Posse Foresees Gunfight With Fugitives

Lawmen on Thursday vowed that they were ready for another gun battle with a pair of “coldblooded killers” who slipped into rugged mountain country after fleeing deputies in a hail of bullets at a campground near here Monday.

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Chuck O’Reilly said the two men, escapees from California’s Vacaville prison, where both were serving time for murder convictions, were heavily armed and would probably “not be taken without a fight” when and if a 100-man posse manages to flush them from hiding in a land of thick timber, caves and steep gullies.

“They’re killers; they’re coldblooded killers,” Reilly said of the fugitives, who are also implicated in last week’s slayings of two Colorado survivalists. “They will show no remorse.”

A third person, thought to be a female accomplice picked up on their flight from Colorado, is believed to be with the suspects, who are identified as Steven Miller, 34, and John (Doc) Whitus, 36. Miller was convicted in 1976 of killing an Ontario, Calif., policeman. The men escaped from the California institution last year.

Search Narrowed

Though officers had so far failed to make contact with the fugitives, O’Reilly said he was “confident” that the suspects had not given the slip to ground and air search teams. He said deputies trailed three sets of fresh tracks on Wednesday and, on Thursday, had narrowed the focus of their search to an area of 8 to 10 square miles.

Meanwhile, highway patrol cruisers, responding to reports that the wife of one of the suspects might be in the area, stopped cars with Colorado license plates in a search for her.

O’Reilly said his teams had found no evidence that the fugitives had abandoned a heavy duffel bag filled with a cache of ammunition and arms, including a huge “elephant gun,” that they carted away from the campground after Monday’s shoot-out. The trio also is believed to be carrying topographical maps that could help them elude stalkers. However, in what may have been a twisted attempt to taunt lawmen, Whitus and Miller left at their campsite snapshots of themselves making obscene gestures and posing with weapons.

‘It’s Spooky’

Residents of the area, both those evacuated from the search zone and those who live outside it, were clearly growing impatient with the pace of the manhunt as they gathered in tiny Wolf Creek’s only bar and restaurant and ridiculed the competence of O’Reilly and his men.

“It’s funny up to a point but, let me tell you, at night when it gets dark it’s spooky,” said Chris Palmer, who lives on a ranch near town. “I’ve been here 11 years and I’ve never locked my doors, but they’re all locked now. My grandma’s staying with me because she doesn’t want to stay at her place by herself. And she’s got her shotgun sitting on the back porch.”

The manhunt is also proving to be a drain on the budget of the economically strapped Lewis and Clark County government, which recently ordered a 3% cutback in the $1.4-million annual budget for the sheriff’s office. Expenses for the first three days of the search topped $60,000, O’Reilly said.