The Coconino sun., 1925-06-12

! wind and the remaining few yards
were traversed with great difficulty.
81 reached the ledge of the cliff,
and stood upright. l could scarcely
see Sheriff Phelps because of the
lcrags that jutted out beneath. |
recognized the spot had visited years
before and just within could see the
box that contained the papers and
money. A few more steps and /
opened the box The papers were
there. At that very moment | heard
a noise like thunder, | looked upward
Scarcely 100 feet above a giant
boulder came tumbling down the
mountain side, crashing, against small
er rocks that were loosened by the i'm
pact. With the agility born of years
spent on the range, leaped to d
ledge below just as the rock crashed
on the spot where | stood a moment
before.
"The boulder smashed the ledge
upon which | had stood and rolled on
down the mountain side. That was
one of the biggest rock slides | ever
witnessed. The noise of the rocks as
they tumbIed into the valley rever-
berated for several seconds.
"'It was several hours before |
could pick my way safely down the
ledge and it was growing dusk wl1e1l
/ finally found way down the noun
tain side. | did not see Sheriff
Phelps, although | knew he was not
in the path of the boulder.
"'By picking my way carefully |
! u. .,,4o -.
as fate would have it, / took the
wrong direction. | emerged from the
canyon % miles from Flagstaff at a
little station and after laying over
there for night, caught freight
train that landed me at Flagstaff.
"I went directly to the hotel and
the manager there told me Mr. Phelps
and Mr. Johnson had left the day be-
fore and given me up for dead. They
thought | was buried beneath the
avalanche. This can be proven by the
ranger in charge of the government
reserve, to whom they reported i'm
mediately after the rockslide A party
of searchers had been looking among
the rocks for my body, / was told.
Il Immediately reported to the
4
| was safe, and would return to Mont
gomery, by May 20, the date my pa
! role expired.
| "'Reports that | attempted to e.
cape the officers are untrue. | wired
to friend of mine in Montgomery
for money, and boarded train for
Montgomery. | intended to stop oven
/ in Trinidad, Colo.
| "'When | reached Trinidad the Of
! ficers arrested me, and there | re-
mained until Mr. Johnson arrived from
4 Montgomery and we started on our
homeward journey safe and sound.
/ "SHad | been allowed few more
days | would have recovered the pa
pers and gold | want it understood
that | bear no i'll will for Mr.. Phelps
and Mr. Johnson. They put me on
! my honor and | have not violated it
They showed me every kindness and
did what they could to help me prove
my name and ancestry, but fate wa
against me, that's ALL
"The details as related by Sheriff
! Phelps differ materially from the
] story of Winnagle Sheriff Phelps
stated that he was invited to make
the trip as a guest of Mr.. Johnson
and Winnagle, who offered to pay his
4 expenses. The expenses of the trip
were borne by woman welfare work
er friend of Winnagle's, he said.
Sheriff Phelps stated that follow
4 ing the rockslide he saw no more of
Winnagle and, as he knew he was in
! the path of the avalanche, had given
/ him up as dead after obtaining the
4 opinion of the ranger on the reserve
He stated that he first learned
1 that Winnagle was alive when told by
/ the woman friend in Montgomery that
/ she had received a telegram from
Winnagle requesting money. There
/ was another source of information
Sheriff Phelps said, of which Win
nagle was ignorant, that divulged his
/ plans to escape after his arrival al
! Trinidad In this instance, it was also
/ a womans with whom he cohlmuni-
1 Gated, that gave his plans away.
/ "Sheriff Phelps made it clear thai
i ne was in no manner responsible for
the conduct of the prisoner and that
Winnagle was granted parole at the
request of Mr. johnson. His object
/ in making the trip was to accommo-
/ date his friend, Mr.. johnson and it
/ provided a good chance to see the
country without expense to himself
4 he said.
/ "Sheriff Phelps stated Winnagle
said he had cached six pounds of gold
nuggets, $4,000 in five dollar bills
and S35,00 in five dollar bills and ten
dollar bills in addition to the title pa
i pers.
/ "Winnagle, however, told reporter
that he had only about $4,000 in cash
/ in the dugout with the papers and
/ that he also had staked a claim to
mineral property near the canyon. He
! said the map showing location of the
I claim, was lost with the packhorse.
"Winnagle was sentenced to life i'm
prisonment June II, 1916 in the MUIR
/ der of a Tuscaloosa man. He escaped
/ from the Aldrich prison January l.
/ 1921 and was recaptured in Michigan
/ October, 1921 He was given a per
manent parole September A, 1924
which he violated and was received
back at Speigner prison, March y
/ 1925"
In the above will be noted the dis
i crenancies in the stories told by Win