A Desperate Dash for Freedom in Walla Walla
A prisoner working in the Walla Walla courthouse yard made a bold break for liberty, resulting in a dramatic street chase.
A prisoner named Martin narrowly escaped death while attempting to break jail this morning. He was working at the courthouse yard when he made a dash for liberty. Deputy Sheriff Guthrie followed him through the streets for several blocks, firing at him with a revolver. The last shot took effect in the prisoner's leg and he surrendered. His injury was slight.
“Deputy Sheriff Guthrie followed him through the streets for several blocks, firing at him with a revolver.”
This incident highlights the casual brutality of 19th-century law enforcement in Washington. Shooting at an unarmed prisoner fleeing through city streets was a standard, if horrific, part of public policing at the time.
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