The record-union., 1893-12-30
THE EsCApE OLE EVANS.


The escape of the convicted murderer
and highway robber Chris Evans from
the Fresno Jail attaches scandal to
California that it will not be able to shake
off easily. Whatever may be the senti-
ment around Fresno regarding Deputy
Sheriff Scott, he will, in the minds of un-
prejudiced persons who have respect
for law and order, rest under the suspi-
cion of having been criminally negligent,
if not actually consenting party to the
escape.
Nor can Sheriff Scott himself escape
censure for the loose system he permitted
in the jail under his charge. The idea of
admitting to prisoner-known to be
desperate outlaw. who had once been de-
feated in an attempt to escape-two per-
sons without searching them, and allow
ing them to remain in conversation with
the prisoner without an ear witness and
for long time, is too ridiculously abb
surd to give the slightest margin for ex-
cuse. Moreover. it appears that the
Under Sheriff knew an attempt at escape
was to be made that very night, yet the
jail was left in charge of one man with
the prisoner loose in the corridor. The
Sheriff himself had been repeatedly
warned by detectives to keep Evans
closely, as they knew an attempt would
be made to liberate him.
But what is quite as humiliating as the
escape OF the convicted murderer, is the
widespread sympathy expressed for the
rascally bandit. California stands in
pretty plight indeed, to invite the world
to attend the Midwinter Fair, with this
boldly announced fact that our peace
officers cannot or will not hold fast to
criminals committed to their custody,
and that the police of the towns and
cities are confessing inability to guard
the people from the assaults of footpads,
and are advising men and women to arm
and defend themselves. If such visitors
as do come to US should appear with
hung to their hips, we need not express /
the slightest surprise. The stigma the
Joaquin Millers and Bret Hartes have at
tached to US as still residing on the con-
fines of civilization and ruled by the law
of the pistol and the mandate of the bully,
is emphasized and given shading of
truth by this disgraceful escape at Fresno.
What have the Sheriff and his under
lings to say-what can they say to the
charge that their administration of the
Fresno Jail was miserably weak and dis
gracefully negligent? There is not a
sehoolboy in the land who would not
have wit enough, were a convicted MUIR
derer committed to his custody, to pre-
vent access to the felon by anyone known,
let alone a strange man, without sur
veillance and search. There is mawkish
sentiment among certain classes of sickIy
tears over, and shower flowers aud sym
pathy and tracts upon those the laws of
society have condemned for life-taking.
But they, at least. have never been
charged with aiding and sbetting the
escape of the criminal. But just that and
nothing less the Sheriff of Fresno and his
deputies will be charged with for their
gross neglect to observe the most ordinary
precautions that common sense dictates
to even the crossroads constable. Sheriff
Scott will never be able to answer salts
factorily why the Fresno Jail was left
with single custodian in charge.
It is humiliating and shameful that in
this day and age there is any considerable
number of people in the State of Califor-
MIA who sympathize with Evans. and
glory in his escape, and excuse or defend
him in his killing Of the officers who pur-