The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-06-13
THE FRESNOROBBERS
Sontag and Evans, Bandits and
Nuraerers, Nailed at Last.
They mAos A DESPERATE FIGHT.
Dsstsg IL Hessaiiy WessAsa-8vsns u
Sssyeemss - BY Btg fssss-Bissey
ESeoSd 81 the Mon.

visAtss, Cal. June i2.-As Last meet
ing bet w4~Es the officers aad notorious ont
lava. Evans and sonsag. has taken place
In this es,ssa,y in which the odds were
not in ssypr Of the train ROBBERS. The en-
counter sack place last evening SIX
miles wsss " WILCOX canyon. in the sierra
foothills, aassa. ix.uty mics from Vissiia
In the fsht one Of the officers was
wounded ia the lex and brought TO this
place. s;Esas was probably fass1iy
wounded s.ai Evans escaped. Fred Jack
son. an officer from Nevada county. 10 the
wounded sssn lie bad been in the mount
sinm for y@veral days with United states
Marshal frard ana Deputy Sheriff H. Ra-
peijs. Of fresno coanty. hunting Tor the
bandits. sisey we're accompanied by Tom
Burns, wai. was wita Back when he vas
snot ~ aasnp Esdger. Wearied with
sheir irauar.isgs asoat the mountains.
they spens sunday in vacant cabin in
the locality mentioned and slept the
greater paFs Of the time.
A little lsstore sunset Rapelje observed
through tssr~ rear door the outlaws coming
toward tbs u ouse from hill back Of the
place Exsns YES i'm the lead with . ri'!e
and shoisssa and Sontag carried rife
only. BIfas and Gard were still asleep
and they *.srs as once awakened and all
seized their firearms and prepared for
tight. The; fnen passed out OF the front
door Of fk& louise and as they passed TO
t.,e rear kvaas saw Rapeljc and at once
opened firg 9Th his Winchester. Jackson
fired nexs afad sontag was seen TO throw
up his hatssss aud fall backward. BY this
time all wese In a position to fire and
rapid fasissiSe was kept mp. Evans dropped
behind sabtish pile and returned the
fire with s:gor. He could not 10 seen
aud only i,ls firing showed his posi-
ton. Jackson moved to the opposite side
u the house 10 get better command OF
Evans position aud was shot In the left
leg near tl,s ankle. He returned to his
companios.s. bat told them to keep up the
fight and never mind him.
About sunset the firing stopped for q
brief period, mp to that time about forty
shots having been exchanged. Evans was
then seen ga crawl from his position on
his stomach, and Rspelje a9ain opened
fire. Evaas then jumped up and ran up
the hill without firing. Rspeije followed
and kept ..riag until Evans was lost to
sight In the brush. Gard and Burns re-
NAMED at abe house and Rapeije hitched
mp his tears and 1t once drove to town
with Jscks',n. who was wounded. They
lcft before any attempt was made to find
Sontsg. 4 POSSE that started at once for
tho scene returned at 1925 this morning
with John sontag. the wounded desper-
ado. sonsag was shot in the right shout
der, and tbs shot possibly entered his
breast. Evans started for mill. and the
ground below was bloody where he
stopped. Ne left his two guns lying there,
and his ha; MAS all covered with blood.
Sontag lag i'ehind small stack Of hay all
night. and the posse who went out this
morning found him there. Gard and his
party were eamped on side hill waiting
for daylight so see II the desperadoes made
any move. or II they had gone to follow
their tracks Marshal Gard thinks he fred
the shot that HIT Sontag.
Sontag Gays he spit blood all night.
There Is glancing wound along his fore
head and on each side Of his nose. Ho
claims he shot himself in these three
wounds. though this is denied. Evans
tracks showed that he started toward
VisaIia ana iiis house will 10 watched day
and night. icing without arms or am
munition ati undoubtedly wounded and
his partner liz crime captured, he must
give up pretty soon. Sontag talks freely,
saying the siss is UP and he cares nothing
for the future. II is possible that Sontag
viii recovse from the wounds, the doctor
thinks. theugh he expresses no decided
opinion.
son.ac denies that he and Evans were a.
Visalia q sack ago Wednesday. but says
they were issse two weeks ago lie admits
they shot Elaek at Camp Badger. He
says whea ne was shot last night he
thought lis WAS mortaliy wounded and
asked Evans to shoot him and then make
his escape When Sontag was found this
morning, In was covered with straw which
lac had putied out of . stack, and his beard
Was matted with blood and dirt. A re-
porter askes him II he had any word Ia
send to his friends. and he replied: II
have no frIcisds ar no place" In the sack
that the desieradoes had with them were
bread ana ely. Mrs. Evans and her
daughter ssVa called at the Jail an hour
after sontsg VAS brought in. Eva cried
bitterly, bnI Mrs Evans looked determined
and composed. Jackson the officer no WAS
shot. Is ileey to lose his left leg. lie was
shot Just Move the ankle and both bones
oil the lex sssrc broken. Sonlag has been
under the p iuence OF opsates most of the
afternoon, slough he talked some to Mira
Evans aad arr daughter His statements
were con i;siictory. To the otfcars he
said he tr-;ra 70 shoe. hifasalf. bat hs ;ol1
Eva Evans - dlt not say ~. eantas has
numerous Acquaintance haze. several
calling on 2; n totay. haf fse SAD lsttia IA
taem. I,.ri AZ Apsn irsga tie a~eae of
che affair ,4.i E4sts AantsR tafse.tte ana
olhcern fFNe: IL sa4A q AZ be assf Evans
had not tes csut 81 faousy iafa month
but they O. - aos in;ea.t e. ho.I un ;v..tn
They 19'. hase 3e;s sise mountains onfv
;hev has no money nor clothes. lie
aided.
Mhes l SIS sbos sat ..sht a.kca ,,hrt, ~
shoot sac. p. ia ees.a noi We had la, ~
eh0AisFs, tA' shot spns s8i iwas.x.Sho,t.-.
cares care sssy hss Mgs-hS.te~ an "a.
pienty Of ss.s.saaasti0a. Etsas Ia. ettsn IS
he wssss71 ne sast higtv. bui "a ths.eht :,
vac VIII 13-t1A We seQt1 have .aot lss.
t0esisss Aaao, Smith CO tASe.cr. saatx5. t,'s
besides th.an vsse oasv AFTER b.,,! -,
ssSa Aaa ~, GiG pot a. SIS ssss s,rsta.. l.,,.
nessr sepa ssst iougeF t&Aa ioav ha4-s Ne
c0asA aos sase neeR ossaslctesl 81 gsasn ~. Asrs
ss We hss. q; asai - u TIE >catasfu r.s f. =
dld ne esNi tara shea / wss hars ia q. ala.
PICS, i . ass.d ues give me al ess, ..,b. -
" Aea SNi9A 'sfod II srssss sAs last sua5grtVr I
WAS astssiiHcl taas ! wsaIs aes Re ssAen r.
Southern as &c og.icess. ssi sAzg ). - hy *
ssis' .-ass 10 sieS eeaalns. Gay ia iasl
aid net satgsea better ia attempting - 49,.
rySet
soatag liked calmly and eoolly. He
refused T. ate \ hst he ard Evans had in
eontesar...- an. lie seemed confident that