Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-10
THE MAN WHO CAUGHT EVANS.
Also the Wife of the Man Who Did
That PeriIOus Detective Job.

From the San Francisco Examiner
j. V. Brighton. the man who captured
Chris Evans. is a person with a record fo-
just such nervy exploits. 1t seems very re-
marka BILE that any man should be able to
win the confidence of such bandit as Chris
Evans, but after looking at and talking
with Brighton the wonder ceases.
He is the most neutrality-suspicious.
chap alive. y man of medium height with
a roly-poly shape. a twanE to his voice that
sounds, like down-east Yankees, a
slouchy hand-i his pockets and scrape-his
feet-on-the-g ground gait threadbare suit of
clothes. large hands. ungainly feet shod in
muddy brogaps. and the most Innocent
looking blue eyes-such is Brighton. His
wife looks like fit mate for a hardy noun
tainee-, just the sort of a woman who
could lasso a horse in the field. saddle 1t
herself, or jump on its back without sad
die if need be and ride forty miles to
country dance. Yet this man is profess
sional detective, one of the shrewdest in
America. and his wife is his able assistant.
There goes a man I'm going to treat to a
drink" said Brighton to friend one day.
why, that is Paddy Ryan, the eX-prize
fighter said his friend.
Il know it," said Brighton; but he once
did me d good turn, and l want him to
know that l don't forget 1t. l was in prison
In Missouri once with Frank James and
some Of his gang. Ryan passed through
the Jail as visito-. and he had quite a talk
with me. Finally he said that l didn't lcok
like a train robber and murderer, and that
l appeared to be a better man than my fell
low prisoners. Then he gave me q dollar
and went away. OF cou-s he did not know
that | was detective and was in prison for
a purpose, but / have always thought that
man who acted as he did must have q
warm heart. and such things are mighty
scarce in human breasts these days"
m hS of
the gang of outlaws led by Frank andsJe sse
James. He was in the employ of the rail-
roads that had suffered from the depreda-
lions of the bandits and eventually he led
them into a trap that resulted in the ex-
termination of the sang. This was after the
killing of Jesse James by Bob Ford
Brighton was In -Nisalia when Evans and
Sontag were playing hide-and-seek with the
sheriffs in the mountains. and was enc of
the intimates of the wife and children of
the outlaw. As Il modest man of dill work
with wife willing to do anything to help
out a living. Brighton made his advent in
Nisala. He went to live near Evans house
and, as women will. Mrs. Brighton and Ms
Evans became quite neighborly. They beth
worked hard at anything they could get to
do around town, and by so doing they DIS
armed any suspicion that may have arisen
When Mrs. Evans asked Brighton TO De-
form a small service for her husband he
readily consented, and thus entered the
wedge that enabled him to work into the
confidence of the family.
After time Brighton came to be regard
ed as safe man to trust by Evans, but he
did not establish that status until it was
too late for him to figure as q factor in the
last act OF that tragedy. He knew, how
ever, that Evans and Sontag were about to
make that journey al the halfway post of
which Evans lost an eye and an arm and
Sontag his life. On that occasion Brighton
had warned the authorities, and while
Evans was battling with Marshal Gard at
Stone Corral his home was surrounded by
armed men prepa red to give him and his
partner a hot reception.
When the bandit was safe in TAIL the rail-
road wanted to dispense with Bri@hton' 9
services, but he advised them to let him
continue his role of supposed friend. by do
ing which he could keep the prosecution in
formed of every move contemplated by The
defense. This program carried cut
and Brighton rendered invaluable services
Ihen. after the conviction of Evans. the de-
tective reminded his employers of the posi-
bility of the bandits escape and was al
lowed to continue in his work
Mrs. Evans went on the road with her
theatrical company, leaving the Brightons
In possession of the Nisalia house and the
young children. Then came the escape 1t
was Brighton who kept the authorities from
being deceived by the stories that Evans
and Morrell had gone to Mexico. These
yarns were manufactured by Evans friends
for the purpose of deceiving the officers and
in most of the cases Brighton was called
upon to set them afloat. This he dill but
know the truth
whenever the posses were close to tho
bandits in the noun ;ains il was because
Brighton had informed them where 10 go.
All this time the bandit never suspected
him Often the detective went TO see Evans
in his retreats. and 1t was on one of these
excursions that he coaNed the bandits into
visiting Evans house TO do this the de-
tectlve worked upon Evans feelings as a
father. " "
He told him that one Of his children. .he
youngest, was sick. an that if he cared tc
zee 1t alive he should visit his lone Evans
was considerably WORKED Up ara promised
10 make the trip. He kept his woi I and iell
into the trap that means st-ioes a Il stone
walls for the term of his natural life