The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-07-12
BURIAL OF soNTA1.
The Noted California Outlaw Buried by d
Well Known West Virginlau.


The Noted California Outlaw Buried by
Well Known West Vlrginian.
[Hu. Maxwell, the well known West
Virginia poet and descriptive writer
whose contributions to the INTELLIeES,
GER in the past have delighted the read,
eTs OF this paper, and who is now resld,
ing in California, sends the following
poem GU tho burial OF the famous Cali
iornia bandit, whose death was an.
nounced in the Associated Press dis
patches few daya ago. Tho fact that
Mr., Maxwell assisted in the burial Of
the outlaw lends additional interest to
his poem, Sontag and Evans were the
great "bloody bones" OF tho Pacific
coast for the past ten months. They
were accused OF robbiug five trains,
causing tho death by shooting OF eleven
men, woundipg twelve others, and had
set the authorities at defiance within q
few hours ride OF Fresno with 1900
people, Their record is remarkable
After United States marshal's posse
had killed Sontag in u desperate battle
Mr.. Maxwell and two others buried tho
body Sontag's brother lies at Falsom
with four bullets in him, and Evans,
his partner, is in Jail at Fresno, with
both arms broken and an eye shot out J
BURIAL OF soNrAG.
In his narrow grave the bandit lies in calm, I'M
troubled rest
Dreary spread the plains about him toward the
mountains OF the west. a..
sands arc drifting, slowly drifting down tho
paths tho storms have mnde
Like entertainments lined for battle, Grass
with dry aud WitherCd blade
Whispers In the breeze, u whisper sNddeF than
the words al men;
And tho whispers come aud vanish live and
die, and live again.
In that desert where mlrages pass like wavelpur'
suing wave,
One lOno cedar throws It's shadow DER the ban
dts silent grave.
That Is all. The chNngeless desert buries many
secret well;
Many tale Is hUshed forever, hid where tongue
can never tell.
Ocean may give up its secrets. sea, perchance,
give back It's dead;
Catacombs betTay their builders; tombs reveal
the races He'd;
Buried cities IN their voices vaguely through q
thousand years,
Telling Of their beauty, glory, wonder, ruin,
But from out IRe wasted desert word nor speech
shall never come.
Buried, silent all forever DesolaIlon cold aud
dumbl
In that grave beneath the cedar where the drift
Ing sands arc deep,
Lies tho bandit, Dead his story Dead and
yocGlGss us his sleep,
They that buriGd'hlm, thpre left him DouShs
that waved above his head
Cast their chCCkered shadows DER him, vigil for
the homeless dend,
stormy we're his days OF danger waking were
his nights OF gloom;
Rugged paths OF fear he followed cen through
wales OF summer bloom.
Mountain wIldS that hid him saved him. Caves
und caVeFns Ike the night
Spread their arms Of blaclncs3 round him aud
received him for the fight
GINS lhut met the sky were watch towers where
lie atAud saw tho foo
Searching mOng the rocks ana lodges, chasmS
aud assures far below,
ChRSlns, abySms beneath the mountain, hid him
safe from human eye
While he watched pursuers searching cliff and
crag along thCsky.
Jungles p0thleSs. forests tradfless spread their
gloom above his lair,
Driven to his last c0nCealment, desperate TO do
and dare
Peaks that faced against tho sky the Wilderness
Of their summer SHOWS
Knew him when he fled for refuge from the
rifles othls foes,
silver streams, the babbling voices OF tho hid.
den mountain dell,
Saw him often. heard him often, answered often,
know him we'll
Many morning, whore tho shadows in tho
brO0klet rise and sink,
Had the bandit worn aud hopeless, paused q
moment, stopped 10 drink;
There IN rCVeriG lingering, dreaming OF tho
other, happier Times,
Ere the brightness Of his youth time had been
dark6ned bY his crimes,
lie was lost In thoughts that gathered like the
light from stlrs above,
Centerlng life into moment and that moment
into love.
There was one, he named her softly. She was
hidden IN the past,
And WIS lost 10 him toreYer Gone-the flted
die was cast
Could tho years roll buck their cycles. plAce him
where he stood before.
Ere he fell, he then might claim her, love her.
leave her nevermOro.
Idcl Dream! The shadows trcmbled DER the
brOoklet OF the glade.
Footstcps-ioesl The bandit started, turned,
and vanished through the shade
Came the last and desperate battle, In the dark.
ness Of the night
Flames from rifles II the hedges. In the dawn
All was silent twas over Far away beneath
otthe rugged desert cedar is the bandit soptag's
FrcsTo. California, July 1893.
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