Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-01-18
THINK IL WAS CHRIS.

The Fowler (Cal) Hold-Up Charged ia
Evans and Morrell-An Exceptionally
Daring Affair-Six Citizens Stood Up In
Row and Robbed by One Mana Des-
Perate Battle with Constable-The
Latter Wounded.
FRESNO, Cal. Jan. 1.-TWO men be-
| lieved to be Chris Evans, the Visalia
| bandit, and Ed Morrell, who assisted
him in his recent escape from Jail,
| raided the town of Fowler Wednesday
| evening. Another tale of bleodshed
and terror is the result Fowler is a
| village of 800 inhabitants, 10 miles
southeast of Fresno. George Leon, the
station agent, and three men en-
ployed as section hands were in the
depot at p M, just after the Los An
geles express had passed.
While the four men We're talking a
masked man with a revolver in each
hand appeared at the open door and
ordered them to throw up their hands.
Not one hesitated to obey. At this
juncture Howard Harris and A. Vim
cent, prominent business men of Fow-
Ter. stepped upon the depot platform
and took in the situation. They were
about to run away and give the
alarm, when the robber espied
them through a window. The
outlaw, still keeping the other men
covered, backed slowly out of the door
and ordered Harris and Vincent in the
depot, saying he would kill them if
they disobeyed. They went in.
The masked man then stood the six
citizens up along the wall, covering
them with one revolver, and went
through their pockets. He secured little
over $40. Next he ordered his six pris-
oners into the street and ma de them
walk down town through the principal
thoroughfare to Kutner Goldstein's
grocery. The robber followed his six
prisoners into the store and it was
evidently his intention, alone and sim
gle-handed, to loot the grocery. How
ever, just as he ordered three men
previously in the store to throw up
their hands, the proceeding was in
terrupted by Consta bles Ochs and Nell
son.
Then began bloody shooting affray.
Ochs, with his pistol drawn, rushed
into the store. The bandit turned upon
him and fired. Ochs fell and rolled out
through the door, firing at the robber
from the floor. His aim was wild,
however. and he shot one citizen
through the arm and another in
the breast. The man hit in the
breast was struck by a spent
bullet and not seriously hurt, though
knocked down. During the general
fusillade the robber escaped and dis
appeared in the darkness.
During the battle in the grocery
wagon dashed up to the door, and the
driver began shooting at Constable
Ochs, thus aiding in the escape of the
robber within. The man in the wagon
then drove rapidly away. This man
answers the description of Chris Evans.
In the other robber, who wore a
bandana handkerchief over his face,
the men attacked believed they recog-
nized as Ed Morrell. The robber told
them also that his name was Morrell
1t is believed here that the bandits,
becoming pressed for money, came
down from the mountains determined
to make raid.
Constable Charles Ochs, who is badly
wounded in the right thigh and groin,
was one of the jurors who convicted
Chris Evans of the murder of Deputy
United States Marshal Vic Wilson.
Ochs declares that he wounded the
Younger of the two robbers.