The Brutal End of a Winter Manhunt
After escaping custody, two fugitives are recaptured on the Walla Walla River, suffering from frostbite and starvation.
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.
The two escaped murderers were recaptured on the Walla Walla River above Milton, on Wednesday. Owenby was lodged in jail the same night, and Blfus the following morning. As related to a Statesman reporter, they both must have had a hard time. Owenby's feet are badly frozen, and he is suffering terribly from bloody flux. He had nothing to eat from the time he escaped till Christmas night but milk he obtained from a cow in the barn where he hid. Blfus was caught higher up the river, and was very sulky in his manner. He acknowledged he was Blfus, soon after he was caught, but Owenby did not say who he was until identified by Marshal Robinson of this city, who went after him. The next public appearance of Blfus will be January 10th.
“He had nothing to eat from the time he escaped till Christmas night but milk he obtained from a cow in the barn where he hid.”
Winter in Eastern Washington remains unforgiving for those caught without shelter, echoing the desperation of this 1884 flight. Modern search and rescue operations are significantly more effective, but the landscape itself, particularly around the Walla Walla River, still demands deep respect from anyone attempting to traverse it in January.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.