A Pardoned Lifer

Summary

In the tumultuous aftermath of a Sioux uprising and the massacre at New Ulm, Minnesota, the Sontag brothers, George and John, find themselves entwined in a life of outlawry alongside Chris Evans, driven by an insatiable lust for wealth. Their escapades as train robbers are marked by daring heists and narrow escapes, evading the relentless pursuit of sheriffs and federal agents, who employ bloodhounds and Native American trackers in their quest for capture. The narrative unfolds as a cat-and-mouse game, with the outlaws utilizing their cunning and violence to evade capture, until the eventual downfall of the group, marked by the capture of George, the maiming and capture of Chris, and the fatal shooting of John.

Synopsis

After a Sioux uprising and massacre at New Ulm, Minnesota, brothers George and John Sontag form an outlaw band with Chris Evans, largely because of greed. They engineer several successful and spectacular train robberies before a sheriff's posse and Federal officials begin to trail them. The bandits, chased by bloodhounds and Indians employed to capture them, elude their pursuers until George is captured. John and Chris continue for ten months, during which time they visit their homes three times and escape after killing several deputies. During one return, they escape a burning barn and shoot their way through the surrounding posse. On their fourth return home, Chris's eye is shot out and he is captured, while John is shot dead.