The morning call., 1893-06-13
MORNING FRANCISCO, TUESDAY,

follows concerning the many efforts made
to arrest the robbers and murderers:
Evans is a nervous and very excitable
| man." he said, land would fight to the
death against any odds rather than be
captured. Sontag, on the other hand, is
at least as brave as Evans. He is cool
and calculating, however. and always
measures chances"
Are the men who have been fighting
Sontag and Evans for the past two days
acting under your orders?"
mo; l think that they were with
United States Marshal Gard. He has been
in the neignb0rhood lately, and | have no
doubt that he has been in pursuit of the
train-robbers. My own policy has been to
play waiting game. | have always been
confident that their capture was only a
question of time and that they would be
caught right in Visala.
II knew that they were both desperate
and that they could intrench themselves
In almost lmpregnable spots i'll the mount
aims. Their pursuit into the mountains
necessitated the sacrifice of many lives.
have been advised of their movements fire.
auently and knew that they could not get
away.
Evans is devoted TO his family and has
visited them from time to time, Sontag
accompanying him. They were at Evans
house in Visalia last Wednesday. At II
O'Clock on Wednesday night some one rang
my doOrbell and pushed an envelope
under the door. 1t was addressed Sheriff
Kay, important Inside was note read
ing Evans and Sontag are at the Evans
house, dressed in women's clothes. Their
cart is in the barn
About a month ago, when they were
last al Visalia. [ was censured for trying
to capture them at night. l argued that
II they had come in the evening they
would probably remain all night, so l did
not organize posse until the next morn
ing. Then / found that Evans and Sontag
had left the house at o'clock on Wednes-
day evening, two hours before l was told
of their presence in town.
1T was absurd to think they were dressed
IN women's clothes. Both men are too big
for such a costume. Sontag is over six
feet and Evans about an inch shorter.
Such disguise would simply attract at
tention. After they left the house they
went back TO the foothills. They have
been staying in that neig borbood during
the winter. The place where the fight
took place is about eighteen miles from
Visalia, where the outlaws could night with
advantage.
There has been good deal of miscon-
ception about the sympathy of the ranch
ers with Evans and Sontag and the protec-
ton and supplies which were given them.
Much of the aid has been given through
fear. Most of the ranchers are compare
lively poor, but they are good citizens and
would gladly have been rid of Evans and
Sontag long ago. The latter have threat
ened all they have seen should any infor-
nation be given to the officers.
''Ranchers considered it more prudent
to give the men food and shelter than to
risk the burning of their houses, or even
their lives or those of their children.
This same fear has prevented information
about their location and has handica pped
every posse which has gone in search of
them. With hardly an exception the farm
ers will rejoice at their capture.
I'm the mountains, among the lumber
men and miners. they have more friends.
provisions up there were scarcer, how
ever, and the outlaws had to be more or
less about the foothills. In Visalia the
general desire was for their arrest, and the
best citizens have been willing to aid in
their pursuit. l do not think it right to
expose private citizens to unnecessary
danger. and have preferred to work with
my own picked deputies.
THE feeling OF being constantly hunted
has told on the physical condition of Som
tag and Evans. Men who have seen them
have told me that both look worn and bag
gard. and that Evans is almost a nervous
wreck. They realized that it was only a
question of a few weeks or months when
they would be taken.
''They have always boasted that they
would sell their lives dearly. Mrs. Evans
has the same spirit and so has her daugh-
ter. Both can handle a rifle well. When |
went to the house on Thursday Mrs. Evans
said that if her husband had been there
she would have remained with him to the
end. don't doubt that mother and
daughter would prefer to remain TO aid the
outlaws in their defense rather than leave
the house under my protection. They
would not desert Sontag ard Evans and
are as brave as either of the men,