The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1886-05-12

further supplies.
During the latter part of February,
1881, Miner told his friends that urgent
business called him at once to Califor-
MIA. His aged mother was in feeble
health, and it was absolutely essential
| that he should take her upon an ocean
voyage, and allow the gentle breezes of
the Pacific to fan back to her faded
cheeks the bloom and glow of health. On
the eve OF his departure the prominent
citizens of the town gave him banquet,
at which the mayor presided, and Billy
! became the hero of the hour. He bade
his fearful betrothed an affecting good
, by, promising to return as soon as he had
| performed a most commendable act of
tilial duty. He again turned up in Den
yer, where he sold all his finery, and with
the money purchased a Winchester rife
two pistols, and a knife. He then
joined forces with Stanton T.
Jones, formerly of Chillicothe, Ohio
The pair Immediately made their
way to Del Norte, and again the Del
Norte stage was robbed, but this time the
plundcr was but small sum. They
made their escape to the Rocky noun
tains closely followed by Armstrong and
posse. After long search they were
finally captured, but while the officers
were on their way to Del Norte with their
prisoners, they stopped to camp for the
night The officers were tired, and fell
asleep, leaving Jones and Miner to be
watched by teamster. At o'clock in
the morning the two men broke away
and with a pistol that had b .cn over
looked in the search Miner fired four
shots at the officers, breaking the arms
OF one and seriously wounding the other
They then dashed away in the darkness
This was the last heard of them in Col
orado.
On the morning of the 7th of Novem-
Der, 1881, the stage from Sonora to Mil
ton, in Tuolumne county, Cal, was
robbed by four masked men of So, 700
The job was neatly done in ten
minutes, and not mark or sign was left
to denote who had committed the act.
Detective Aull, then in the employ of
Wells, Fargo & Co.'S express, but now
captain of the yard at San Quentin
prison, took charge of the case, and ar
rived on the scene the day following
the robbery. He at once determined
that the work had been supervised by
Miner, although at that time it was not
known that he was on the Pacific coast.
Aull, in company with the sheriffs from
the surrounding counties secured the
country. A trip made through Stanis-
laus disclosed the fact that a notorious
horse thief named Jim Connor had
been seen in that vicinity in com
pany with dashing young man named
William Anderson. Anderson was laid
up for some time at Chinese Camp with
chills and fever, and while there made
many friends. After his recovery An
derson attended a country ball at Angels
Camp, place made famous from the
poem of THE Spelling School at An
gels, by Bret Harte. At this ball An
derson was lionized by the ladies, and
during the evening promised to send
some music from San Francisco to a
young girl who had attracted his passing
fancy. This ball occurred the evening
before the robbery, and two weeks later
the music was sent. which furnished
the first clue to the robbers. They were
traced to San Francisco, where they had
arrived after five nights of long rides on
horseback. While in the city Miner
or Anderson, purchased an $S5
suit of clothes, $50 overcoat,
and gold watch and chain. Thus gor-
geously equipped he started back III com
pany with Crum to pursue the courtship
begun on the night of the ball. When
about half way back they learned for the
first time that Captain Aull was on their
track. They Immediately changed their
course and went to the ranch of Bill
Miller, near Woodlawn, a well-known
resort for road agents.
In the mean time Captain Aull had
learned that Bill Miller was one
of the robbers of the Sonora
stage and anticipating that they
would congregate on the ranch, he
turned his attention to that section.
Early one morning Aull, with two
other officers, drove out in the direction
of the Miller rendezvous to take observa-
tions. As they approached the house
they saw two men carrying guns running
away in the direction of a small creek
The officers whipped up their horses
and drove down a lane to a gate
that entered the field the two
fleeing footmen were in. AS
they opened the gate to pass through an
other man was discovered behind tree
with shotgun pointed at the officers
and menacing any further advance. After
a parley lasting several minutes the man
behind the tree concluded that the odds
were against him, and surrendered. The
other two men escaped. The one captured
proved TO be the notorious Jim Crum. He
had on his person at the time 5000 in
money, two fine pistols, and a breech-
loading shotgun, and in the stable was
found his favorite riding horse Flora,
that was already celebrated for endur-
ance and speed.
There was no doubt in the minds of
the officers that the two men that fled
were Billy Miner and Bill Miller, and
after sending their first captive to
Sacramento they turned their attention
to the two fugitives About o'clock the