
to take place entered the sherif's
mind. He had glanced at the doors
of all the cells and he had not noticed
that any lock had been tampered with.
But the men had already sawed the
paddock to the door of their cell.
The eight men must have made q
slight miscalculation in the distance
the sheriff was from their door, and
the time it would take to walk to the
rear of the corridor. They threw open
the door just as the sheriff was about
to repass it. Then the terrific fight
took place.
Before they could pass out the pris!
oners would have to beat down the
sheriff and the negro, and this they
proceeded to do.
'Stand by me, Jim," cried the sheriff
to the negro.
And the answer came back:
s'I'm with you, Mr.. Talley."
As many men as could get at the
sheriff struck him over the head and
the shoulders with their fists.
Sheriff Talley fought with the mo-
mentary strength of giant. he
hurled the desperate jailbirds from
him as fast as they sprang upon him:
Jim Smith was not idle. He stood
by the side of the sheriff and struggled
to keep off the assailants.
All this time the sheriff had not had
an opportunity to draw his pistol.
He at last got off few steps from
the prisoners and he drew his pistol
and began to fire into the crowd.
Three shots were fred in quick sue
cession, and Flanagan screamed aud
fell.
Back into the eel the prisoners
tumbled in more confusion than they
had left it few moments before.
Sheriff Tally saw his opportunity.
He sprang backward through the cor
ridor door, closed it and turned the
key in the lock.
A few minutes later help came and
the desperate jsilbirds who had made
the bold but unsuccessful attempt to
escape were safely locked up in their
cell for the night.
Flanagan was placed in chair in
the corridor and physician sent for
to dress his wound.
The pistol ball had entered his left
thigh about two inches above the knee,
infiicting painful but not very seri-
GUS wound.