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Special to the
MERCURY.
VISALIA, August 8.---The shooting at
the robbers which was reported yesterday was confirmed to-day by the two men
who did it.
Their story is that they followed
the trail of the mule and cart to Nigger creek, twenty-five miles east of this
city. The trail finally turned back toward town. Soon they saw the mule hitched
to a tree a hundred yards from the road in a deep canyon. Here they waited
until they heard the voice of one man calling another. Finally a man
approaching the cart struck a match to light a cigar or pipe and the watchers
fired two shots at him with Winchester rifles.
The men in the canyon then made for the bush. This shooting took place at 9
o'clock Saturday night. As the two men were alone they waited for help, which
did not arrive until the next morning. The two men who shot at the robbers
claim to have found blood in the canyon and think they wounded the robbers.
They say the robbers after the shooting, went to their horses they had staked
in the brush 200 yards away and rode off towards Wilcox canyon. They further
claim to have found footprints of horses the next morning on the trail. This
statement is not verified by the party who arrive on the ground Saturday
morning. the majority of those returning, acknowledge that the trail of the
robbers was lost from the fact that the pursued had got among the rocks where
not footprints were left. There is high mountains north of Nigger creek, and
once on top of it the robbers could see two or three roads leading to the
mountains, and along which the pursuers would have to travel... [there is a
series of speculations here about what the robbers may have done].
Sheriff Kay is confident the robbers will be
captured, though it may be several days hence. He starts for the mountains
tonight with twenty-two picked men, well provided with provisions.
All but two of the Visalia posse which was in pursuit
of the robbers have returned, the last coming in this morning.
The party visited Evans' mine at Sampson flat and
found dynamite and caps hidden away. A bundle of letters addressed to George
Sontag was found there. They were from his wife in Minnesota, and were
addressed to him at various points, showing that he did not come directly from
the East as he claimed. These letters show him to be an untruthful man.
An effort was made this morning to organize a party
to go to Inyo county with Detective Will Smith. Those who were approached
refused to accompany Smith, saying that they had no confidence in him.
Deputy Sheriff Witty is still cheerful. He still has
pain in his side. There is some fear of pneumonia. As soon as possible he will
be removed to his sister's home in Alameda county to get out of this hot
country.
L. D. Whitty, a neighbor of the Evans
family, saw a team drive into Evans' barn at 8:30 to-night. He believed the
occupants were Evans and Sontag, the escaped robbers. He immediately sent a boy
to town to inform the officers and 100 men were soon surrounding the place.
Sheriff Kay stationed men at all roads and in fields. There was no near
approach made to the barn, but a team was sent to town to bring out Frank Byrd,
brother-in-law of Evans, and have him go into the house, but he refused, saying
Evans or Sontag would kill him as quick as any one. When the Associated Press
reporter left the scene at 10 o'clock, the question of getting the Evans family
out of the house was being discussed. When the family was out of the way it was
the plan to burn the barn and the house also if necessary.
Sheriff Kay received word to-day that Evans had
bought a team from a part on Sand Creek, sixteen or eighteen miles from the
city. It was not believed the man was daring enough to come on the plains and
return to the house. The man who saw the team go into the barn is reliable. Men
were sent to town for more guns and ammunition. The officers said they were not
at all surprised that the bandits had returned. They intimated that they had
expected such a move on the part of the robbers.
About 11 o'clock Sheriff Kay awakened Mrs. Evans and
asked if her husband was there. She replied he was not and she got up from bed
and accompanied Kay to the barn with a lighted candle in her hand. At the barn
door she hesitated a moment, then entered the barn. There was no sign of wagon
or men. |
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