Evans - Horse theif
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Friday, 18 September 1891
New Ross, Sept. 18—Last evening a well dressed stranger alighted from the Midland local at this place. He gave his name as J. J. Rhineham and began to wander aimlessly about the streets. He acted in a very peculiar manner, as though suffering from mental aberration and stated that he wished to go to Danville, Ills. About 8:30 o’clock William Evans arrived in town with his road cart, and hitching it, proceeded up town to transact some business. When no one was observing him, Rhineham untied the horse and driving around the town and started rapidly in the direction of Indianapolis. When Evans returned a few minutes later he missed the horse and at once gave the alarm. A party of men was organized at once and started in pursuit. Mr. Evans and Dr. Bronaugh, coroner of Montgomery County, got on a hot trail and when a short distance above Lizton, they met the thief coming back toward New Ross. He seemed unmindful of his surroundings and when Mr. Evans leaping from the buggy seized the bits of the stolen horse, Rhinehan persisted in driving on. Seeing that he would be unable to hold him, Mr. Evans hastily drew his revolver and fired point blank at the thief’s head. The bullet entered the corner of his left eye and ranging downward found lodgment somewhere in the head. Rhinehan fell from the cart as if dead and lay senseless by the roadside. Mr. Evans and Dr. Bronaugh put him in the cart and drove back with him to Lizton where they and a local surgeon examined his wound. They pronounced the wound fatal and death only a question of hours. Messrs. Evans and Bronaugh with their party returned here this morning. They had consulted the prosecuting attorney of Hendricks County and he would have nothing to do with Mr. Evans.
Source: Crawfordsville Daily Journal Saturday 19 September 1891
The horse thief who was shot in the eye by Wm Evans, of New Ross, night before last, and whose death was expected all day yesterday displayed unusual nerve last night. He lay in the hotel at Lizton apparently sinking with a 38 calibre ball in his head. When the freight passenger train west bound stopped at the station, the thief suddenly arose and staggered out of the hotel and onto the street. The constable refused to arrest the man and he boarded the train and was carried on west. Rhinehan, the wounded man, stated that his home is in Indianapolis and he has a family there. No word has been received from him since he left Lizton.
Source: Weekly Argus News 26 Sept 1891 p 4
Thursday evening young Buck Evans, son of Burk Evans drove to New Ross from his home a few miles north of there and hitched his horse to a hitch rack. A stranger stepped off of a Big 4 train and drove away with Evans’ horse and cart. The thief was soon discovered and Evans and a constable started in pursuit. At Pittsboro, east of Jamestown they caught up with the thief. Evans jumped out of the buggy in which he had made the race and grabbed the stolen horse by the bit. The thief made some kind of a move whereupon Evans drew a revolver from his pocket and shot him through the head, killing him instantly.
Source: Same
The horse thief who was shot near Pittsboro Thursday night by “Buck” Evans of New Ross was not killed so dead after all. The bullet entered his left eye and ranged downward. After Evans drove away with horse the man got on a train bound for Indianapolis and that is the last heard of him.