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CHAPTER TWENTY Wanted: Horse Thieves THERE WAS STILL the matter of the whereabouts of Evans, Canfield, and LaRue, who had fled Wallowa County. The only indication anyone so much as thought about pursuing them was the written appeal from the former U.S. senator, James Slater, seeking federal help to track them down. But when the government brushed off the appeal, Slater apparently dropped the matter. In addition to being charged with murder, Evans and Canfield also were wanted on rustling charges resulting from the theft of the horses entrusted to Evans by the rancher, Fred Nodine. Records of this case were also found in the county safe, no doubt placed there by whoever stashed the murder trial records. In contrast to the spotty information on the massacre, I was surprised to find the records on the rustling case had been maintained in meticulous detail. An example was this handwritten account by Justice of the Peace J. J. Stanley of Evans’ arrest on May 30, 1877, and Evans’ subsequent court appearances after being charged with “altering and defacing” brands on six horses. May 23. Information filed and warrant issued and placed in the hands of Thomas Humphrey for the arrest of the said Bruce Evans. May 30. The defendant brought before me and informed of the charge against him. He then asked for time to procure counsel and witnesses. Examination set for 10 o’clock of the 31st. May 31. Subpoenas for John Nodine, A. Beckelheimer, William Martin, William Newby, George Ferguson, O. C. Oleson and T. Humphrey as witnesses issued on behalf of the state. May 31. Subpoenas for Omer Larue [sic] and Robert McMillan as witnesses on behalf of the defendant. May 31. Examination opened and the following witnesses sworn in on behalf of the state [sic] William Martin, J. A. McAdams, William Newby, O. C. Olesen and George Ferguson. The examinations on behalf of the state closed, and the defendant was informed that it is his right to make a statement … The defendant waived his right to make 130 Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon [sic] statement and it appearing from the evidence that the defendant has committed the crime of altering and defacing a brand as charged in the information on file, he is held to answer the same in the sum of two thousand dollars.1 The rustling case and the massacre were inextricably linked. The massacre started on May 25, two days after an arrest warrant had been issued for Evans on May 23, and five days before his arrest on May 30. Vaughan’s faked attempt to serve Evans with a subpoena on May 11—to give evidence in the rustling case against Canfield—would have alerted Evans that authorities were closing in. When arrested, Evans lacked the money to post his bond, set at two thousand dollars, even though he earlier had helped Canfield with his bail following his arrest on May 10. But Canfield’s bail had been set lower, at eight hundred dollars. Evans may have been considered a greater flight risk, although, as it turned out, Canfield proved no less a risk. It may also have been indicative of Evans’ fading fortunes that no one stepped forward on his behalf to post bond. Findley wrote in his history that Evans’ escape from custody on June 15 was planned by other gang members, who had slipped him a message advising “that at a certain hour he would find a loaded revolver in the outdoor toilet and a saddled horse would be waiting at the intersection of a certain street.”2 Other gang members may have arranged his escape because they were afraid he would implicate them in the massacre, which county authorities still hadn’t discovered. Or they may have freed him to get their share of the stolen gold. Or, out of comradery. Findley linked Evans’ escape to the supposed confession of one of the younger gang members to the murders. But Findley had to have been mistaken. Vaughan’s confession, and the grand jury indictments, were still months away. Moreover, Findley said the escape occurred six months after the murders, when court records revealed it was only two weeks later. Horner, who provided additional details of the escape, didn’t link Evans’ flight to a confession. He named Vaughan and Hughes as the gang members who helped Evans escape, adding the detail that not one, but two, revolvers were stashed in the outhouse. [18.117.165...

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