A Desperate Jailbreak in North Yakima
Two prisoners, one feigning insanity, brutally assaulted a Deputy Sheriff with a rock-filled burlap sling in a failed bid for freedom.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
NORTH YAKIMA, March 20.—A desperate attempt to break from the county jail was made at 5 o'clock this afternoon by prisoners Levering and Melborn. Deputy Sheriff A. D. Dilley had gone into the jail and unlocked their cells for the purpose of giving them their supper in the corridor, when Melborn jumped on to him and a struggle ensued. Dilley threw the prisoner, who held on to him, and while in this position Levering struck him over the head with a slungshot made of a rock bound up in burlap. Six times did the weapon descend, inflicting severe scalp wounds, and then Dilley managed to get away from Melborn, and, drawing his revolver, fired an ineffectual shot at Levering, who dodged behind his cage. Feeling a faintness coming over him, the officer went to the hydrant and poured water over his wounds and then drove the prisoners to their cells and locked them in. A surgeon was called and gave the plucky officer the needed attention. Melborn is being held on a charge of burglary, and Levering is awaiting trial for obtaining $500 from the First National bank of North Yakima on forged drafts. He has already cost the state about $1,000—two trips having been made to New York by the sheriff before he could be secured. He is now feigning insanity.
“Six times did the weapon descend, inflicting severe scalp wounds, and then Dilley managed to get away from Melborn, and, drawing his revolver, fired an ineffectual shot at Levering, who dodged behind his cage.”
This 1892 account of a violent jailbreak in Yakima highlights the persistent, precarious nature of local law enforcement and detention systems in the developing Pacific Northwest. While the methods of 'slungshots' and hand-cranked locks have evolved, the underlying pressures on the county jail system—high costs, recidivism, and the struggle to manage inmates with complex mental health needs—remain central topics in modern Washington criminal justice discourse.
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