Infamous America - MANHUNT Ep. 2 | Claude Dallas: “The Standoff”

Episode Date: November 17, 2021

The confrontation between Claude Dallas and two Idaho game wardens turns deadly. In the remote Bull Basin area of the huge Owyhee Desert in southwestern Idaho, Dallas races to cover his tracks and escape into the wilderness. He knows every law enforcement agency in the country will be chasing him, and he proves he’s up to the challenge. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bingeable seasons: blackbarrel.supportingcast.fm/join For more details, please visit www.blackbarrelmedia.com. Our social media pages are: @blackbarrelmedia on Facebook and Instagram, and @bbarrelmedia on Twitter. This show is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please visit AirwaveMedia.com to check out other great podcasts like Ben Franklin’s World, Once Upon A Crime, and many more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claude Dallas had to work quickly. He was at his trapping camp in Bull Basin in a remote part of southwestern Idaho, but now he had to leave. There was no time to collect his traps and pack up his camp. He had more urgent needs. The first was to dump a human body. The dead man was heavy, and Claude wanted to haul him to a nearby river. He tried to use a mule to carry the body to the river, but the body kept falling off. Eventually, Claude used the mule to drag the dead man to the river.

Claude shoved the body into the water and pushed it away from the bank. For a moment, he stood and watched as the body floated along with the current. Then Claude pulled himself out of the trance and led the mule back to his camp. His friend, a farmer named Jim Stevens, sat on the ground catching his breath. He was the lone witness to the crime. But the label of witness needed an asterisk by it, as investigators and prosecutors would learn later. Jim Stevens had not witnessed a critical part of the past few minutes. But that didn't matter right now.

Jim was in it deep. He watched as Claude hurriedly grabbed the bare essentials that he would need to survive on the run, and then they had to figure out what to do with the second body. From Black Barrel Media, this is Infamous America. I'm your host, Chris Wimmer. In this season, we're telling two stories of American man hunts across six episodes. This is story number one, episode two, the standoff. By 1980, Claude Dallas was a full-time trapper, and his excursions became longer and more frequent.

He spent an entire season, or most of a season, in the wilderness by himself. He set up camp, hunted and trapped as much as he could, and then returned with pelts and meat to sell or give to his friends. Along the way, he set up a little operation with his buddy George Nielsen in the small community of Paradise Hill in northern Nevada. George ran a bar in town and let Claude crash in a trailer behind the establishment. Over the last 10 years or so, the two men had become close friends, despite their opposite personalities. Claude was quiet and introverted. George was talkative and outgoing. In their current business arrangement, Claude handled the trapping and George handled the distribution of whatever Claude brought back from his trips.

In the past six years, since Claude had returned from Ohio where he'd skirted charges of draft dodging on a technicality, he descended from a local fixture to a local legend. His reputation as a no-nonsense mountain man preceded him. As he had in his younger days, Claude answered questions with very few. few words. He was naturally quiet, and in the late 60s and early 70s, he was incentivized to keep his mouth shut as he avoided the military draft for the Vietnam War. And now, after spending so much time alone as a trapper, and with an added dose of paranoia about law enforcement, he conversed even less. The main exception seemed to be the times when he railed against

the government and regulations. Claude had cultivated a certain mystique. He wasn't a big man, but everyone knew him, and they wanted to do things for him, and that included helping him live in the wilderness. Sometimes his friends delivered supplies right to his camp, and that was how Jim Stevens ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jim was a potato farmer in Winamucka, a small town of about 8,000 people that straddles Interstate 80 in the high desert of northern Nevada. And if you feel like you've heard the name Winamucka before,

You probably have. It's in the first line of the famous song, I've been everywhere. You've probably heard the Johnny Cash version from 1996 when he teamed up with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to give the song new life. It was written in 1959 by an Australian singer who used 90 cities in Australia to populate the song. It was adapted as an American travel log by country music legend Hank Snow in 1962. Then it achieved everlasting fame more than 30 years later with Cash and Petty.

But in 1980, the Hank Snow version was well in the past, and the Johnny Cash version was way in the future. And Claude Dallas had his eyes on a new campsite called Bull Basin in the southwest corner of Idaho, a couple hundred miles from Winamucka. Bull Basin was the definition of remote. It was in a huge desolate county that was bigger than the state of Connecticut. but had a fraction of the people. It was in one of the least populated counties

in one of the least populated states in the country. And that was perfect for Claude Dallas. Claude admitted Jim Stevens at George Nielsen's bar. And when Claude decided to set up camp at Bull Basin, George and Jim made the six-hour trip with Claude to help him get settled. It was early December 1980. They parked on the rim of a canyon, and Claude chose a spot in the basin below.

