On a grim Monday, June 9, 1902, Correctional Officer Bailey T. Tiffany, a Caucasian male, met a violent end during a chaotic prison escape from the Oregon State Penitentiary. He, along with two of his fellow officers, Thurston Jones and Frank Ferrell, were shot and killed by an inmate who was making a desperate bid for freedom. The escaping convict's rampage did not end at the prison walls, as he went on to murder three civilians, escalating the tragedy and sparking a massive multi-state
manhunt.
The suspect, a lone inmate, managed to elude capture for nearly a month, his flight from justice leaving a trail of fear and more bloodshed. On July 3rd of that same year, the fugitive set up a deadly ambush in a wooded area near the train tracks between Woodinville and Wayne, Washington. A posse, tirelessly hunting him, walked into his trap. In the ensuing confrontation, the escapee shot and killed Detective Charles Raymond of the Everett Police Department and seriously wounded Deputy John Williams of the King County Sheriff's Department. The psychological toll of the incident proved too much for Deputy Williams, who later took his own life.
Following the ambush, the suspect fled to Seattle and brazenly invaded a home near Woodland Park, taking the occupants hostage while he ate a meal. His respite was short-lived, as law enforcement officers caught up with him as he left the house. Another fierce shootout erupted, claiming the lives of two more lawmen: Posseman Neil Rowley of the King County Sheriff's Department and Officer Enoch Breece of the Seattle Police Department.
The extensive manhunt finally concluded on August 6, 1902. After being wounded during yet another shootout with a posse in Lincoln County, Washington, the suspect who had murdered Bailey Tiffany and so many others took his own life. His suicide brought an end to a bloody saga that had cost the lives of six law enforcement officers and three civilians.
