The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-01
GEO. SONTAG TELLS
How He, His Brother and Chris
Evans Robbed Trains.
CRIMES IN THE EAST AND WEST.
Cssfsssisn By One Of the Centraits Trsfn
Eobbsrs-Ths Eendaiivfi1s Trsin
Robbers fn jail.

1ofs01s fT&fn ro95fr. SontaE having e1-
pressed willingness 20 tell al he knew,
]. b. Hume. the Wells-Fsrgo detective.
Col. J. II. Wright. railroad division super
intsndent, aud . stenogrsper went 70
Folsom penitentiary yesterday and
the prisoner told the story Of his
crimes. in the presence OF the gentlemen
Just named and Capt. AalI, warden OF the
prison. sontag's narrative Is an sxten-
stve one, making between 1900 and 1000
words. lie told OF aIl the train robberies
in which he and his brother John and
Chris Evans were Implicated, including
the Coils robbery. All tho particulars
were learned from Sontag a. 70
how the details were arranged
for the recent bold break OF the
prisoners 81 Folsom peniientiary.
IL proved the theory OF the warden that
William FFedsricks. an ex-conyici, now
wanted for killing Sheriff PAscoe. OF
Nevada county. had placed arms and am
nsunition where they could easily De found
b. the prisoners at the proper time.
soptsg was sent 20 prison for life; his
brother John is dead and the Evans FAM
lily has not treated old Mrs. sontag in
very cordial manner. and George doubt
less thought nothing vas 10 be
gained by silence, bat he 10
shrswd man and undoubtedly demanded
that some sort Of promise or hope of
eventual liberty be held out to HIM. In
fact IL IL understood that he received
promise that in return FOR his aid 10 the
officers an intereession for q Communication
Of his life sentence would be made with
Gov. Markham. but the men who heard
the confession refused TO say whether
AL "A tt.
declined 20 give ont the complete details of
the confession. The confession of George
kontag will be used against Chris Evans
on his trial, which 10 soon TO be called a.
fresno.
George sontag says that In May. 1901. he
was living ia Mankato. MINI. and his
brother John. who il now dead, came
home from California on q visit. John
told him he was q train robber and had
robbed two trains in California. He said
he was going back 10 California TO
rob . train at Ceres. near Modesto,
and he did leave for California in
June, and went 10 Modesto, where
he met Chris Evans. George says
his brother John and Evans did attempt
90 rob the train at Ceres, and from what
they told him afterward they threw sew
Evans shot Len Harris. of thu Southern
Pacific. After the robbery had proved UNI
successful they returned TO Modesto, one
of them going To Stockton and the other to
Sacramento. John sontag then went TO
Minnesota and made a proposition 10
George TO rob train near there.
George told bis brother they could rob
train No. 3. running between Chic ago and
Alt H.. A
sent their mother and Georges family 90 q
place OF safety and prepared for the rob
berry. This was in the early part OF No
vember. is9L They went 10 place called
Western Union Junction. laid for No. 8,
and got about 81. 500. John took the en-
gineer and fireman up tho track and
George did the robbing He says 1t was
his first attempt and he felt lack of con-
fidence and that he ought TO have got
si00,0oo. as the messenger threw out some
boxes OF money. bat he mistook them for
something else. Up TO this time George
Sontag says he had not become acquainted
with Chris Evans.
After the Western Union Junction rob-
berry the brothers went To California to-
gether. first stopping ut Los Angeles.
George soon went 60 Visalia. whore he met
Just been engaged in q robbery. John
joined them later and the three left yisalia
and went up into the mountains.
Here George became M and had 10 70 TO
San Francisco TO have his eyes treated.
When ho recovered he returned TO Man
kato. Mimi, arriving tSyss about April
Is 1872 lie soon got q letter from his
brother, asking If he could not tx q lob
there.
George SAYS he intended 20 rob some
train running out Of Chicago during the
Worlds fair anyhow. bat he wrote his
brother 10 come and they would do
what they could. John did not come.
but Chris Evans did, and Joined
George in Minnesota in June. They
went TO place called st.
Peter and looked the ground over and
planned 10 rob train No. l, running to
Omaha. They held up the train about
Jaiy ], at West Spring Lake switch. near
kasata, bat they got nothing, a. the mes
senger had hidden the money Then thev
went 20 Minneapolis, hut discovered they
were being Swallowed there, 80 they lett
for California Evans had been using
the name OF Charles Aaughton. and
santag Was known as George a.
Contaat George went direct 10 Fresno. ana
Was soon Joined by Evans. Together ;hev
went 10 the mountains to Evans mining
claim at Samson Flats, where they COM
menced 20 plan the Coils train robbery.
George went to Nisalia 10 get his brother.
aud the two sfterward Joined Evans in
Fresno. arrvinE there about Angus, z
They remained there several DAYS. and
then. on the asght they robbed the train.
ksans leit Fresno on foot and the brothers
rode cut in buggy, They aFterward
picked an Evans and drove TO Coils.
la describing the Colts robbery soutar
says that John stayed with tie train and
! when the train pulled into tue dsn,,
Evaas aud himself boarded the Platform ~
The baggage car George climbed down
INTO the engine gangway when The
lrain started, covered she engineer
and fireman with bis rsvolxer
and made them run ths train 20
neiinda. WAea the tEsta STONED Ev.,x
s.ew oven the express car door witt. a
somb and thea threw several more h,n,h,
nsfte. George then appeared amt com.
Deiieel the fireman 90 gst lights. Ia
messenger had jamped out of the car but
SeoFge made him 80 back. thea made the
fireman Ert into the car xth the
lights and anally GOT la himself Ner,
se compelled the messenger TO uole-k
he local safe and pour three money bags
nto sack around his tSontaw,sl neck.
Then tkey cot cat al the ear together and
toniAx compelled the messenger 10
shoulder oue sack aud tire fireman ,he
sther tNo and start up TIRE tYAck