The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-10-29
Several Witnesses Support Him in His
Contention.
TESTIMONY OF CHRIS EVANS WIFE
The Fireman Of the Robbed Train Does Not Think
Sentag Was One Of the High.
Waymen.
Special to THE MORNING CALI

| SdHuS DdkcE huu james 1OuDR lSStlt6u
that they saw Chris Evans and defendant
returning from the mountains short time
before the robbery.
j. M. Leslie of Selma testified that Evans
| came into his place OF business a few days
before the robbery.
M. j. Murray, a saloon keeper, testified
TO having seen Evans in Fresno short
time before the robbery was committed.
f. j. Bequette, livery-stable keeper at
Visalia. testified that John Sontag went to
| witness stable the Friday preceding the
robbery and engaged team for the follow
| ing Tuesday, stating that he wanted
| buggy with room enough to hold three, as
| he was going to bring Chris Evans and
| George Sontag from the mountains. He
asked witness for bay team. Sontag
came back on August l and left an order
for the team for the next day. Sontag took
the team the next morning at Z o'clock.
| Witness did not see the team again until i
! o'clock On the 4th. 1t had been returned at
| noon and was in go Cd condition and showed
no signs of having been driven hard. Wit
| ness was so pleased that he knocked so off
| the charges.
| John Armstrong, a Fresno lvery-stable
keeper. testified that John Sontag put up
| bay team in his stable on the afternoon of
| AUGUST Z CO0tdK i6It Luo next bf6HlU&
| shortly before 8 O'Clock. Witness saw tho
| same team after the robbery in Visalia.
| Mary A. E. Blake, Wells Fargo's agent
| at Visalia. testified that John Sontag sent
| $40 through her Office TO George c. Contant.
| In Fresno.
Ed Alheim. night clerk in Fresno lodg-
| ing-hOuse. testified that John SOntag regis
| tered at his house on August and went 10
| bed with man whom witness did not
know. Cross-examined. witness said he
a nt l. Snr1 too nt
! who hired the room.
j. III. Patterson. proprietor of Hughes
lodging-house, testified that he saw George
Sontag on July IA Defendant stayed at
/ his clearinghouse till the 22d.
j. w. Douglas, lodging-house keeper, tes-
tilted that John SontEg stspped al his house
in March. 1891, and was there twelve or
| fourteen days. Knew his signature, and
recognized it ON the register.
The people then rested and Attorney
| Caldwell for the defense asked that the
| prosecution be ordered TO put w. Lewis on
the stand, as he had been subpcaaed as
| witness and was the fireman on the train on
the ight of the robbery.
The court declined to make the order.
The afternoon session began with the
! opening statement of the defense by Attor-
ney n. C. Caldwell. He said he had no
| startling disclosures to make 1t would be
| plain account OF the whereabouts OF the
defendant since he reached California.
| nesota to see his brother, after an absence
| from Minnesota of eleven years. and in
| duced George to come to California and
| help in the DEVELOPMENT of some mines.
He came, remained awhile, got sick and
went home to Minnesota. Last July he
| came back TO go into the mining business.
| He stopped in Fresno and John came up to
! see him and took Georges trunk down to
Visalia in buggy.
The presence of defendant in Fresno was
| went
| worked few days in Evans mine. Clark
! Moore was interested in mine up there
and induced defendant to come TO Fresno
| and see about some mining business that
was in litigation. George Sontag came to
| Fresno; slept with his brother John on the
| evening of August 2. and spent August 8
! about town IN the company OF woman
| whose name was not mentioned. He said
he could account for every honr he spent in
| Fresno and tor all the time till be got back
| to ViSrlia on the 4th Of August.
| Eva Evans. daughter Of Chris Evans, was
| the first witness for the defense. She was
shown mask and piece of cloth similar to
| that found in Evans barn. She said she
| had never seen the cloth before and did not
| believe there was or had been any such
| cloth in the barn.
The next witness was Mrs Chris Evans.
| She examined the mask and cloth and said
she had never seen it before, never had had
| such cloth about the house and was certain
| the cloth lid not belong there. In the barn
was an old room filled with discarded CLOTH
ing. lumber, and rubbish of that sort. On
| August 4 George Sontag came to her house
and took breakfast. About $40 Evans and
| John SOntag arrived in buggy drawn by
| two bay horses. She examined the buggy
| and there was nothing in it except the
ro6es. Evans did not leave the house that
Gay nor that night, but next day went down.
town. George Sontag was at the house all
| day, except for a trip he made downtown
on the morning of August 5. John Sontag
| handed George the key TO his Georges
| trunk. The trunk was sometimes used by
the two Sontags in common.
! The large black Slouch hat introduced IN
evidence was shown the witness and she
| said George SoDtag never wore hat OF
that kind. At the time he left her house
on August 2. the day before the robbery, he
wore a light colored hat of small size. He
left in the buggy with his brother They
said they were going to the mountains.
A piece OF cloth corresponding In texture
and color to that out of which the mask
was made was shown to the witness. She
| denied ever having seen 1t before 1T before
| it was produced in court. She never had
| had cloth of that kind in the house. She
also denied the truth OF Detective Hickey's
statement that he had given her an order
for the defendants trunk or that she had
| given any one the key.
There was a perceptible stir In the court
when the name Of Samuel Clark Moore was
| called He said he had been engaged in
mining on Samsons Flat for twelve years.
He had been acquainted with Chris Evahs
about fourteen years. Defendant and Chris
Evans stopped at witness camp on SAM
son Flat on July 26 and q, fishing and
otherwise amusing themselves. They also
talked with the witness regarding his suit
| against A. Hammersleigh for $4,000. the
value o. the mine. They left Moore's camp
on Thursday morning. July 20, and told
Moore they were going to Evans. mine to
do some work on it. That was the last time
Moore saw George Sontag until after his
arrest
When asked during the cross-examina-
tion when he had seen Sontag and Evans
last. Moore said he had seen them on Sep
trmber between Dunlap ana Samsons
Flat, on the 10th between Craotrees ana
Davis Flat and the last time about three
weeks ago. -
r, n, Brusier. brakeman, said he saw
the defendant on the train after 1t had left
Fresno on the night of the robbery. Wit
| ness gave the defendant screw found by
the witness in the express-car alter the
robbery. Witness and defendant went
fishing together some time after, and the
latter told witness he had gone asleep on
the cars that day and had been carried past
Fresno to Mendoza, where they met.
j. l.. Clement, another brakeman, saw
defendant on the train between Coils and
Mendoza July %. The defendant was
stupid from drink.
David Scott, bus.lriver In Visalia, took
the defendant to the train the time he went
to Fresno. Sontag was so drunk witness
had to assist him off the bus and on the cars.
William Lewis. fireman of the robbed
train. testified next. HIS description of the
robbers differed materially from that OF
Engineer Phipps. He said one of the rob-
bers wore kind of white duster and
pair of new oyerals. He was the smaller
of the two. The other man had little
black coat on. The light from the tirebox
sh0ne on the man with the black coat. lie
black-coated robber was not more than
three or four feet away from the witness. 1t
was the small robber who threw bombs
after the messenger surrendered. Witness
WAS boosted into the car by the robber. who
followed him. He did not see the robber