The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-07-29
TIL TAYLOR KILLED
AS SIX BREAK JAIL
Prisoners Take Advantage of Meal
Time Hour, Overcome Deputy,
Take Munitions and Arms and
Make Get-Away--Posses Are I'm
Hot Pursuit.

prisoners in the Umatilla county
jail at Pendlton made break for
liberty Sunday afternoon. Sheriff
Taylor was shot through the breast
and lived only a few hours.
Posses were formed Immediately
and began securing the country ad-
jacent to Pendleton in an effort to
run the fugitives to earth.
According to report of the break,
received from Pendleton, the prison
ers first overpowered Jake Marin, de-
putty sheriff, who had entered the cell
to carry in their dinner. The break
was made at l:55 p. m. Then, led
by Hart, the Indian, the prisoners
made their way to the sheriff's office
and began a search for guns and
ammunition. Hart evidently obtain
ed rife which he loaded and, accom-
panied by two of the other prisoners,
left Taylor's Office.
Sheriff Taylor, accompanied by
Guy Wyrick, close friend. were just
entering the Office when they saw
Owens and Patterson, rummaging the
drawers. They rushed the prisoners,
Taylor throwing Owens and Wyrick
overpowering Patterson.
Hart Enters and Shoots.
II was then that Hart returned
from the inner Office with the loaded
rife and shot Taylor. He then com
manded Wyrick to stand up and re-
lease Patterson or get a dose OF
lead. too. Wyrlck obeyed. They
then placed the wounded sheriff on
a couch. Hart was about to shoot
Taylor again because he would not
tell where the ammunition was hid
den. WyrIck begged Hart not to fire
again and was finally allowed to get
some water for Taylor. Hart then
became more abusive than ever and
threatened to shoot both Taylor and
Wyrick. Then. Taylor, pointing to
his desk and the drawer containing
the ammunition, said, "All right, take
the ammunition and get out"
Obtaining the ammunition at once
the prisoners Immediately. fed from
the building and made their way to
the o. w. r. & N. tracks where they
boarded an east bound freight train.
The fugitives rode for four miles on
the freight train, getting off at Mis-
sion station. From there they Ned
into the timber.
Posses Are Formed.
AS soon as the news Of the jail
break had been known, every able.
bodied man In the city Of Pendleton
was pressed into service, posses were
formed and hunt started for the
outlaws. The excitement ran SC
high. and the people we're so shocked
over the shooting Of their sheriff and
friend, that 1t twas several hours be-
fore a systematic search was insti-
tuted for the fugitives.
Taylor Mortally Wounded.
Taylor, although mortally wound
ed, talked freely to relatives ano
friends during the first hour after
he was shot. He said. well, this
is a corker. / could have shot the
dirty cur (meaning Owens) but he
got me all right" Morphine was
given the sheriff, but he never rallied
enough to have a chance. The bull
let cut the jugular vein and arteries
leading to his neck. His wife ami
only son we're at his bedside wher
he died.
Prisoner Tells Of Break.
Jeffries, q young man from Jack
sonville, Fla, who had been in jail
for the last ten days for carrying 4
concealed weapon and who had no
taken part In the Jail break, told the
following story of how the prisoners
carried out their plans to make {
dash forliberty:
Sheriff Marin came into the corri
dor to feed us. First he let the tiw'
TRUSTEES out to build the fire ant
90 after the food. Then he locked
us all in the cell where we eat ant
when the food basket arrived he un
locked the cell door to give us thu
food.
'Just then the TRUSTEES who hat
gene to light the fire, came up ant
started to talk to Marin. While h,
WAS thus engaged, with his back t,
the rest of us, the big Indian, Owens
who was arrested last week by Sher
If Taylor after a running fight in thu
hills southeast Of Reith, jumped on
to Marin's back and bore him t.
the floor. Hart, the other Indian ant
Owens partner, closed In and hi
Marin with the jail keyring, knock
ing him out.
"They bound and gagged him ant
threw him into the cell where 7 WA
and locked 1t. One Of the trustie
locked himself in with US, I started