Deputy Lincoln Dilley Survives Jail Escape Attack
Deputy-Sheriff Lincoln Dilley survived severe head cuts after two prisoners attacked him during an escape attempt at the county jail, then drew his revolver and locked them in their cell.
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.
Deputy-Sheriff Lincoln Dilley now wears a bandage around his head to protect some very severe cuts and wounds, the result of a desperate encounter with B. E. Levering and John W. Milburn, who attempted to escape from the county jail. While Dilley allowed the five prisoners the freedom of the corridor during supper, Milburn grabbed the officer, pinning his arms. Levering struck Dilley six times over the head with a slung-shot made of a rock wrapped in burlap. Despite the severity of the wounds, Dilley managed to draw his revolver and force the attackers back, eventually locking them in their cell. Dr. Taft, who dressed the deputy's wounds, noted that six cuts reached the skull, one being two inches long. Levering, who is awaiting trial for forging bank drafts, attempted to feign insanity following the failed escape attempt.
“The probabilities are that had not Dilley kept his head moving his life would have paid the forfeit.”
Jail safety and the treatment of prisoners remain significant issues in Yakima today. This incident highlights the volatile environment of 19th-century frontier lockups, where understaffing often led to violent confrontations between guards and those awaiting trial.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.