St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-01-12
DARING DEED OF A BANDIT
THRILLING STORY OF 1L0OGSHsD
AND TERROR.
a CALIFORNIA TOWN GAIDED.

Evans, tho Notorious Outlaw.
Takes Possession of Fowler,
Cal. "A Constable and Two
Spectators Seriously Wounded
Escape of the Robbers with
Their Booty-Dime Novel Tale.
FRESNO, CAL. Jan. 1.-Two men be-
lieved To be Chris Evans, the Visalia
bandit. and his promising undcrstudy,
Ed Merrell. raided the town OF Fowler
last evening. Another tale of blood
shed and terror is the result. Fowler
village Of 300 inhabitants, ten miles
southeast Of Fresno. George Leon, the
station agent, and three men employed
as section hands were in the depot at Z
O'Clock, just after the Los Angeles eX-
press had passed. WBlle the four men
were talking masked man, with re-
volyer i'll each hand, appeared at the
open door and ordered them to throw
up. their hands. Not one hestated to
obey. AT this juncture Howard Francis
and A. Vincent, prominent business
men of Fowler, stepped upon the depot
platform and took IN the situation and
gave the alarm. when tho rob1er Spied
them through the window.
TIE OUTLAW,
still keeping the other men covered,
backed slowly out of the door, and
ordered Harris and Vincent into the
depot, saying he would kill them if
they refused. Tney naturally 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 SO. The daring freebooter
then ordered the six prisoners into the
street, and made them walk down town
through the principal thorOughfdres TO
kutner Goldstein'S grocery. The rObber
followed his six prisoners into tine store,
and 1t was evidently his intention,
alone and single-handed, to loot the
grocery. However, just as he ordered
three men previously i'll the store to
throw up their hrnds. the proceeding
was interrupted by ConStableS Ochs and
Nelson. Then began a bloody shooting
atfray. 0chs, with his pistol drawn,
rushed in O the store. The bandit
and rolled out through the door. firing
at the rObber from the floor. His al III
was Wild, however, and the constable
SHOT ONE CITIZEN
through the arm and another in the
breast. The man hit i'll the breast was
struck by Il spent bullet and not Seri-
OuSlF hurt, though knocked down. Dur
ing the general tusIlade, the robber es-
capped and disappeared in the darkness.
Another appeared upon the scene, how
ever. during the batlle i'll the grocery.
A 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 robOer, who wore Dandana
handkerchief Oyar his face, the men at
tackled believe they recognized Ed Nor
rell. The roDber told them. also, that
his name was Morrell. 1t is believed
here that the bandits. becoming pressed
for food and money, came down from
the mountains determined to make d
raid. A posse left this city last night
to organize pursuit from Fowler. Con-
stable Charles Ochs, who is badly
wounded i'll 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. 1t is gem
orally agreed here. and in Fowler, that
the DARING raid Was the work OF Evans
and MOrrell.