(Transcription from Nita Van Cleave. Transcription
includes original spellings)
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THEIR LAST
BATTLE |
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Bloody Fight With Evans and
Sontag
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The Notorious Bandits of California
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After a
Running Fire with the Four Officers
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Evans
Escapes, Leaving a Trail of Blood
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And there
Is All Probability of His Capture Soon - Sontag Talks Freely Although Suffering
Greatly And Thinks His Race Is About Run - Fate of Officers Who Previously
Attempted to Capture Them.
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Visalia, Cal., June
12, -- After a search extending over two months and after six encounters the
notorious train robbers, John Sontag and Chris Evans, last night met four
deputy U.S. marshals and as a result of the encounter which followed Sontag was
wounded, possibly fatally, and is now in custody, having been brought here this
forenoon. His companion, Evans, escaped after firing forty shots at his
pursuers. Where he made his stand last night he left his hat and two empty
guns, and the ground was found covered with blood this morning, indicating that
he, too, is wounded. Being without guns or ammunition it is thought he will be
captured. |
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Four Brave Officers |
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The four officers
who made the attack upon the bandits were U.S. Marshall Gard and his depty,
Edward Rapelja, a deputy sheriff from Fresno county, Fred Jackson, and officer
from Nevada, and Thomas Burns, who was with Black at Camp Badger when the
latter was shot by the robbers last month. The officers have been in the
mountains for a week looking for the robbers, and Sunday afternoon encamped at
a vacant house twelve miles northeast from this city. About twenty minutes
before sunset Rapelja went to the rear door of the house and saw two men come
down the hill and toward the place. On closer observation it was discovered
that the men were Evans and Sontag. The former was in the lead and carried a
rifle and shotgun, and Sontag was armed with simply a rifle. Rapelja turned
around to his comrades in the house and said: "Hello, here comes two men down
the hill." He did not know positively who they were, but judged from their
appearance and arms that they carried that they were the outlaws. Jackson went
to the door where Rapelja was standing and said: "They are the men we have been
looking for." |
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Forty Shots Exchanged |
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The two men woke up
Burns and Gard, who were asleep. They jumped up quickly and grabbed their guns
and prepared to make a fight. The officers went out of the front door of the
house and as they went around back of the corner Evans saw Rapelja and,
throwing this Winchester to his shoulder, took deliberate aim and fired. Just
then Jackson stepped around behind Rapelja and fired at the bandits. Sontag
threw up both hands and fell backward. Then the firing became general and Evans
returned the shots with a vengeance. Evans got behind an old rubbish pile, out
of sight, but kept up a terrible raking fulisade. Jackson went around the far
end of the house to see if he could get a better place form which to shoot. As
he went around he was shot in the leg between the knee and the ankle. He told
Rapelja he was shot, but told him to keep up the fight and not to give it up.
About forty shots were exchanged between the officers and the bandits, but the
sun went down and darkness ended the battle. Evans was seen to crawl on his
stomach from behind the rubbish pile and Rapelja again opened fire on
him. |
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Too Hot For Evans |
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Evans then arose to
his feet and ran toward the hills followed by Rapelja, who continued firing.
Evans did not return the fire and in a few minutes was out of sight. Rapelja
returned to the house and procuring a wagon brought Jackson to town after
midnight. Marshall Gard and Burns remained at the scene until morning. Sontag
lay behind a small stack of hay all night, where he was found by Gard and
Burns. Sontag says he spit blood all night. There is a glancing wound along his
forehead and on each side of his nose. It is claimed that he inflicted these
wounds himself, though this is denied. Evans' tracks show that he started
toward Visalia and his home will be watched day and night. Sontag talks freely.
He says the jig is up and he does not care for his future. It is possible that
Sontag may recover from his wounds though the attending physicians will express
no decided opinion. Officers are now searching the hills in the hope of finding
Evans and completing at once the long chase. |
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Their Crimes |
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The train robbery,
which was the beginning of this criminal chapter, occurred at a station near
Collis, near Fresno, Cal., Aug. 3, 1892. An express car was blown up with
dynamite, and Express Manager, George D. Roberts, seriously injured. Officers
soon arrested George Sontag at the house of Chris Evans in this city. He was
afterwards tried and sent to the penitentiary for life. When an attempt was
made to arrest Evans, he and John Sontag opened fire on the officers, wounding
George Witty. In a second encounter, Oscar Weaver, an officer, was killed in
front of Evans' house. On Sept. 14 Andrew McGinnis and Victor Wilson were
killed in the mountains by the bandits and two other officers were wounded. On
May 26 S.J. Black, another officer, was wounded by the bandits in the
mountains. No previous criminal incident in the history of California has
occasioned greater public interest. Until the train robbery occurred Evans had
borne a good reputation and great surprise was shown when the crime was traced
to his door. He is an educated man, a native of Canada, and it is said that his
early schooling was to fit him for the priesthood. He has a wife and children
living in this city. The two Sontag brothers lived in Minnesota, coming to this
state a few years ago. |
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Sontag said he and
Evans had not a cent of money for a month, but did not intend to hold up a
train. They would have left the mountains only they has no money or clothing.
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"When I was shot
last night," he said, "I asked Chris to shoot me, but he would
not."
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