Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 February 1894 — A PICTURESQUE OUTLAW. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A PICTURESQUE OUTLAW.

Chris Evan*, One of the Most Daring Bandits of the West. The most audacious bandit in California is Chris Evans, who has recently escaped from the Fresno State prison, where he was serving a life sentence for train robbery, murder and other crimes. Evans is one of the picturesque class of outlaws of whom Bret Hai-te delights to tell in his stories. For seme years Evans ■ has been at the head of a gang of bandits who roamed through the mountains and valleys of the Golden State, committing depredations of all kinds. Their most daring exploit was the robbery of a train in the San Joaquin valloy. On the night of August 3, 1892, three of the gang, Evans and George and John Sontag, boarded an express train at Callis, a little station out on the plains, blew open the express car with dynamite bombs and then, afler seriously wounding the messenger, escaped, with

three sacks of gold coin. George Sontag was speedily captured; but it took nine months to arrest the other two, during which time railroad, United States, State and county detectives, Pinkertons, Mojave Indians and amateur man hunters were actively engaged in the hunt. A deputy United States marshal and posse finally surrounded the two men in a cabin near Vi -al’a. The usual desperate battle followed, and during it Sontag was wounded so that he could not move, and Evans so badly that he could only crawl. When darkness came on the bandits still held their position, and Evans saw a chance to crawl awav. Sontag lugged his companion to kill him before leaving, but Evans refused. The posse then captured Sontag, but Evans escaped. He managed to reach the house of a woman he believed to be a sympathizer, but was there loti-ayed. Sontag died. When the time came for Evans’ trial there was no money for his defense. However, his wife and 16-year-old daughter interested a theatrical speculator, a play was written in which her husband s career was depicted, and this the mother and daughter presented throughout California. They drew immense hcuse3, and made money enough to procure for Evans the best legal talent in the State, with the result that he secured a life sentence, instead of death which he so richly deserved. His wife and a waiter smuggled revolvers into the prison at Fresno, and got them into Evans’ hands. The latter immediately held up the jailer and escaped.

CHRIS EVANS