The Jailbreaker’s Bold Escort
After escaping Walla Walla’s jail, George H. Porter and a mysterious posse held up a farmhouse at gunpoint for a fresh horse and supper.
The second night after George H. Porter effected his escape from the jail here, he made his appearance at the house of Mr. Wm. Moore, just across the Oregon line, about six miles from the city, at the hour of 2 o’clock. Arousing the family, he entered the house and demanded a horse. He represented that the horse he had been riding had thrown him off and run away, and that upon finding the horse they could take him in exchange for the one they must give him—the possession of which he was prepared to enforce. Upon arising, the family saw six other persons around the house, mounted upon horses, who were evidently acting as Porter’s escort. Under the circumstances, the only safe alternative was to comply with Porter’s request, and furnish him a horse, which they did. He then demanded that the horse should be saddled for him, asked for a hat and some supper, then departed with his escort. On Saturday last, as the stage was coming from the Dalles, Porter passed it in the vicinity of the Umatilla River. He informed the driver and passengers that he was armed with a double-barreled shotgun and two revolvers and did not intend to be taken. He is believed to have crossed the mountains by the emigrant road.
“Under the circumstances, the only safe alternative, was to comply with Porter’s request, and furnish him a horse.”
Public safety and the logistics of the 'jail break' were major concerns in 1864, just as debates over jail capacity and public safety remain central to Walla Walla's civic discourse today. This account captures the high-stakes, lawless atmosphere of the era, where the line between criminal escapade and armed militia was often blurred.
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