Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-28
NOTORIOUS bad MAN.
IS KILLED BY TRAIN
Musco Savage, Of Russell County,
Had Long Record OF
Violence.
BROKE EVERY PRISON RULE
Was Committed to State Asylum for
Criminal Insane After Spending
Some Time I'm Penitentiary on Con-
viction OF Three Murders.

p"Aho IiiHe III l'enltcntiary ON Con.
viction OF Three Murders.
"Muss" Savage Is dead. He was
Russell County's most notorious bad
man."
In life Musco Savage reveled in
turbulence and violence. He died as
he had lived, paying tho penalty pre-
scribed In tho scriptural Injunction
that who lovcth the danger shall perish
by II. Savage Of nature as we'll as by
name. the mark OF Cain three times
upon him. the convict who had gained
the reputation among prison officials
since he began his compound sentence
OF twcnty-cight years in the penIten-
tlary' eight years ago. of being the
most troublesome man in the Common
wealth OF Virginia. was struck down
by locomotive and killed on the rail-
road tracks Mt Wallscnd, Ky. while
neelng from the law against which his
hand had been turned since his early
boyhood
Inc news OF the tragic end of Saw
ago was received yesterday at the State
4 Penitentiary. whore he is remembered
Dy the officials and guards as the most
vicious prisoner with which they have
ever had to deal. He had been identi-
ned by marks on his clothing Tho
dismembered body will be buried in
the potter's field In the little Kentucky
village.
WAS FOR YEARS PROBLEM
TO PRISON OFFICIALS
"Muss" Savage had been for years u
problem for the prison officials. Some
OF them believed him insane. others
are convinced that he merely slammed
insanity in order to get into an
asylum, where his chances for escape
would be better than the walls. bars
! locks and vigilance with which he had
10 cope while In the penitentiary af-
fordcd. But none of the officials who
came into contact with the desperate,
either In prison or madhouse. will dis
pute the statement that Savage pos
sessed degree Of cunning that was
weird and uncanny.
| Tho records of the Virginia Penitcn-
| uary and the state Hospital for the
Criminal Insane at Marion show that
during his period Of Incarceration. Saw
age gave his keepers more trouble
! than any half dozen inmates of either
institution. at the penitcntiary no
was subjected to every form of pun
ishmcnt the rules prescribe for re-
fractory prisoners and at the Marion
| asylum he underwent every form OF
restraint that can he imposed upon an
| Insane criminal. For no man confined
In other institution ever committed so
many criminal acts within the walls or
violated so many rules as the Russell
i County bad man"
DETECTED IN MANY
OFFENSES WHILE IN PRISON
AT different times he was detected
In almost every oTense known. short
i or actual murder and arson, both in
the pcnltentiary and in the hospital
at Marion. lie was caught melting his
tcllo"-pr!soners to mutiny. He was
caught plotting with other prisoners
to escape. He was detected in several
! plots. inspired always by him, TO MUIR
der his guards. The multiplicity OF
evil deeds that made HIN a thorn in
the flesh OF the pcn!temtiary officials
before he was declared insane was
duplicated when he became an inmate
nj Marion.
Well-informed authorities have OK
! pressed the opinion that "Muss" saw
age was never for an hour insane Tho
oihc!als at the penitcntiary. however
experienced so great Il relief when he
was hnallE pronounced a lunatic and
removed TO Marion that they strongly
opposed his return. some time later.
: when DR.. j. &. King, superintendent
Of the State Hospital At Marion. de-
c!ared tina, 'Muss" was again In his
/ right mind and should be returned 10
the Big Top"
Tho Big Top" wanted no more OF
"Muss" The prison officials got busy.
The case was finally brought before
i the Governor and the Attorncy-Cicu-
cral. and the latter. being called upon
10 render an opinion, decided against
j DR.. King. The Attorney Generals
opinion was that once committed as an
insane man 10 the asylum. the convict
could not be returned to the pcniten-
tiary.
Several times "Muss" effected his cs-
cape. but was recapturcd. He made his
i last and fatal getaway from the Mari
on institution last week. Just how he
happened 10 get in front OF that loco
motive in the little kentucky village
nobody knows. His body was found
badly mutilated, and but for the
marks on his clothing. which labeled
him an Inmate Of the Marion asylum,
he would have been buried unidentified
In 1907 Savage went on a spree in
Dante and shot up the town IL was
during that period of Seeing red" that
he shot and killed three men He
- was captured after a futile attempt to
escape, and convicted. The sentences
= imposed. all of which were on indict-
ments charging murder, gave him
! stretch of twcnty-eight years in the
penitentiary. And at that time he was
less than twenty-five years old His
i removal to the insane asylum was after
he had served more than five years I'm
the pen.tent!ary.