Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1916-05-12
INJURED PRISONERS
MAY SUE COUNTY
MAN RUNS AMUCk IN JAIL STAB
BING THREE INMATES BE-
FORE OVERPOWERED.

Damages against Thurston county
and Sheriff Fred w. McCorkle may
result from the fracas which occur
red in the county jail about l o'clock
Tuesday morning when Ernest Reisch
80 years old, ran amuck and, using
a large pocket knife, stabbed and Sc
verely cut three other prisoners, Will
liam Thompson, j. w. Miller and
Fred Kusah. Reisch was not search
ed when locked in the Jail by Deputy
Sheriff Jack Clifford.
Reisch's attack was made without
warning and without provocation,
when the three prisoners and J. F.
Gillies, the other inmate of the jail,
were sleeping. Reisch first attacked
Thompson, who was sleeping in the
bunk above him, stabbing him twice
in the back of the neck. Thompson
called to his fellow prisoners for
help, Miller and Kusah responding
while Gillies ducked under the bed.
They were unable to turn on the
lights before Reisch attacked them
and the fight with the maniac was
carried on in the dark, until he was
finally overpowered.
Injured Men at Hospital.
Game Warden Fennell, who sleeps
at the Jail, was unable to assist in
overpowering Reisch. as he had no
keys. He called Sheriff McCorkle
and Drs. H. w. and X. L. Partlow
we're also called to treat the injured
men, who we're then removed to the
hospital. They are still confined
hospital. Kusah and Thompson were
injured the worst, and were weak
from loss of blood, but improved so
they could be removed to the county
jail Thursday. The fact that Reisch's
lives.
Reisch, who was considerably bat
tered up, was tried before sanity
commission in the superior court la
ter that morning and committed to
the Steilacoom asylum, where he was
taken Tuesday evening. His story
was that the other prisoners had
tried to get" him.
Reisch was first arrested in Shell
ton last week, because of his peculiar
actions in that vicinity. He was
brought to Olympia last Friday, but
as both Sheriff McCorkle and Deputy
Jack Clifford were out Of the city at
the time, he was turned over to the
city police and spent that night in
the city Jail. Saturday morning he
was turned over to Deputy Clifford
by Chief Cation, Sheriff McCorkle be-
ing Seattle. and the deputy failed to
search him before he locked him in
the county bastile. assuming that the
city authorities had done 80. They
had, but had returned Reisch's be-
longings to him.
Injured When . Boy.
Reisch had been making his home
with his mother, brother and sister
near Kamilche, where his brother
owns q ranch. and his brother had
visited him at the local Jail. The
county authorities. investigating the
mans history. report that they learn
he has been mentally unbalanced
since he was struck on the head with
hammer when IA years old, by
shoemaker to whom he had been ap-
prenticed at his home in the old
country. Tuesday morning was the
first time, however, that he had ever
become violent He had made his
home with his brother for the last 10
years.
Thompson, one Of the injured men,
Is the alleged brass thief who tried
to break away from Policeman La
Barre last week; Miller is the con-
tractor who is held on q charge OF
stealing logs from timber tract
near Hogum Bay, and Kusah is the
man arrested in Tenino for stealing
a belt from one of the mills there.