Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-01-15
The Mendocino Outlaws,
Their VtlIainous Plot and Iss Fatal
DeaOue Sns.


II. +. Brown, the last at large Of the
Mendoclno outlaws, was captured near
Bangor. Butte County, last Thursday, and
spent last Friday night In the City Prison,
en- route for Ckiah. The connected story
OF the outlawry Of these men and the cir
cumstances surrounding their daring
scheme OF concerted robbery has never
been written. 1t Is n dark and painful ac.
count. but its perussl Is worth the effort,
both for the pointed lesson which IL con-
yeys, and for its apt illustration OF the fu-
tility OF clemency as = corrective OF crime
In August last John +. Wheeler. formerly
sent 10 the State Prison from Oregon In
connection with the Blue Mountsin rob
berry IN 1870. was practiciug as dentist in
Mendocino City. 10 that month he sent TO
John Billings, who WAS mining at Bodie, a
letter. In effect as follows: Il have here
IN Mendoclno q claim worth about Sl5 900.
II can be worked 10 about two weeks il
have good men. The claim Is the Sheriff
OF Mendocino County. 1 have one good
man with me; come yourself. and bring
any one you know and can depend on. !"
The lone good man" at Wheeler's COM
mand. was ii. K. Brown. also a San Quen-
tin bird. who had served part OF term Of
fourteen years for highway robbery in So
noma County. Wheeler's correspondent
Billings had been a confederate In the Blue
Mountain knavery which won the princi-
pal his scholarship ia the State Penlten-
tiary. About the 10th OF September Bill
lings arrived in Mendocino City, bringing
with him Sam Carr, sentenced to State
Prison for life from this city for killing a
man in the Thunderbolt Saloon years ago
and Rfterward pardoned out. He brought
with him also young man named George
Gauntz, less than y years old, and hitherto
comparatively unscarred by punishment, il
not unschooled in crime. These men vis-
ited Wheeler and once at least. Billings
was seen secreted in wheeler's cellar.
The three Bodeites were seen also In con-
versation with Brown on several occasions
previous to the disappearance Of the latter
a few days aiterward.
TO QUIET SUSPICION
AS TO his movements, Brown declared that
he was going to Elko to take charge OF
some property left him there. When Brown
left, the three strangers disappeared also.
When the four men left Mendocino City
they went TO q little cabin in the Redwoods,
20 miles from Mendocino City, owned by q
man named Al. Court t~right. In this cab
In they remained about three weeks,
Wheeler presumably supplying them with
provisions through Courtwright, who made
periodical trips from the coast to his cabin,
ostenslbly for the purpose Of working on
his claim. The scheme, as outlined BY the
confessions Of Brown and others OF the
prisoners, was TO wait at Courtwright's
until advised by Wheeler that the Sheriff
had collected at MendOcino City a certain
amount of taxes. The outlaws were then
to swoop down upon the town, secure the
tax money. together with the treasure in
the hands of Wells. Fargo & Co.'S Express,
and escape into the woods. About the 10th
or llth OF October the conspirstors left
Courtwright's and came down to Big Riv-
er, within tour miles of Mendocino City
Here they unwlsely raided a ranch field
and killed a steer belonging to the Mendo-
cino Lumber Company. Ii was their evil
dent intention to cure this beef for use dur
ing their flight through the redwoods after
the robbery. This indiscretion was the
direct cause OF their discovery and the ul-
innate failure Of their scheme. William
Host, Constable Of Big Biyer Township,
and farmer living some way out Of town
discovered the outlaws almost 10 the act of
butchering the steer, and informed Thomas
Dollsrd and William Wright, employees OF
the Lumber Company. of the act. The
three men followed the trail Of these men
to
THEIR CAMP,
And on preteDse OF being in search OF q
timber claim had u conversation with them
and discovered the butchered meat. The
three men then returned TO town and swore
out warrant for the arrest Of the outlaws.
A posse Of citizens started after them that
very afternoon. but, on approaching the
nest, found that the birds had flown. Re-
turning on the following morning they fol-
lowed a trail some distance into canyon
and there discovered the still warm ashes
OF hastily abandoned fire. This was on
the 18th OF October. The party was eight
in number-the Constable, the two mill
men, Archibald Yell and J. J. Morrow,
District Attorney, and Recorder elect of
the county, respectively, and Messrs. Gal
braith, Potter and Nichols. As William
Wri2 bt bent over the dying fire In examin-
alton Of the blackening embers, sheet OF
flame burst from . thicket on the steep
ravine side, fifty feet above them. One
bullet struck Wright In the neck, another
struck D0llsFd in the thigh, . third inflicted
q slight nesh wound 10 the shoulder Of
Nichols. The pursuing posse scattered
and hed, the desperadoes from their am-
buscade poured forth another murderous
vOlley. Dollsrd fell dead 10 his tracks
and never breathed again. Two Of the
posse escaped into town and returned 10
the afternoon with q relief detachment.
Wright lived only until he was carried 70 the
nearest house. For the week succeeding
the rout near Rig River the search tor the
criminals wac unremitting. On the 22d Of
October Carr was captured by posse un-
der Sheriff Moore, consisting Of ]. N. Stan
ley, Mark Frost, james Frost, Presley
Muir and Edward Snickles. The arrest
WAS made In Courtwright's cabin. When
the attacking party nsared the cabin. Stan.
ley, who was 10 advance, came to the opeu