PRINCETON, OREGON — The armed occupation of a wildlife refuge in eastern Oregon, which flashed into violent confrontation with law enforcement on Tuesday when eight members of the group were arrested and one was killed, appeared to be unravelling on Wednesday night when the jailed leader of the siege advised his followers to go home. For weeks, the occupation barely felt like a siege at all: The antigovernment militants came and went as they pleased, driving down snow-packed highways to attend community meetings and even going out for dinner. With little sign that law enforcement was about to move beyond surveillance, the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge became more theatre than threat.That changed on Tuesday night when the ringleaders, the Bundy brothers, Ammon and Ryan, were among eight arrested, and a leading protester, LaVoy Finicum was shot dead by the authorities during a traffic stop on a rural road.But late on Wednesday, after a court appearance in US Dis...
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