Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-18
DERELICT LIFE
ENDS ON RAIL
BILL EVANS LEAVES PRISON
TO MEET DEATH
STRANGE FATE CONTINUES TO
LEAD SAILOR TO CELL
Friends Work for Acknowledged lnno-
cent Man, and After Twenty
One Years He Steps Forth
Free and Is Killed

More than twenty-one years of his
life Bill Evans passed as a prisoner IN
San Quentin. Year after year band
of devoted friends struggled with RED
tape, the laws delay and hundred
obstacles to obtain his release, his IN
nocence being universally acknowl-
edged. Finally the gates swing open
and he walks out free-not into a colo
world that sets detectives on his track
but into a warm hearted home in
Southern California, where he is re-
ceived with open arms. He steps IN
front of an electric car, and there is an
end of Bill Evans.
This man was an old convict, but
those who knew him well say he was
the victim of continuous hard luck.
The story opens years ago IN san
Francisco, where he lands from deep
water voyage. A sailors row breaks
out and he is lodged in the peniten-
tiary, doing fifteen months.
Tramping in search of work he fails
asleep in an unoccupied farmhouse.
Two years for burglary. In hilarious
mood he drives a girl around a country
town. True, the buggy does not belong
to him, but sailors are a free-handed
lot; they sometimes take a drop too
much, and, anyhow. he was returning
TO the stable after some twenty min
Three years for horse stealing-a mar
dened criminal.
Reward Works Wonders
Seventeen years ago a mysterious
stage robbery and murder takes place
The coach was held up by lone high
wayman and the driver and a morse
killed. obviously this was the work or
an expert and for many days the OF
ficers were baffled. But the Wells
Fargo company cannot afford to let
these tragedies pass by unnotlced, ana
a reward of $1,000 was forthcoming
Such rewards work wonders. The de-
tectives instantly got busy, and 1t was
discovered that the desperate Bill
Evans was working on farm only
twenty-seVen miles from the spot Where
the deed was done. From beneath a
shack a gun and pipe were unearthed,
and. although his friends were ready to
swear that this simple-minded sailor
did not know one end of the weapon
from the other, it was admitted that he
smoked a pipe. This time the matter
was serious, indeed. The death SEN
tence is passed and with difficulty
commuted to Imprisonment for life.
AS a matter of fact WellsFargo We're
so dissatisfied that they refused to pay
the reward. The men at the head OF
that an innocent man had been con-
victed. and shortly before his death
Hume, the company's head detective,
asserted that he knew the real culprit
who was then serving a life sentence in
another prison.
OF Native AmiabiIity
The writer dined with Evans two
weeks ago. He was told that, outside
of the slips that brought him into
trouble, Evans was the best of fellows,
and he found him such. He seemed as
innocent as a child, and his native
amiability was beyond suspicion. That
he could have stepped up, rife in hand,
and picked his victims in tile finished
desperado style was unthinkable From
Mr.. and Mrs. Griffith, for whom ne
worked near Ocean Park, and from Col.
Griffith, who labored long and per-
sistently for his release, it was learned
that he sang and whistled all day long.
He is said to have been singing when
he met his death. He was buried at
Ocean Park yesterday.
Monday night he misjudged the speed
of an electric car at Fredericks and in
trying to pass in front of it was run
down.