The San Francisco call., 1904-10-09
LAST Of GANG
NOW IN JAIL
Noted Smuggler Is Taken
into Custody by mmigra-
lion Officials After Fight
BATTLE IN MOUNTAINS
Mounted Inspectors Follow
Trail of Lawbreaker and
Chase Ends in His Capture
Special Disratch to The Call


TUCSON. Ariz-. oct. s.-John Sapu-
mar. the last Of a noted gang of Mexi-
can border smueglers. is in custody. He
was taken after a hard fight by mount
&c immigration inspectors near No
gales Sapunar was caught in the act
II smuggling three Cinnamon across
the line, but when overtaken the party
scattered and by a mere accident Sapu-
mar succeeded in getting the drop on
the officer who pursued him and made
good his escape, only TO be rounded up
the next day by large force of border
officers.
j. D. Milton, A rowing inspector sta
toned in Sonora, found that Sapunar
was planning 10 smuggle a party Of
Chinamen across the line west of No
gales, and accordingly arranged to in
tercept him on the night set for the
deed. Accompanied by G. H. Tuttle,
James B. Gamble and G. d. Gonzales,
all mounted inspectors. he set out for
the spot where the crossing was to take
place.
The trail led up a lonely canyon. Mil
ton stationed two Of his men on one
side and in company with the third
took Up his position on the other. They
did not have 10 wait long. for in a short
time they spied four forms winding
along the trail in the canyon below.
Milton called 10 the men to throw up
their hands. but instead Of obeying
they scattered. ard the inspectors. be
ing unable TO take good aim in the
pale moonlight, failed TO bring them
picked a man and pursued him. II
turned out that Gonzales was follow
ing the smuggler. Sapunar. He fed
UP the canyon on the American side.
and although unmounted was able. be-
cause Of the roughness Of the country,
10 make as good progress as his pur-
suer. Gonzales had followed him for
rearly two hours and was close on his
heels when his horse, which was a
strange animal. began to cause him
trouble. Saounar took advantage of
the situation to turn suddenly on the
officer and level a sawed-off shotgun
which he carried at the head Of the in
spectOr. The smuggler had the drop
and Gonzales knew it. He obeyed Sa-
punar's command TO turn back on the
trail and ride off without daring to
look behind while the smuggler escaped
over the ridge.
L was long after midnight when Sa-
runar thus escaped. and by daylight
Gonzales had given the alarm and a
dozen officers were securing the coun-
Try for the smuggler- They rounded
him up In an obscure canyon not far
from the line. He was making his way
boy a roundabout trail.
The case was Immediately reported
TO the United States Grand Jury. in
session at Tucson. and Sapunar was
indicted on several counts.
John Sapunar first came to Nogales,
Sonora. ten years ago from Brazil. He
is a native Of Switzerland and has had
a hand in every scheme to smuggle
Cinnamon across the border in recent
years. He was associated with Frank
Howe Louis Greenewaldt, G. A. Spring
stein and other famous smugglers,
whose operations have been broken up
by Government officers. Sapunar him
self never ventured across the line un-
I'll all Of his old lieutenants were cap
tured or dead. but at his house in No
gales Cinnamon destined for the United
States made their headquarters, and
the upper rooms were a storehouse for
goods destined for points across the
line