The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-06-13
Special to the REcoRD-UN1oS.

morning from thescene of last nights en-
counter with the notorious train robbers,
Chris Evans and John Sontag.
At dayb it was discovered that the
man that had been shot by the officers
last night was John Sontag instead of
Chris Evans, as was first reported.
Sontag is believed to be MORALLY
wounded, having been shot in the abdo-
men. Sontag was brought here by the
posse. Chris Evans escaped into the
mountains. Sontag was shot in the right
shoulder, as well as in the abdomen.
Evans started for the hills, and blood was
on the ground where he stopped. His
two guns were left lying there and his
hat, which were all covered with blood.
Jontag lay behind small stack of hay
all night, and the posse who went this
morning found him there.
Gard and his party were camped off on
the side of the hill, waiting daylight and
to see if the desperadoes made any move,
or if gone, to follow their tracks. Mar
shall Gard thinks he fired the shot that hit
Sontag.
Sontag says he spit blood all night
There is a glancing wound along his fore
head and one on each side of his nose. 1t
is claimed he shot himself, but this he
denies.
Evans tracks showed that he started
toward Visalia, and his house will be
watched day and night. Being without
arms or ammunition, and undoubtedly
wounded, and his partner in crime capt
ured, he must give up pretty soon.
al IL ~
is up and he cares not for the future. 1t
is possible Sontag will recover from his
wounds, the doctor thinks, though ex-
presses no decided opinion.
Sontag denies that he and Evans were
at Visalia one week ago last Wednesday.
He says they were here two weeks. He
admits they shot Black al Camp Badger
and says that when shot last night he
thought he was MORALLY wounded and
asked Evans to shoot him and make his
escape.
When Sontag was found this morning
he was covered with straw from the stack
he had pulled out and his beard was mat
ted with blood and dirt. The reporter
asked him if he had a word to send to his
friends. He replied: II have no friends;
no place"
In the sack the desperadoes had with
them were bread and jerked meat.
Mrs. Evans and her daughter Eva
called at the Jail one hour after Sontag
was brought in. Eva cried bitterly, but
Mrs. Evans looked determined and COM
posed.
Fred E. Jackson, the man shot by
Evans or Sontag last night, is likely to
lose his left leg. He was shot just above
the ankle and both bones of his leg
broken.
Sontag has been under the influence of
opiates most of the afternoon, though he
talked some to Mrs. Evans and her
daughter. His statements are very con-
Trajectory. To the officers he said he
tried to shoot himself. but he told Eva
Evans that he did not do so. Sontag has
numerous acquaintance here. Several
called on him to-day, but he said little to
them.
SONTAG TALKS FREELY.
Coming down from the scene of the
affair last night Sontag talked to the Off
GERS freely. He said that he and Evans
had not had cent of money for a month,
but they did not intend to hold-up any
train. They would have left the mount
aims, only they had no money and no
clothes.
when L was shot last night" he said,
al asked Chris to shoot me, but he would
not. We had two Winchesters, two shot
guns and two six-shooters. Chris carried
away Winchester, and had plenty of
ammunition. Evans has often said he
was sorry he shot Witty. He thought
he was viii Smith. We would have
shot Detectives Hume, Smith or Thacker,
though, but besides these we were only
after blood-money men. We did not al
ways stay together, but never separated
longer than four hours. We could not
have been convicted of train robbery, as
we had no hand in it. The Southern Pa
cific did me a hard turn. When 1 was
hurt in their employ they would not give
me an easy job; so when Smith tried to
arrest me last summer l determined not
to be taken by Southern Pacific officer.
That's why I resisted. 1 have no kick
coming, only that l did not succeed bet
ter in attempting to kill myself"
EtSontag talked calmly and coolly. He
in contemplation. He seemed confident
that Evans would never be captured
alive. His show of nerve during the con-
versation was remarked by all present.
SCENE OF THE CONFLICT.
The scene of the conflict last night was
near the mouth of Wilcox Canyon,
though a mile and half out on the
plains. The officers had been lowering
around there about eight days, lying in
ambush during the day along the trails
and on the hills where they had good
view of the roads leading that way. One
man was always on guard during the
dav. while the others slept.
Marshal Gard said to-day that things
were just reversed from what they were
at Young's cabin. There the desperadoes
had the drop on the officers, while at
Bacon cabin the officers had the drop.
EVANS FIRES THE FIRST SHOT.
The first shot fired last night was by
Evans. Deputy Sheriff Rapelje of
Fresno was out of the cabin just at sun
down, and he spied two men coming to-
ward the cabin. He went inside to wake
up the posse sleeping there, and thinks
that in doing so he made noise on the
loose floor that the bandits heard, as they
changed their course Immediately. jack