St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1880-04-10
In Providence we trust''-eyerybody else casl
The Arrest of John SOnnier'

Sheriff c. c. Duson arrived here
Sunday night, April 4tl, with John
Sonnier, whom he arrested at Sandy
Poiut, Brazoria county, Texas, on Sat
urday March 9th. On the 9th Of June
1871, Sonnier murdered Andre Prud'-
homme, an old and respected citizen, at
his residence in the western part OF
this parish. Prudhommc was an old
man and almost blind 1t seems a
nephew of Sonnier's had been given to
prud'homme to raise, by his mother
On the day preceding the homicide
prud'homme had classified the boy
Early the next morning S0npler rode
up and called Prud 'hOmme to the gate
and asked him if he had whipped his
nephew. On his replying in the atfir-
NATIVE, Sonnier jcrked ont his pistol.
The old man wheeled round and tried
TO run to the house, begging Sonniel
not to shoot. AS he was running away
Sonnier shot him in the back. His
victim fingered few hours in agony
and then died.
Immediately after the shooting Son
nier rode off. He went to Calcasieu
parish, but finding the officers of the
law were on his track went to Texas.
Still a fugitive from justice, he slipped
back to Louisiana, where he remained
skulking in Calcasieu parish. In 1872
ho ,you1,il ,,rrInrnI and
robbed w. j. Runnion in that parish.
Runnion had been to Washington, in
this parish, and sold lot of produce.
He had considerable sum on his per-
son, all of which was taken by his
murde1ers, (for i'll this Sonnier had an
accomplice.) For both these murders
lie was indicted, but evading the officers
again went to Texas. In 1874, Sheriff
Duson thinking he had located him,
obtained requsition from Governor
Kellogg, who had offered reward Of
$500 for his apprehension, and went to
Newton county, Texas, after him, but
failed to find him. In 1876, Sonnier re-
turned to his home in Calcasieu parish.
Duson on learning of his return imme-
diately organized posse to arrest him.
Leaving here i'll the evening, with five
picked men, thoroughly armed, he went
to near Castor springs, in Sonnier's
neighborhood and secreted his men in
the pine woods until 3 o'clock next
evening. Sonnier was out deer hunting.
When he returned, the sheriff and posse,
coming out of their hiding place, pro-
ceeded to the house where he was stop
ping on foot, as it was impossible to
approach on horseback. The house was
situated in clearing in the woods,
surrounded on all sides by almost i'm
passable coules and gullies. The sheriff
and posse stealthily emerged from the
woods and were proceeding to surround
the house, when one Of Sonnier's
sisters coming out saw them, and i'm
mediately gave the alarm. He rushed
from the house and with his double
barreled gun in his hands, fled to the
woods.
His arrest had been admirably planned
on this occasion and it was almost as
by miracle that he escaped. The
sheriff had with him a posse composed
of men selected for their GOODNESS and
courage, armed to the teeth, and in two
minutes more could have had the house
completely surrounded. Had Sonnier
been surrounded in the house there
would probably have been bloody work,
as he was thoroughly armed, having a
pair of six shooters and double barreled
gun, and would have had to deal with
men as determined as himself. Finding
it useless to attempt to follow him in
the woods, the sheriff and posse entered
the house, and as their appetites were
pretty well sharpened, having eaten
nothing since leaving Opelousas the
preceding day, they proceeded to con-
fscate and appropriate his dinner, con-
sisting of choice venison, &C., to their
great relief. After his narrow escape
Sonnier bid adieu to his old haunts and
again betook himself to Texas. For
sometime all traces were lost of him.
Dnson, however, was continually On
the qai uiue, and had sent an accurate
description of him, with an offer of 5000
cash for information as to his where
abouts, to every sheriff in Texas. In
1877 he received information from the
sheriff of Colorado comfy, that man
answering his description was in that
county. A few days afterwards Duson
left for Texas, armed with a requisition.
Reaching Colorado county as quickly
as he could get there, he found, to his
great regret, that the party had gone
to the Indian Territory. Duson again
returned without him. In December OF
the same year he was again notified
that fugitive from Louisiana answer
ing Sonnier's description was in Liberty
county. He again proceeded to Texas,
went to Liberty and found that the
party was not Sounier, but fugitive
from Natchitoches. From Liberty he
proceeded to Western Texas searching
for Sonnier, but not finding him, re-
4,,,, E., IL, II. T.. 4. I