The herald., 1893-06-14
rHR STORY or rHE BANDITS.
A Brief Resume OF Their Career or
Crime.

A Brief Resume of Their Career or
Crime.
On the night OF Auguet 8, 1872, the
night express train from San Francisco
was boarded at Collis by masked men
and was halted between Rolinda and
Pratton stations just minutes before
midnight. A volley from ehotguns was
fred to intimidste the passengers, and
then, with the trainmen covered by
their guns, the robbers proceeded to
blow up the express car. Nine dyna-
mite bombs we're used, the last making
an opening in the car and seriously in
iuring the messenger, George ID. Rob-
erts.
Three sacks OF gold were taken, and
with their plunder the robbers fed on
horseback.
Chris Evans and John and George
Sontag, residents of Visalia, were
strongly suspected of the robbery, and
George sontag was quietly arrested at
his house. Detective Will Smith and
Deputy Sheriff George Witty and Will
Smith returned to the house to arrest
John Sontae and Evans. The officers
were met with firearms. Witty was
wounded by a ehot fired by Evans.
Sontag and Evans then jumped into the
officers buggy aud drove rapidly from
the town.
The robbers we're chased by posse Of
officers and citizena, but without result.
AT 10 O'Clock on the morning OF August
9th party OF officers went to search at
EvAns'e house. and during their vigil
they we're fred upon by the bandits, who
had returned during the evening. Oscar
Beaver Of Lemoore was fatally wounded
and died before daybreak. Oscar Beaver
was the hrst victim of the bloody trail OF
the outlaws.
From August 5th any man would have
been honored, as well as rewarded fnan-
cialIy, for shooting down the murderere
OF Beaver. Many men sought the honor
| and reward, but the pureuers alone suf'
| fered. The names of Evans and SonteR
became a terror in all the regions about
Visalia,
On September 18th the bandits were
surprised at jim Young's cabin at
Ssmpson's Flat, so miles east OF Fresno
but they fred on the poese as it Rp.
preached and then escaped. BehinC
them, dead, they left Deputy United
States Marshal Victor g. Wilson o
Tucson, A. T., and Richard Olsen, .
mountaineer of the locality. Free
Witty, brother Of the deputy sheriff
who was wounded at Visalia, wal
wounded, bat survived.
There were no new developments til
October 9TH, when Henry Bigelow, I
San Francisco Examiner reporter, visit
cd the outlaws in their stronghold
After q long conversation, Bigelow re
turned to san Francisco. He related
what the bandits said OF their encount
ers with the several forces in saarch o
them, and their denial that they has
robbed the train. The articles showed
that supplies were obtained from friend
and that it wRs not an unusual thint
for the fugitives to make excursions int
the towns. Sontsg had been wounde'
in She arm at Jim Young's, bullet iron
McGinnis' gun striking him, and tina
wss the only injury that either of tn
men had at any time received. The,
said they had refrained many time
from shooting into the posses when tn
pursuers were in their power, an
though they expressed willingness I
kill the men who were hunting then
for the reward, they asserted that the
had fired only when their freedom de
manded.
After the time of this interview tn
robbers continually visited their fam
lies, with evident contempt of the o
fcers, and the stories of one or two Ell
capes amid fueilades OF bullets seem il
credible.
They stopped stage on mountai
road, plainly declaring they were lookin
for detectives. Finding 40 one on tn
Ftsge in search of them they permitte
the driver to continue his trip.
One of their last exploits was tn
shooting of Detective Black at Cam
Badger, filling that worthy's legs wit
buckshot, from which wounds he eti
suffers.
A short time after this episode Evan
was interviewed in the Sequoia wooc
by the poet Joaquin Miller, who becam
q eympathizer with the bandits and col
tributed an article to the press in whic
/ he represented the two outlaws as tw
/ honest citizens, more sinned again
than SHINING and prophesying dii
vengeance on the minions OF che law
J the human bloodhounds who shoul
shed the gore Of the outlaws or han
them over to the law. Now that q
officers have succeeded. it remains to
? seen whether the venerable bard's pr
} diction will be fulfilled.