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The convicts had little to eat for some days, and awoke very early that fateful Saturday morning. Jones, the ring leader, and 2 others went toward Monte Diablo Lake, what is now Convict Lake, to look for food. All they could find were Rose Hip berries, which, if you either take a horseback ride with us or a hike, you will see them, still growing all along the North Shore of the lake.

While Jones and the two others were looking for food, the posse went up Monte Diablo Creek towards the eastern end of the deep cut where Convict Lake now lies. The Convicts were waiting in hiding on the south side of the creek. In the first exchange of gunfire, the convict named Roberts was shot in the both his shoulder and foot and crawled off into the undergrowth.

The other two convicts, named Morton and Black kept firing, which drove the posse, except Sheriff Morrison, back into the woods. All of a sudden, Morrison had a clear shot at Black, he pulled the trigger, the pistol cap exploded, but the gun didn't fire.  Black turned and shot Morrison in the side.  Then he walked up to Morrison and shot him in the back of the head, killing him instantly. Morton and Black then took some pistols and horses left behind by the fleeing posse and headed up the canyon to get away.

Soon they came upon the Indian Deputy Guide named Mono Jim. He mistook them for the posse and called out to them. It was a fatal mistake! They chased him down and Morton shot him through the eye, killing him straight away. Morton, Black and Roberts hooked up and fled south towards Bishop. It was never known how Jones and the other two Convicts escaped the shootout. Jones, the leader who, by killing Billy Poor, brought the local posse's hornet's nest onto them, disappeared and was never heard from again.                                 Read on . . .