The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-06-16
CAPTURE OF THE TRAIN ROBBERS

Our Geographic dispatches Mon
day brought the first news which our
citizens had of the wounding and cap
ture of John Contant and the escape
of Chris Evans. Later accounts give
the following particulars:
The four officers who made the at
tack upon the bandits were United
States Marshal Gard and his deputy,
Edward Rapelje,a deputy sheriff from
Fresno county, Fred Jackson, an OIL
Ger from Nevada, and Thomas Burns,
who was with Black at Camp Badger
when the latter was shot by the rob-
bers last month The officers have
been in the mountains for week
looking for the robbers, and Sunday
afternoon encamped in vacant house
about eighteen miles northeast Of
this city. About twenty minutes be-
fore sunset Rapelje went to the rear
door of the house and saw two men
coming down the hill and toward the
place. On closer observation it was
discovered that the men were no other
than Evans and Contant, the fugi-
tive desperadoes. Evans was in the
lead and carried arifie and shotgun,
and COntant was armed with simply
rifle. Rapelje turned around to his
comrades in the house and SAID" Hel-
10. here come two men down the
hill" He did not know positively
who they were, but judged from their
appearance and arms that they car
ried that they were the outlaws. jack
son went to the door where Rapelje
was standing and said: "They are
the men we have been looking for"
The two men woke up Burns and
United States Marshal Gard, who
were asleep. They jumped up quick
ly and grabbed their guns and pre-
pared to make fight. The officers
went out Of the front door of the
house, and as they went around back
of the corner Evans saw Rapelje, and,
throwing his Winchester to bis
shoulder, took deliberate aim
and fired Just then Jackson
stepped around behind Rapelje and
opened fire on the bandits.
Contant was seen to throw up both
hands and fall backward. Then the
firing became general, aud Evans re-
turned the shots with vengeance.
Evans got behind an old rubbish pile
out Of sight. but kept up d terrific
raking fusillade. Jackson went
around the far end of the house to see
if he could get better place from
which to Shoot,a and as lie went around
he was shot in the left leg between
the knee and the ankle. He limped
around to where his comrades were
and laid down on the ground. He
told Rapelje he was shot, but told
him to keep uD the fight and not to
give it up. About forty shots were
exchanged between the officers and
the bandits, but the sun went down
and darkness ended the battle. Ev-
ans was seen to crawl on his stomach
from behind the rubbish pile, and Ra
pelje again opened fire upon him.
Evans then rose to his feet and ran
towards the hills, followed by Rapel-
je, who continued firing. Contant
lay behind small stack of hay all
night, where he was found by Gard
and Burns. Contant said he spit
blood all night. There is a glancing
wound along his forehead and on
each side of his. nose. 1t is claimed
that he inflicted these three wounds
himself. though this is denied. Con-
tant talks freely. He says the jig is
up, and that he does not care for the
future. 1t isapossible that Contant
may recover from his wounds, though
the attending physicians will express
no decided opinion. Officers are now
searching the hills in the hope of find
ing Evans and completing at once
the long chase.
Where Evans made his stand he |
left his hat and two empty guns, and |
the ground was found covered with
blood this morning, indicating that
he, too, is wounded. Being without
gunsnor ammunition, 1T is hoped that |
he will be captured.
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