He brought two mules along and began transporting supplies down to his base camp. Before the three men parted ways, they came up with a protocol for dropping off supplies. Whoever made the delivery would drive to the rim of the canyon, fire two warning shots, wait for 10 minutes, and then fire two more shots. Claude would then respond with a single shot, and then he would head up to meet the visitor. It was a security measure as well as a signal system. him. Claude tried to protect himself against unwanted guests, but as he would learn in the near future, that was easier said than done. As George and Jim prepared to leave, Jim remarked that he

was struck by the beauty of the area and of the potential to bring a metal detector out here to see what might be buried in the ground. Claude, in a moment of hospitality, invited Jim to come back soon when his camp was finished. A few weeks later, Jim took him. clawed up on the invitation, and that was how he ended up at the camp on the day that changed everything. Bull Basin was in a remote part of Idaho. That was true, but it wasn't completely empty. Claude's camp was just a few miles from a ranch called the 45, which was run by Don Carlin and his son Eddie. The ranch was on public land, so technically it didn't belong to the Carlins. The land was overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, and the Carlins came down here for the winter.

They didn't own the land, but they protected it as if they did. One of Eddie's responsibilities was to scan the area for poachers and their illegal traps. Just a few days after Claude arrived, Eddie spotted his camp from afar. Eddie didn't know who was camping in the basin, but he spoke to his father about it. Both were confused and annoyed. The 45 was a well-known, well-publicized ranch. For someone to hunt and trap that close to it was either the result of negligence or disregard. And if it was the latter, then it came down to the principle of it all. Hunting and trapping on someone else's land was considered stealing. On December 31st, 1980, Eddie went to talk to the man at the new camp. Eddie arrived at Bull Basin and looked around the

operation. The trapper was gone for the moment. but Eddie saw that the camp was stocked for the better part of a season. Eddie also saw bobcat pelts that looked fresh. The hunting season didn't start for another nine days, so whoever set up the camp had killed the animals illegally. Eddie spotted the poacher a short distance away. The man returned to his camp and introduced himself as Claude Dallas. Eddie realized he had actually met this guy before.

Eddie and his father had both met Claude Dallas, but on separate occasions. When they compared notes later, they learned they both had the same impression of the man. Claude was a strange guy who might have a quick trigger finger. Eddie had that feeling again now. The whole time they talked, Claude had a revolver strapped to his hip.

It looked like a large caliber weapon, and Eddie knew he didn't want this situation to escalate any further than a discussion. The two men agreed not to cross each other, boundaries. Claude would keep his traps off to Carlin's land, and the Carlins would make sure that their own traps didn't intersect with Claude's. Still, Eddie couldn't ignore the fact Claude was clearly in violation of local hunting laws. He warned Claude that the wardens would be along soon enough to inspect everyone's traps. Claude gave an ominous reply. Whoever came to

his camp, he would be ready for them. For Eddie, that seemed like a good place to be a good place. to end the conversation. He went home with an uneasy feeling. Poachers were one thing, but Claude seemed like something else altogether. A few days later, at the beginning of 1981, Don and Eddie found illegal traps on their property, but the traps didn't belong to Claude. They were from other trappers whom the Carlins knew. Don and Eddie called the Idaho Fish and Game Department. The warden who picked up the phone was a well-known man. named Bill Pogue. The Carlins told Pogue about the illegal traps and asked if he could come take a look. Pogue said he would. The only other warden available at the time was a man named

Conley Elms. Elms agreed to go as well, and a couple hours later, they arrived at the Carlin house. Eddie told the wardens about the illegal traps, and then the officers asked if there was anything else they needed to know. Eddie's wife Joanne mentioned Claude Dallas. She wasn't thrilled at the idea of a man like Claude stalking the area and she wanted him gone. Eddie added that there was something a little off about Claude. He was always armed, so if the wardens were going to confront him, they should exercise extreme caution. Bill Pogue and Conley Elms assured the Carlins that they would be careful. Eddie agreed to show them the area and the E. League. traps and the three men headed back to Bull Basin. If this story was created for a movie,

