The Arizona sentinel., 1901-11-06
HART KILLED AND
 LEIVAS CAPTURED.
A Bold and Sensational JaiIbraak Ends up in the Death Of Matt. De vanG'S Slayer.
ESCAPED ON SWITCH ENGINE
Ovsrtaxen by Sheriff's Posse, Hart Would Have Made Desperate Fight but Could Not Discharge Weapon.

ONSt tAHSu Uy OHSihi OooS, Ai"A
 Would Have Made Desperate Fight
 but Could Not Discharge Weapon. The career of Thomas Hart, murder CT, ex-convict and desperate criminal, is ended. Successful to a degree in most sensational jailbreak, the fates which he cursed On former occasion, when he had almost gained his liberty, again frustrated his escape, and ended his earthly existence.
 Shortly after roon, Sunday, Wm. Neahr. guard at the county jail, opened the jail door to put a watermelon inside which some friend had brought for the prisoners. As he laid the melon on the floor, he was seized by Hart and Leivas and pulled inside, or nearly so, and Leivas quickly got outside and rushed into the sheriff's office and returned shortly with a six-shooter. The guard was struggling with Hart, each trying to put the ether inside. Hart had a knife, and Leivas appearing with a gun, the two forced the deputy inside and turned the key in the lock. Both then went into the sheriff $ office, where they secured rife and ammunition, and left the court house. It being Sun day, all the offices were deserted and not thing seemed to stand in the way of a well-laid plain of escape. Hart had on an Oregon boot weighing some 70 pounds, and carried the rife ready for instant use if intercepted, while Leivas wore shackles and carried the revolver. They went up through the railroad yards to the round house, per haps 300 yards from the court house, and made directly for the switch en- zine, which stood over the ash pit. The engineeer was in the cab. "Get to h-l out of here!" said Hart, pointing his gun at the engineer. "You, tool" said Hart, turning his weapon On the fire man, who was in the act of climbing on the engine. Both got out of range in short order. Leivas mounted the loco motive and began firing up, while Hart opened the switch for the engine to get on to the main track. The fireman ran across to the section house and in- formed the section foreman, Martin, and the latter appeared with shot gun as the engine passed on the main track going cast and fired through the cab window, wounding Leivas slightly in the arm. But the prisoners made good their escape out of the yards with out further trouble. Leivas, who knew something about running an engine, having worked sometime about the round house, manipulated the lever, while Hart did the firing. Four or five miles out, Leivas threw open the throt- tie and both fugitives jumped off and struck across the country in the direc- tion of Fortuna. The engine ran on nearly to Blaisdel1 station.
 About twenty minutes after the es- cape Neahr, the Jail guard, was releas- ca by trusty. The news of the escape spread over town rapidly ond naturally caused great excitement. A posse was quickly raised and thirty minutes after Hart and Leivas broke from the jail an engine and box car, with posse and horses were flying over the rails inpur- suit of the fugitives. Reaching the engine at the point stated the party began looking for the trail of the es- capped prisoners, and portion of the posse with Bill Neahr In the lead, sur missing that the fugitives had abandon ed the engine not far from Yuma, di- rected their search in this direction. l Bill Neahr struck the trail first, at @ switch between four and five miles from town. The trail led in the direc- tion of Fortuna, and the posse at once struck out the trail was plain and the men followed it easily at rapid gait. Two miles cut the Oregon boot worn by Hart was found, buried in the sand. It had been cut off by the use of ham, mer and cold chisel taken from the en- zine. Leivas having also got rid of his shackles, the pair, freed from the heavy incumbrances, were making good headway. The posse increased their pace, and about sundown the two fugi- tives were sighted quite distance off. The party then took circle around to head off the two men, and as it was growing dark this was an easy thing to do and escape observation. After get ting in advance of Hart and Leivas the posse rode cautiously in the opposite direction toward them. It was now get ting too dark to distinguish objects readily, even at short distance, and the hOrscmen must have realized that they were in dangerous position. They were riding in sort of V shape
 with Jim Kenney in the center and in front. The coming upon the escaped prisoners was sudden. Hart was lying down close to bush, and Kenhey al- most rode over him. Hart spang to his feet and grasped the horses bit and and held on while the frightened atfi- imal reared and plunged. A short dis tance away stood Leivas pleading for his life; his hands were up and his re- volver lay on the ground. There was something evidently wrong with Hart's Gin. as he c0uld nOf fire it. 'Suddenlv a volley rang out. Hart's hold on the bit released and he fell dead, with hard