A Chain Gang Escapee Captured in North Seattle
Dan McMillan, who made a daring escape from a city chain gang, is finally back in custody after years on the run.
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.
Dan McMillan, a notorious character and one of 'Croton Oil' Miller’s gang, who escaped from the chain gang three years ago, was captured yesterday by Officer M. F. Powers. At the time of his escape, he was serving a sentence for opium smoking. The chain gang was at work on James Street under the command of Officer John Kelly when McMillan unloosed his shackles and made a run north. Kelly fired two shots without effect, and McMillan escaped the city. After three years, he was found wandering in North Seattle and taken into custody.
“McMillan took advantage of this, unloosed his shackles and made a run north.”
While the 'chain gang' as a formal city department is long gone, the story of a man who evaded capture for years only to be apprehended while wandering the streets serves as a stark reminder of the long reach of the law in historical Seattle. James Street remains a central artery today, though it is no longer the site of such forced manual labor.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.