the characters would have been set up just the way they were in real life. Conservation Officer Bill Pogue's philosophy was the exact opposite of Claude Dallas's philosophy. Pogue was strict. He was precisely the kind of lawmen that Claude and George Nielsen railed against. On one occasion, Pogue was prepared to confiscate a deer that a hunter had killed illegally. The animal was the only source of food for the hunter's family, but Pogue didn't want to let it slide. Another officer had to step in and convince Pogue to let the hunter have the deer. And now, the strict lawman was about to meet a hunter who had nothing but disdain for law enforcement. When Pogue, Elms, and Eddie Carlin arrived at the stretch of land with the illegal traps,

the officers deputized Eddie to clear them out. The lawmen continued to Bull Basin to find Claude Dallas. This would be the second time Pogue and Dallas crossed paths. The first was just over a year earlier in another part of Idaho. Claude was staying at a trapping cabin, and he returned one day to find a business card at the site. On one side of the card it said William H. Pogue, and on the other side it said, I'll check on you later. There was no big confrontation that time, and despite Claude's reputation, neither Pogue nor Elms seemed worried. Eddie Carlin and his wife Joanne seemed a little shaken up, but the wardens had dealt with difficult hunters and trappers before.

And after all, Claude was just one man. And that's what they saw at Claude's camp, a setup that was large enough for one man. Just as Eddie had told them, there was a tent and supplies and bobcat pelts. The wardens announced themselves, and Claude presented himself in turn. They told him to hand over his pistol, and Claude complied. They removed the bullets, but neither officer knew that Claude had a second gun, a 357 revolver hidden in his jacket. it. Claude showed the wardens his license, and then Pogues started with the questions.

He asked if Claude knew that the bobcat pelts had been harvested out of season. He asked about some of the meat that Claude had strung up. Claude defended himself on that point. He said it didn't matter if the meat had been harvested out of season. He was hours away from the nearest town, and it was a source of food. Pogue was unconvinced. Over the course of the conversation, Claude's first friend, Jim Stevens appeared. He was in Bull Basin, in part to bring supplies to Claude. He was also there to

take Claude up on the invitation to stay at the camp. Like they had with Claude, Pogue and Elms demanded Jim's gun, if he had one. He did, and the wardens took it and removed the bullets. Then they continued to question Claude. The conversation grew heated. Pogue said he would have to issue a citation for the illegal kills, maybe even arrest Claude. Then Elms went to have a look inside Claude's tent. Claude protested and said they needed a warrant. Pogue and Elms reminded Claude he was on public land. They didn't need a warrant.

Elms entered the tent and came out with more pelts. It was damning evidence, and the situation was heading in a bad direction for Claude. And the whole scene was too much for Jim Stevens. He'd come out here to relax and to hunt for buried treasures with his metal detector. Now he'd stepped into a hot situation that looked like it could explode. He took a few steps back and looked away. And at that moment, he heard two loud noises behind him, one right after another.

Later, he said they happened so fast he didn't know which one came first. But he heard a gunshot and someone say, oh no. Jim spun around and saw Claude Unload the hidden 357 Magnum at Pogue and Elms. Both men crashed to the ground. Then Claude went into his tent and emerged with a 22 rifle. Claude cocked it and then shot each warden once behind the ear like he would have done with an animal that had been caught in one of his traps.

Jim stared in shock and horror. In under a minute, the whole world changed for four men. Two were dead on the ground. Jim was a stunned witness, and Claude was saying he wasn't going to let himself get caught again. He was sorry for getting Jim involved in all this, but now he needed help getting rid of the bodies. Claude decided to move the body of Conley Elms first.

Plan A was to transport him somewhere and hide the body, but it wouldn't be an easy task. Elms was more than six feet tall and built with a heavy frame. For Plan B, Claude suggested quartering the body and moving the officer piece by piece, but neither he nor Jim had the stomach for that. So it was back to Plan A. Claude chose to dump the body in the nearby river. He struggled the body up onto the bigger of the two mules, and they started toward the river.

But the mule had trouble with Elm's weight, and then Elm's body fell off the mule multiple times. Eventually, Claude gave up on that plan and moved on to the next one. Claude tied one end of a rope to the mule's saddle and the other end to Conley Elms. The mule dragged the officer's body toward the river. Jim followed close behind and covered up the tracks and the drag marks. When Claude and the mule got close to the water, Claude untied the body and shoved it into the river. Then he watched for a moment as the body of Conservation Officer Conley,

Elms floated away with the current. When Claude returned to his camp, he had to figure out what to do with the body of Bill Pogue. Claude needed more help from Jim Stevens. Jim was tired and distraught and maybe a little afraid. Whether it was from fear or friendship or a little of both, he continued to assist. Claude wanted to move Pogue's body far away from Bull Basin. To do that, he would need to transport it in Jim's Chevy Blazer. They hauled the body to the blazer and loaded it in the back. Claude packed a few possessions into Jim's vehicle, and then he took one final precaution. He set fire to the ground that the bodies had touched.

