The St. Johns herald., 1894-02-22

DoputY OueTlu h. II. Omltn, h. M. !. Nall and colored policeman, Levi Neal at once formed a posse and hurried out to intercept them. Nall and R. H. Smith took a stand about one mile from town on the Bryan and College road. Carr, l.. P. Smith and Levi Neal went down the Central Railroad an equal dis tance and posted themselves at the powder magazine.
 By this time night had fallen, and a pale moon was constantly obscured by scudding gulf clouds. About II p. m. the convicts came up and were commanded to to halt by Marshal Carr. They replied with a volley, the shots were return ed and general fusilade, lasting several minutes. ensued, during which L. P. Smith fell mortally wounded and died in about an hour. The fight ceased and the convicts retreated the way they had come. It is believed they expected to find most everybody asleep and raid the town.
 The officers returned to Bryan with the dead body of Smith and the city was thrown into fever of excitement. The fire bell rang, squads of men formed hurriedly and set out in pursuit in all direc- tions. Nothing more was seen of the convicts until 9 o'clock the fol- lowing morning, when they were overtaken at Mnnson's Shoals on the BIazos River, where another fight occurred, but without serious results, the conyicts made good their escape by keeping up hot running fire.
 It was afterwards reported that Davis met his death while resisting arrest in some western county, his slayer being tried for murder and acquitted, and later that Kelly was killed under similar circumstances near Guthrie, Oklahoma. All trace of the convicts was then lost for several years, but finally Sheriff T. c. Nunn obtained a clue and after a year of careful investigation To- cated Snyder somewhere in New Mexico or Arizona. Accordingly he left for New Mexico November 13, established headquarters at AL buquerque, gave his name as T. c. Clark, special agent of the A. P. Railroad. and going quietly to work at length definitely located Snyder in the mountainous country of Apache County, Arizona, near the town of St. Johns, where he has lived since his escape under the as sumed name of Henry Hart, and was engaged in the stock business. He was known there as desperate man, had formerly served as depu- ty sheriff, and at the last election was solicited to run for sheriff, but declined, probably wishing to avoid so much publicity.
 Papers for his arrest were for warded to the sheriff of Apache County, but the local officers were slow about executing them, and in fact said they preferred not to do so and did not.
 Snyder's home is about fifty miles from St. Johns and he was in duced to come to town through the stratagem of a sabpena to appear before the grand jury, court being in session, and unsuspectingly he obeyed. Mr. Nunn was advised of his presence and hastened from AL buqnerque to St. Johns. Snyder was found in a saloon about eight o'clock in the evening playing game of cards with some friends. MT. Nunn walked in with a local deputy and while buying a cigar located his man. Snyder was in- tent upon the cards and did not mo- tice his entrance. They were play ing "seven-up," the score stood six and six, and the cards were dealt for the last hand when Sheriff Mum seized Snyder by the arm and coolly said: "Well boys, I guess I'll have to break up the game" The deputy sheriff stood on the other side, while the Apache