The morning call., 1893-03-03
SHE SAW SONTAG.
San Jose Excited Over a
Wild Rumor.
HE is UP IN THE CHAPARRAL..
The Cool, Strange Man Carries Gun
Store and Seventeen Deputies
Are Surrounding Him.
Special to THE moRS1se CALL

Special 10 THE MoRSISG CALI.
SAN JOSE. March 2.-There are many
wild weird stories being circulated here to-
night i'll reference TO the Whereabouts of the
notorious train-robbers. George Sontag and
Chris Evans, and the evening papers pub
lished a yarn about the outlaws having
ridden through the very streets of San Jose.
Be this as 1t may. Sheriff Bolinger and
three deputies, all heavily armed, started
forth early this morning to scour the brush
in the vicinity of Stevens Creek Canyon.
For months all traces of the murderous
train-robbers had been lost. and the interest
caused by the revival of the story is Intense.
1t was revived in this way: Tuesday
afternoon Mrs. +. KermersoB, who resides
on a claim near Soda Rock, about fourteen
miles west Of San Jose. entered the Sheriff's
Office and told a story that set the county
officers on the jump. A reward of $4,000
is not TO be overlooked, even If two des-
perate bandits have to be captured TO secure
It, So the Sheriff listened to the woman's
story with all the patience possible under
the circumstances.
She said she had been visiting a neighbor,
and during her return Monday night she
saw a heavily armed rough looking man
lying in the brush near the road. The man
had three guns, a belt of cartridges, pistol
and big knife. der description of the
man Tailed exactly with that of Sontag.
She was shown a photograph of Sortag,
and a. once said 1t resembled the fellow she
saw In the brush.
Deputy Sheriff Fred Tennant and W. B.
Rucker were sent out yesterday morning to
investigate. Up near the head of the
Stevens Canyon they found cabin occu-
pied by two young men named Markham.
1t was learned that the man with the heavy
armament had spent Tuesday night with
them. Their description of the supposed
bandit Tailed exactly with that given by
the Sheritt's informant, the three guns, in
cluding a Winchester rife. two fowling
pieces. the cartridge belt, knife and pistol
not being omitted.
The young men said that they asked the
man who he was and that he replied he was
4 duck-hCnter from San Joaquin. He
asked for some newspapers and read them
carefully. He said hehad left his partner
at Pescadero.
Early yesterday morning the tramp, Son.
tag, or whoever he may be, inquired the
route 10 New Almaden and depa rted in that
direction. At 4:30 o'clock In the afternoon
one Of the Markhams saw him in the brush
not more than half nils away from the
ca bin. The Markhams described their
visitor as pleasa ant-mannered fellow, with
dark hair, sandy mustache and OF Son.
tags build.
The deputies returned TO San Jose
and reported to Sheriff Bollinger, who
started forth with posse at sunrise this
morning At 1 o'clock this afternoon the
Sheriff telephoned from Los Gatos to inquire
IL any news had been received here He
said he would telephone again later. and
headed his men for the wilds OF Stevens
Canyon.
Those In charge of the Sheriff's Office said
in the afternoon that they did rot believe
that the fellow with the gun was one of the
train-robbers. They do not think that
Evans and Sontag ever separated, and they.
belive that they are still hiding in the noun
tain businesses north of Visala
Alittle later rumor reached here that
heavily armed man, answering to the de-
scription of Evans, was seen passing
through the hills near New Almaden: that
he had little to say, and only asked for
newspapers at the houses where he stopped.
Before he departed on tho man hunt,
however, the Sheriff said that he believed
ih@ man he went in search of was neither an
outlaw nor duck-hunter; he thought the
fellow was some "erank."
But Sheriff Bollinger had changed his
mind when he returned here at 10 o'clock
tonight l met him upon his arrival, and
he made the following statement TO me:
SCI now feel convinced that the man Is
Sontag and that my posse has him sur
rounded in the chaparral near the forks Of
the Guadalupe and New Almaden roads.
Within the next twelve hours we will have
the man in custody. Six men have him
surrounded and VIII remain on duty until
return early in the morning. We know the
man we baYe surrounded is the same fel-
low seen by the woman and who afterward
slept in the Markham cabin. We traced
bis movements after he left there to a rock
quarry, where he procured a drink from
the men st work there.
'Soon after getting this information we saw
dog run out OF the brush. Then the posse
scattered in order to follow all the trails.
At o'clock this afternoon Deputy Rucker,
who had with hin: one OF the posse named
Anderson, ran into the man we are search
ing for. The man held his gun on Ander-
son, while he talked coolly and pleasantly.
Then the fellow said, I guess I'll take
drink He knelt down over little brook
and drank the rippling water while he held
a gun in each hand. one pointing at Rueker
and the other at Anderson. Well, Rucker,
of course, concluded the man with the guns
was not SOntag. and returned to where l
was five miles away.
From the mans cool actions feel can
vinced he is none other than Sontag. He
is neither tramp nor lunatic. He is too
cool for that. 1t would be unfair to accuse
Anderson and Rueker Of cowardice. An
derson says he kept winking at Rucker to
cover the man, but the man was not to be
covered. He was too yigilant for that just
as soon as this report was made 10 me the
trail was taken up and followed closely.
Within a few hours we had the man sur
rounded and beat the chsparral in all direc-
ti0ns.
80 thick is the brush that we could not
find any traces of the fugitive. but we have
him cornered and before noon tomorrow
he will be our prisoner. AT o'clock in the
morning | start out with another posse of
nine men to resume the Search"
The Sheriff will camp in the mountains
for week II necessary. The whole coun-
try is aroused. and 1t is believed thar the
man, whoever he is, cannot get away.
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CHADGEn WITH ADcON