River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-08-06
POSSE is SLAIN BY CONVCITS
Searching for Escaped Prisoners
Runs Into an Ambush.
the Outlaws Wounded-Make
successfuI Retreat.

Folsom, Cal, Aug. 3.-Sheriff Bos-
quit, of Eldorado county, and his posse
came upon five of the escaped convicts
in thick brush seven miles from
Placerville Saturday afternoon. The
officers opened fire, and a battel en-
sued. Three officers were killed and
one was wounded. Two convicts were
wounded but all escaped in the brush
Dallas Bosquit, the son of Sheriff
Bosquit, is said to be among the slain,
and message by telephone says his
body was found along the roadside.
Militiaman Dill was shot through the
body. and is not expected to recover.
The greatest anxiety prevails here con-
corning the safety of the soldiers.
wounded Soldier Found.
1t is known that six of these went into
the brush after the convicts and the
only trace of them was the wounded
man Dill, who was unable to give any
clew concerning his companions. The
convicts are believed to have taken
refuge in the Grand Victory mine, and
there is talk of setting fire to it, and
driving out the desperate criminals
Scene of Battle.
The posse. which was carefully
searching every foot of the country for
the 13 convicts, came upon the scene
of the battle just before dark. Among
the members of the posse were sew
eral militiamen, who remained with
the officers when their company was
called home. Six soldiers started to
explore dense clump of bushes which
lay before them. Scarcely had they dis
appeared from sight when a volley Of
shots was heard. They had come
upon the convicts securely intrenched
behind trees and stones, and the lat
ter had waited until their pursuers
were close before they shot
story of Escape.
The break for liberty was made by
the convicts at breakfast time on Mon
day, July 81, and was started so sud-
denly that the prison officials were UNI
able to offer adequate resistance. The
convicts were armed with knives and
razors, and with these they assaulted
Warden Wilkinson and his officers.
who were disarmed. At the armory the
convicts secured rifles and ammunition
and went to a farmers house, seized
his four horse team and wagon, rob-
bed The house of everything of value,
took the farmer with them as a driver.
and headed for Bald mountains. Sew
eral times the pursuing parties came
within sight of the fleeing men ana
shots were exchanged.
Successful Retreat.
Placerville, Cal, Aug 3.-The con-
victs who escaped from Folsom prison
are still at large. The five who en-.
gagged in fatal fight with the pur-
suers at the Grand Victory mines Sat-
urday night have not been seen and
apparently have made successful
retreat. The dead bodies of Festus
Rutherford and W. c. Jones, the two
militiamen who were shot by the out.
laws, were found where they ha6
fallen. Jones had served in the Phil
ippines as a member of the First Ten
nessee and the Thirty-seventh volun~
teer United States infantry.
Another Victim.
Another victim of the convict chase
was Phillip Spinger, resident of this
district. He is hard of hearing and.
failing to respond to an order to halt.
was fatally shot by picket A report
states that four convicts, not believed
to be the same who ambushed the Off
GERS Saturday night, were discovered
near Lotus, in the Weber Creek disc
trict, by posse, but they escaped.