George C Contant was born 10 Apr 1864 in Mankato, MN to Jacob Contant (1830-1867) and Anna Maria Bohn (1835-1929).
Inmate:#2760 Folsom Prison
Rec: 3 Nov 1892
Crime: Robbery
Term: Life
Him and his brother John sometimes used their stepfather's last name. He was Mathias Jacob veteran of the Union Army during the American Civil War . Their mother married him after their father's death in 6 July 1867 in MN. George Contant however kept the original name though the two were usually called The Sontag Brothers. The two were frequent partners in crime. After he stole cigars from an employer, George Contant was sent to reform school in St. Paul, Minnesota. After a subsequent conviction for theft, Contant was imprisoned at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.
There was a prison break
Here are some newspaper articles about their prison break and capture, just click on the links to read them.1893
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71705419/george-c-sontag/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71705578/george-c-sontag/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71706099/george-c-sontag/
Below is a photo of John Sontag wounded at Battle of Stone Corral 1893
Below is their friend and partner in crime Chris Evans, after the shootout above this photo was taken he was shot in the eye and arm and had to have part of arm amputated, but he lived another day for another shoot out.
1895
1909
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71705822/george-c-sontag/
1912
1913
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71706289/george-c-sontag/
1917
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71707420/george-c-sontag/
There is a marriage record of George Contant married to Therese Landgraff (1865-1898) on October 11, 1887 in La Crosse, Wisconsin; they had at least one child George Contant (1887-1896).
Prison Lincoln, Antelope, Nebraska
For embezzling money from his employer he was arrested again and sent to the Nebraska State Prison. He was released in 1887.
John Sontag came to California to work for the Southern Pacific Transportation Company. While coupling rail cars in the company yard in Fresno his leg was crushed; he accused Southern Pacific of failure to care for his on-the-job wounds and their refusal to rehire him after he had healed. In 1889, John Sontag was working on the farm of Canadian Christopher "Chris" Evans near Visalia in Tulare County. Evans was outraged by Southern Pacific's high freight rates and the pressuring of landowners to sell their property to the railroad. This seizure of particularly valuable wheat-farming land is known as the Mussel Slough Tragedy. Later Sontag and Evans went on to lease a livery stable in Modesto, but after a year the structure burned and the horses were lost in the fire. At some point Sontag became engaged to Eva, daughter of Evans.
After the failure of the livery yard Sontag and Evans began robbing trains in such locations as Ceres, Goshen, Pixley, and Alila, later Earlimart. After each robbery, they would hide in remote places in the foothills of the Eshom Valley, such as Fort Defiance, or Roop's Fort near Susanville, California. The two would leave horses at the spot where they intended to stop the train and would then walk back to the depot and secretly board the train. When the train neared the spot with the waiting horses, the bandits would burst forth from their hiding locations and order the engineer to halt the train; they would dynamite the express car to gain access to the money on board. Finally, they would mount their waiting horses and make their getaway.
Sontag and Evans travelled to Minnesota where they met up with Sontag's brother George Contant, who had been released from Nebraska State Penitentiary in Omaha in 1887 after serving time for theft. On July 1, 1892, they robbed a train while riding along the Minnesota River between St. Peter and Kasota; they acquired nothing of much value, but their crime aroused the concern of Pinkerton detectives. A month later they travelled to California and robbed a train at Collis, now Kerman in Fresno County. They were more successful this time, netting $500 and bags of Mexican and Peruvian coins of no apparent value. Several days later, law-enforcement officers arrested Contant in connection with the crime, but Sontag and Evans fled and spent almost a year as fugitives.
Sontag and Evans were captured in what is now called the Battle of Stone Corral. Shots were fired by members of the posse sent from Visalia. Chris Evans surrendered, but as a result of the shootout he lost an eye and his left arm. Sontag was captured while lying in straw and manure near a deserted cabin at Stone Corral; he sustained severe wounds in the chest and forehead and died (from the wounds or tetanus) in Fresno while in custody. John Sontag is interred at Calvary Cemetery in Fresno; his tombstone lists his death as occurring in 1892, instead of 1893 so it erroneously indicates that he was 33 years, 6 months, and 4 days old at the time of his death.
George had a son with his first wife named George who died young, I found this newspaper article. His first wife died in 1898 his son died 1896 both while he was locked up.
His 2nd wife was Alice Brown Warbinton (1864–1928). Her funeral record below.
Her obit which mention other children they had.
George Contant was at Folsom State Prison where he was serving his sentence after being found guilty of train robbery in October 1892, he served fifteen years.
Here are some more newspaper articles, he asked several times for a pardon which I don't think he got. Then there are lots of stories written about him and his brother.
1937
1940
1968
2002
After release from prison he wrote an autobiography A Pardoned Lifer, with Opie Warner as his ghostwriter. He lectured in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and at the Mankato Opera House on the folly of living outside the law. About 1915, he produced a film, The Folly of a Life of Crime; there are no surviving copies. His last whereabouts are unknown, but in 1929 was listed as living in San Francisco in his mother's obituary.
The movie of his life:
Here's the link so you can read more about his movie, I tried to find it on YouTube for you but it's not there. Seems the movie is missing.
What a life and what a story to tell, George became reformed and he did give lectures on his life of crime.
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