The Great Seattle Jailbreak of 1878
Sheriff Lewis V. Wyckoff offers a reward for the capture of five men who vanished from the King County jail in the dead of night.
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.
On Sunday night, January 20, 1878, the following named prisoners, confined in the King County jail for various offenses, escaped therefrom: Pat Shay, Peter Murray, Hung Ah Haw, Jung Kelly and Dan Lynch. Now, therefore, I will offer the above reward for the apprehension and delivery of all of said prisoners to me at said county jail, or $10 for each one so apprehended and delivered. L. V. Wyckoff, Sheriff of King County.
“I will offer the above reward for the apprehension and delivery of all of said prisoners to me at said county jail.”
In 1878, Seattle’s criminal justice system was remarkably informal, relying on local notices to round up escapees. Today, while the jail system is vastly more secure, the intersection of Commercial and Main Streets—once a rough-and-tumble hub of the city—is now near the center of Pioneer Square, still a focal point for debates over public safety and incarceration.
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