The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-29
CONNECTS ARE
STILL AT LARGE
Desperadoes Who Broke Jail at Fol-
som, CAL, Seek the
Mountains.
Sheriffs and Their Posses Are in
Close Pursuit and g. Battle
Is Expected.

Placerville, Cal, July 2e--Of the thir
teen convicts who escaped from the state
penitentiary at Folsom Monday, twelve
are still at large.
s. M Gordon, the reported leader OF
the gang, who had been sentenced to for
ty-hve years for robbery, deserted his
followers soon after they left the prison.
He was heavily armed and it Is not
known In what direction he sought safety.
A negro convict named Seavis, who was
reported wounded in the first encounter
with the officers, appears not to have
been injured The eleven outlaws who
remain together are making for the Sierra
Nevada mountains.
They are closely pursued by the sher-
ifs Of Sacramento Eldorada and Placer
counties each backed by numerous dep
uties and assisted by a company Of
militia About twenty guards from the
Folsom prison also are, engaged In the
chase. 1t is believed that the fugitlves
soon will be surrounded and a desperate
battle Is anticipated, as all are heavily
| armed.
A Guards Story.
Guard John Klensendorf returned to
| Folsom prison yesterday with an interest
| ing story of his adventures with the es-
| capped convicts, including the battle Of
| Pilot Hill, in which Convict Murphy lost
| his life. Klensendorf was one Of the
| guards captured at the prison and he eff
| fected his escape from the convict band
during the Pilot Hill fusilade, and while
a shower Of bullets by the chagrined con-
victs ploughed the dust OF the road around
| him. He said:
1.-THE first episode we encountered after
leaving the prison was at Mormon Island
| bridge, where Guard Ryan exchanged
shots with the convicts. I think he hit
! Red Shirt Gordon. %- as
Got Food from Farmer.
| ave went up the river mile and half
| from the bridge and there came across
the ranch Of Joseph Foster. Foster was
compelled to provide the party with food,
and after that he was added to the
! hostages. The convicts and guards
changed clothes at Fosters place, after
which the whole party resumed the jour-
| ney. At this point we numbered seven
| guards, two ranch hands and twelve con-
victs. We arrived at Pilot Hill about 2
| o'clock in the afternoon.
| ION the way up the convicts displayed
malicious delight in subjecting the guards
| to harsh treatment and threats Every
now and then some convict would say to
| a guard, applying a vicious eptthet to
| emphasize his meaning, I guess it's about
! time you got out and walked a SPELL So
| a guard would get out and walk for the
qualification of the convict. They made
| us Walk III TIE >ilOL sun, dIlQ~lt 4sIlUVSu q
| favorire trick to make guards walk along
| in the broiling heat without their hats.
We were told when the >convicts got ready
to dispose of us that we would be used as
targets or drowned in the river.
/ Held up a Hotel.
cat Pilot Hill the convicts surrounded
a little hotel at that place and demanded
meals for the entire party. It was ar
ranged that two guards and three con-
victs should go in and eat while the rest
remained outside on guard. Working in
| shifts, they managed to get the entire
party fed to their satisfaction. After the
meal one of the convicts went into the
house and procured box of cigars. He
brought out the box to shady retreat
behind the hotel, where the convicts sat
down and enjoyed smoke During their
leisure the convicts kept telling US In the
event Of trouble with pursuing posse,
the guards would have to stand in front
of the convicts and shield them from the
bullets.
News Pleased Them.
We stayed at Pilot Hill until o'clock,
at which hour the stage came in from
Auburn The convicts, dressed as guards,
asked the stage driver If he had seen any
posses on the road. The driver said he
had not, and they seemed elated at the
news. At that very time the woods were
full Of pursuers We had not gone more
than fifty yards from the hotel when
there came a. volley Of rifle Shots They
seemed to come from both sides Of the
road.
At the first crack Of the rifles rolled
out of the side Of the wagon into the road
and one of the farm laborers who was
forced to accompany the convicts, dropped
from the back Of the wagon. Convict
Roberts pointed his rifle at me and com
manded me to stand in front Of him.
saw, however, that the shell had become
jammed In the breech of his rifle. He was
unable to get the mechanism to work and
I knew T had nothing to fear from him
I started down the road as fast as
could sprint with the farm hand close
behind me. He lodged into the shelter Of
the hotel, but I kept on.
Bullets Whzzed BY. >.a
. Several bullets whized about me, and ]
, could see the spurts Of dust ahead in the
road where they hit. soon got out Of
range and remained concealed for about
an hour. Then I went to the hotel. The
wagon was standing in the road where
had left it. Lying in the box was the
body Of Convict Murphy. One bullet haC
taken nearly the whole Of his head off an6
, another had pierced the body near the
heart One of the wheelhorses was dead
While the conVicts were resting posse
, of mountaineers had surrounded the hotel
They had waited until the convicts hac
! driven away from the shelter Of the house
r then opened fire.. At the first volley thu
convicts attempted to whip up the horse!
and one Of the posse sent a bullet thru
the bodyof one Of the wheel horses to pre-
f vent escape in the wagon
. The convicts are led by Theron Young
. a robber of San Francisco, who is a lif
= terner He is cool and a good executive
but he knows nothing Of the mountain
country. The posses and militia hav
!, been given orders to shoot without warn
ing and take no chances.