The Deadly Cost of a Failed Train Robbery

Walla Walla, April 14—Sheriff McFarland was summoned to Prescott on Saturday afternoon by telegraph to look up some burglars who had made an unsuccessful attempt to break open the safe of Hawes & Stull's store. The sheriff soon got on the trail and overtook them on Sunday morning as they were walking on the track toward Wallula. The sheriff and constable were both mounted and saw that the burglars acted as if they suspected that they were officers. To disarm these suspicions until they could have passed into an open space, the officers pretended to go off to the river to look at some cattle. When they arrived at a desirable point, the officers headed them off, and, arriving within 10 or 15 feet, ordered them to throw up their hands. One of them, Murphy by name, jerked a pistol out of his pocket and fired point-blank at the sheriff, the bullet passing between his leg and the horse's side, wounding the animal. Murphy again fired, this time striking the horse's shoulder. The horse meanwhile rearing and plunging, prevented the sheriff from firing his pistol. He finally got his horse's head turned around and fired at Murphy, the ball grazing his neck. Murphy's partner, Williams by name, leveled his pistol at the sheriff, but could not make it go off. McFarland's next shot was in Williams' direction and he fell with a bullet in his heart. Murphy, seeing his partner fall, jumped over a bank and made for the brush, pursued by the sheriff on foot. Murphy turned and fired three more shots at his pursuer, and only surrendered when his pistol was empty. The body was brought up on Sunday evening's train, as was the prisoner. Williams was a saddler by trade and has been identified as an old convict from the Idaho penitentiary.