Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-12
A NEVADA MAN HUNT.
An Experience Detailing How Rus
sian Pete Was Trapped.

from the CINCINNATI Commercial Gazette.
Apropos Of the capture OF Sontag and
Evans an old miner who was at Silver City
at the time Of the capture OF Russian
Pete tells the following story of the siege
and suicide OF Nevada desperate early
In the sixties. when the boys made short
work OF all sorts Of plunderers:
Peter Hill. or Russian Pete. as every
body called him, was a big, raw-boned
fellow who looked more like one Of the
lower animals than like a man. and was a
decidedly desperate character. He had
taken sos In coin and a watch from a
miner named Green and Green went to
Sheriff Mulcahy OF Lyon county to have
the big bully arrested. Mulcahy Was not
ia when Green called. but Deputy Sheriff
Gregory started out TO find the thief.
Russian Pete saw the officer coming and
oodged In the mouth OF the tunnel that led
into one of the mines. Two men were set
to watch the mouth Of the tunnel and
otners went around TO inform the boys
there was man hunt on the program. In
half an hour there were 800 men at the
mouth of the tunnel
Sheriff Mulcahy was with the rest now
and he shouted in to Pete to come out
peaceably or they'd have to bring him out
Pete's reply was very forcible:
Neither of You nor any number OF men
can get me out alive. i have got twelve
shots with me and III kill as many men as
1 cam
out at any risk. The timbers had given
way a few rods back from the mouth of
the tunnel and the roof had caved in. That
made a second place to watch, SO IL was de-
cided to fill In the upper hole. When Pete
saw what was being done he fired a shot
up through that hole and killed a man
named Williams. who was in the act of IN
dermining a great bank Of earth SO that If
would fall into the hole. He was shot
through the heart and expired almost in
This so enraged the crowd that they
began to ask the sheriff to turn the water
into the tunnel and drive the desperate
out Pete evidently heard what was being
talked about, for a few moments later he
appeared at the mouth of the tunnel
screening himself behind the timbers as
Sheriff Mulcahy. Constable Ash and
half a dozen others were standing on guard
in front OF the tunnel, while another officer
named Paddock lay behind a bank of earth
about nfty yards away with his piece lew
eled over the breastwork. The sheriff had
just noticed the mans face in the gloom
OF the tunnel entrance, when Pete fired
two shots at him. The first ball whistled
close to the sherins head. the second raised
the dust at his feet.
Between Pete's two shots the sheriff
fired at him once, and two other shots
were tired at the desperate Immediately
afterwards. Paddock fired from behind the
bank Of earth at what he thought was
Pete's face and shots were also fired down
through the upper opening. But none OF
these seemed to take effect.
muffled report was heard inside the tunnel
and the crowd was certain that the man
had shot himself. After waiting some time
for further Developments no sound was
heard and Sheriff Mulcahy, venturfng TO
enter the tunnel, found Russian Pete half
sitting against the side of the tunnel. half
living on the bottom OF II, and quite dead
his mouth and blown the top Of his head
o."