Photo taken shortly after the manhunt of John Rathie and others
The small town of Pendleton, Oregon was in an uproar. Their sheriff with a long history of catching cattle rustlers and bank robbers was fighting for his life. 5 men were on the run from the law. Within a week what seemed like the whole state of Oregon was involved - all combing the hills of the Blue Mountains. Operations were upscaled from locals with an ax to grind to experienced trackers keeping the lines of communication open. They would have their men, but not without one of the wildest chases in the history of the northwest. All of this took place during one week in the summer of 1920. Within the first day of escape, the beloved sheriff Til Taylor was dead and people wanted answers.
How did the town show support for their local hero who had a masterful reputation for tracking criminals? If it hadn't been for new laws on capital punishment and a strong plea from brother J.R. "Jinks" Taylor surely the criminals would have been hung outside the courthouse steps at a makeshift gallows. The men of Pendleton wanted eye for an eye, and they had a battering ram to prove it.
Before the decade was out a statue of sheriff Taylor would be erected by renowned artist, A. Phimister Proctor. Soon, a park would be established in his name. The park exists today as does the colossal statue (SE 7th & Dorian). The statue stands 11 feet tall and portrays him atop his trusty horse.
With signs posted everywhere from Hermiston to La Grande stating: "Wanted - Dead or Alive" - clearly the outraged mob showed their willingness to shoot first, ask questions later. Interestingly, none of the jailbreakers would be harmed in the initial manhunt and all five would be captured the same day, the following Sunday after the shooting. The first convict to be brought into custody in Pendleton would be John Rathie, real name Laffebean. The coordinates lead you to the spot Rathie was apprehended. (also a spot frequented by the mysterious StumboStinker and his camera) This information is available thanks to author Ernest Crockatt's detailed account and eyewitnesses interviewed.
The second day of the chase Rathie split up from the others fearing the thought of guilt by association. (It turns out Rathie was found guilty for the part he played in the escape from jail; using force, being an accomplice, etc.) Rathie alluded his pursuers all the way to Tollgate but feeling the pressure of men hot in pursuit he doubled back and was caught begging for food near cabins outside Gibbon. He would be tried and convicted and would serve two years before death by hanging in 1922.