He tried to burn away blood and fibers and any other evidence that could make it look like a crime scene. Claude and Jim piled into the blazer and fled the Bull Basin campsite. As they drove, Claude laid out his case. He said it was justifiable homicide. According to Claude, Bill Pogue was pulling a gun. Claude had no choice but to draw his revolver and fire in self-defense. Jim didn't have much to say. He hadn't seen the beginning of the altercation.

He hadn't seen an officer reach for a gun. But Jim certainly wasn't going to argue. Right now he was more concerned about his own life. and the best way to stay alive was to cooperate with Claude. They drove down the interstate, taking care to avoid any onlookers. Several hours later, they arrived in Paradise Hill. It was now the night of January 5, 1981. Claude and Jim went straight to the home of their friend George Nielsen.

Claude pounded on the door and called urgently for George. When George finally woke up and came to the door, he listened to information that virtually no one expects to hear when they get dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. Claude explained he had killed two men, two conservation officers, and he needed George's truck and tools. He had to hide one of the bodies. George took a minute to process the story.

His initial shock wore off quickly, and he agreed to help. George filled the gas tank in his truck and gave Claude a shovel. Then they moved Bill Pogue's body from the blazer to the pickup, and Claude climbed in behind the wheel and drove away into the night. Jim Stevens took a shower at George Nielsen's house and changed into a new set of clothes. George's wife Liz burned Jim's old clothes. They were covered in the blood of the two dead game wardens. Jim was exhausted and overwhelmed, and he drove home to try to sleep. A few hours later, Claude returned to the Nielsen home.

The bed of the pickup was empty, and Claude said nothing about his activities. Now it was time for Claude to vanish. George loaded some supplies into the truck and then climbed in with Claude. George drove them out of town and headed south. While they drove, Claude repeated some of the things he'd said to Jim as they fled Bull Basin. He maintained that Bill Pogue and Conley, Elms had it coming. But he did admit the whole thing was sloppily carried out, though there was nothing that could be done about it now. When the two men had driven about 13 miles, they stopped

at a side road that led into the desert. As Claude stepped out of the truck, George handed him $100. Claude warned George that the police were going to come down hard in the following days, as if George wasn't already aware. Claude told George not to try to come to come. contact him. Claude would be the one to reach out, if at all. Then Claude Dallas closed the door and disappeared. George returned home and waited to see what kind of storm would rise from all this, and he didn't have to wait long. The next day, Jim Stevens made a decision. He couldn't keep the secret. Over the years, there'd been plenty of talk at George Nielsen's bar about having no problem killing law enforcement officials.

But now it had actually happened. Claude Dallas certainly proved he meant what he said. But it was time to choose for the three people who were now accomplices. Jim drove to the local hospital where Liz Nielsen worked as a nurse. He said the pressure was too great and they were all in too deep. If there was any chance to get through this, they had to go to the authorities. Liz agreed. and the two of them convinced George to come along.

The trio met with a Humboldt County prosecutor and told the whole story. When the tale was finished, the prosecutor called the county sheriff in Idaho and told him there had been a double homicide in his jurisdiction. The killer was on the loose somewhere in the vast desert of northern Nevada. He had a day's head start. He knew the terrain, and he was armed and extremely dangerous. They needed to mobilize. and hunt the man down.

Next time on Infamous America, Claude Dallas goes on the run, not once but twice. He proves he can evade the authorities, but everyone's luck runs out at some point. That's next week on Infamous America. And members of our Black Barrel Plus program don't have to wait week to week.

They receive the entire season to binge all at once with no commercials. Sign up now through the link in the show notes or on our website, Blackbarrelmedia.com. Memberships began at just $5 per month. This season was co-executive produced by Steve Walters in association with ritual productions.

Research and writing by Dante Flores. Original music by Rob Valier. Audio editing and sound design by Dave Harrison. I'm your host and producer, Chris Wimmer. Find us at our website, blackbarrelmedia.com or on our social media channels. We're Black Barrel Media on Facebook and Instagram and B-Barrell Media on Twitter. And you can stream all our episodes on YouTube.

Just search for Infamous America Podcast. This show is part of the Airwave Media Podcast Network. Please visit airwavemedia.com to check out other great podcasts like Ben Franklin's World, Once Upon a Crime, and many more. Thanks for listening.