Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/441

 midniofht.

Guided by  a  big  negro  the  majority  of  the  fugitives sought the  mountain  range  to  the  east,  but  shortly after, small  parties  were  reported  at  various  points, demanding food  and  clothes,  or  obliging  some  black- smith to remove  their  irons. Some appeared  at  an  Ind- ian camp, where  two  assumed  the  dress  of  the  warriors, and a  third  donned  the  habiliments  of  a  female aboriginal. The commiseration  of  a  ranchero  was  ex- cited by meeting  a  man  devoid  of  all  clothing  save his drawers,  shivering  before  the  piercing  wind  which swept the  valley  during  the  night. A party  of  six came upon  a  German  charcoal  burner,  and  tying  him to a  tree  they  made  off  with  his  four  horses. In this position he  was  found  six  hours  later  by  pursuing  citi- zens, muttering vengeance  loud  and  deep.

Despite the  pressure  of  hunger  and  weakness  from long confinement  the  convicts  baffled  their  pursuers for a  long  time,  while  reports  of  robberies  and  murders poured in  from  all  directions. After a  reprehensible delay of  eight  days  a  reward  was  offered  of  $200  or $300  per  head. This proved  an  incentive,  and  sev- eral captures were  made,  although  not  without  desper- ate encounters wherein  three  citizens  lost  their  lives. In one  place  three  ranchmen  followed  four  armed  con- victs, and watching  their  opportunity  they  covered them with  rifles. The prisoners  offered  the  tempting bribe of  $2,500,  to  be  released,  assuring  the  captors that a  secret  message  to  a  certain  person  would  be  re- sponded to by  a  masked  man,  who  should  pay  the money. Although tempted  to  secure  this  accomplice, and perhaps  the  money,  the  captors  preferred  the surer reward  of  $900. The story  was  commented upon as  indicating  powerful  coadjutors,  and  the  inac- tion of the  deputy  warden  during  the  melee  was  se- verely criticised.

At 3  o'clock  p.  M.  the  28th  of  October,  1877,  an- other break occurred  in  the  Nevada  state  prison which narrowly  escaped  being  a  serious  aflair. A deputy  warden,  Matthewson,  on  entering  the  shoe-