The morning call., 1893-06-17
THE BANDITS LAIR
Graphic Account of Fort
Defiance.
ENTERED BY A LABYRINTH.
Clever Scheme of the Outlaws to
Bar the Approach to Their
Mountain FastneSs.
Special to THE MORNING CALL.

VIsALIA, June 16.-The order strictly
prohibiting visitors and others than the
guards and nurses from the cells of Son.
tag and Evans, issued yesterday by re-
quest of DR.. Matthewson. has been en-
forced by Sheriff Kay and has had a good
effect on the wounded outlaws. There is
no change in John ntag. He expresses
himself as well pleased with his treatment
aud says it is more than he ever could
have expected. When the men discovered
him in the strawpie at Stone Corral
Sontag expected to be kicked TO pieces or
shot, but, to use his own words, They
treated me like relative"
This morning the jsiler, Bob Broder, In
going his rounds louked into Evans ward
and was as surprised as If he had seen q
ghost. Evans was sitting in chair talk
ing to his wife. On their discovering that
Brcder was outside Chris jumped into bed
and Mrs. Evans. placing one hand on her
husbands head and tanning him with the
other hand, half turned around and said
TO Broder. Poor Chris is so weak"
Through tie courtesy of Ben Nj. Maddox
Of the Visalia Times the following true
description Of Evans and SOntag's camp.
Fort Defiance" is given for the first
time:
The outlaws winter quarters were Wis
tied by II. q. Barton and w. II. Hart, and
Barton gives the Times this account:
al happened to be in the vicinity of Dark
Canyon yesterday when met w. II. Hart,
who remembered that Evans and Sontag
had wintered there. As we were both
familiar with that locality we concluded to
give their late home call. This we found
l. 1
impenetTable In most of the places and alb
solutely so In all the balance. The late
residents were forced to cut themselves n
track through the brush. This they had
done In a very skillful manner, rendering
the approach to the fort a veritable
labyrinth, for after we had found their
trails we wandered through their mazes
for two hours. frequently coming to the
end of trail in dense thicket. AT length,
on one of the branch paths that led to the
fort, we noticed stick Of wood. evidently
cut for tirewood, that had rolled into the
water and been washed down stream. We
then followed up the stream and came to
fall. We crawled over the rocks till we
came to n point where the rivulet fell four
feet perpendiculaTly, when 10! we stood
under the yawning portfolios of Fort De-
1ance.' And well it deserves the name,
for two well-armed, determined men could
withstand all the railroad and express com.
panies' detective force. with all who
hunt men for money thrown in.
1T can only be approached from in
'front.' the perpendicular granite cliff un-
der which it is situated extending two
thirds Of the way around. Near the foot
of this cliff they found n sort of cave. 1t
used TO be a bears den, for when passed
up the canyon years ago | noticed the
homes of a departed bear in that nook.
The granite at the foot of the cliff Is soft.
with very hard stratum overhead. This
is what caused the cave. This cave they
had enlarged with O pick and shovel and
walled il up nicely with rock on the open
side. This room is about u feet long and
feet wide. This is the fort proper. The
storeroom and bedchamber has door
about two feet wide looking down the
canyon and two portfolios looking up the
canyon. The parlor, kitchen and dining
room is another room dug out adjoining
this, but no. walled in. They also had a
woodsbed dug out, with wood stored for
next winter.
at was evident that they had not been
starving, as potatoes. onions and eggShells
testified. The only edible thing in the
fort at the time Of our visit was one potato
of the Queen Victoria variety. This l
brought out and gave to B. PendolA. He
intends to plant 1t and raise a family of
princes and princesSes. There were
shelves made of lumber. packed from the
old Cedar Spring mill, empty cans and
medicine bottles innumerable. If any of
your sightseers wish to visit the fort
would just say, Don't wear your good
clothes and. if not experienced In noun
tain travelling, fetch an extra DAYS rations,
for you NAV get lost in the labyrinth"
Sheriff Kay from tonight on will keep
the wards of Evans and Sontag locked,
and the guards of each man will remain
inside with the wounded outlaws. besides
having a guard on the outside. No one
will be admitted to see them excepting
Mrs. Evans who will be allowed to visi;
her husband.
Mr.. Paterson, the county physician, will
have charge of the men in the future.
Clark Moore OF Sampson Flat Is In
town. but has not yet called on Evans and
Sontag.