Buffalo Bill Cody's Colt Frontier Six-Shooter

Dear Friends,

In my article Doc Holliday’s Derringer Returns To Colorado, I talked about an 1866 Remington derringer thought to have belonged to Doc Holliday. It turned out to be a fake. After I posted that article, a few of you have written to ask me about other such auctions.

The first thought that hit me was when I read about how Buffalo Bill Cody's Colt Frontier Six-Shooter was auctioned off in June of 2014. While not as juicy a story as what took place with the Doc Holliday derringer that turned out to be a fake, I think this shows the value of collectibles connected to Old West figures.

As most already know, William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was an Army scout, a buffalo hunter, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a showman and entertainer. He is said to have started working at the age of 11 after the death of his father. He later became a rider for the Pony Express at the age of 14. At age 17, in 1863, he enlisted as a teamster with the rank of private in the Union Army. He was part of Company H, 7th Kansas Cavalry, during the American Civil War and served the Union until the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars. As the result of what he did during one engagement in 1872, he received the Medal of Honor as a civilian Scout. 

In December of 1872, Cody was in Chicago to make his stage debut with his friend Texas Jack Omohundro in "The Scouts of the Prairie," which was one of the original Wild West shows produced by Dime Novelist Ned Buntline. In 1873, Cody asked "Wild Bill" Hickok to join him and Texas Jack in a stage play called "Scouts of the Plains." It is said that Cody relegated Hickok to secondary parts because Hickok "had a voice like a girl." Imagine that.

After almost 10 years of performing in stage shows, he founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1883. He took his show on tours throughout the United States. He also took his show to Great Britain and other nations in Europe in 1887.

Cody is said to have bought his Colt Frontier Six-Shooter Revolver while performing in New York City. That was in January of 1883, the firearms dealer was Hartley & Graham. He used the pistol in his Wild West Show up until it closed down in 1906.

Buffalo Bill Cody's Colt Frontier Six-Shooter sold at auction for $40,625. Part of the significance related to his Colt is that that's the same year he launched his Wild West Show. And though Cody's Colt Frontier was reported as being "unremarkable to look at," it was supposedly one of his favorites among the few firearms that he still owned at the time of his death from kidney failure at the age of 70 in 1917.

Heritage Auctions, the same people involved with the Doc Holliday derringer sale, stated that Cody's Colt Frontier Six-Shooter brought in $40,625. But so did Cody's bear-claw necklace.

That necklace is said to have been made from the claws of a grizzly bear. And yes, it sold at that auction for $40,625. It's also said that Sioux Chief Sitting Bull gave Cody the grizzly bear-claw necklace. 

The Dallas-based Heritage Auctions auction house sold the two pieces during its "Legends of the West Signature Auction" back in 2014. That event is said to have featured around 400 Old West collectibles, which included pistols, rifles, shotguns, badges, authenticated photos, and rare books.

While production of the Colt Frontier Six-Shooter started in 1877, it was a Colt 1873 "Model P" type of single-action revolver. While the auction report said that Bill Cody's Colt Frontier was chambered for .45 Colt, the Colt Frontier Six-shooter was actually manufactured and sold in .44-40 Winchester (WCF) caliber instead of the .45 Colt round.

Being chambered in the .44-40 round meant that it was compatible with Winchester Model 73, which took the same ammunition. Folks using the .44-40 Winchester cartridge in the Old West liked the convenience of carrying one caliber of ammunition that could be fired in both their revolver and rifle. The Colt Frontier Six Shooter Revolver and the Winchester Model 1873, and later the Winchester Model 1892, all three in .44-40 WCF caliber, were among the most common combinations seen back in the day. 

For example, While Wyatt Earp carried a Smith & Wesson Model 3 in his pocket at the shootout in a lot near the OK Corral, a pistol that was given to him by Mayor Clum, the shotgun that Tombstone City Marshal Virgil Earp handed to Doc Holliday is said to have been a 10 gauge double barrel coach gun that Virgil borrowed from the Wells Fargo office. 

Two of the cowboys at that shootout were armed with the .44-40 pistol and rifle combinations.  Frank McLaury and Billy Clanton were both armed with Colt Frontier single-action pistols. Tom McLaury was said to be unarmed, but the Earps claimed he was also armed with a pistol. 

Tom McLaury's body was searched after the gunfight, and no pistol was found. In scabbards on the horses belonging to the cowboys were 1873 Winchester rifles in .44-40 caliber. Of course, the Cowboys did not get the chance to use their rifles.

There is another thing, all the guns used during the shoot-out were firing black powder simply because of the fact that smokeless powder wasn't invented yet. If you've shot black powder as I have, then you know really well that it makes a great deal of white smoke. So yes, visibility during that shootout must have been horrible. But for a showman like Buffalo Bill, shooting black powder must have given his Wild West Show a sense of realism that couldn't be gotten from shooting smokeless powder.

As for what was known as "Frontier Calibers," Colts in the calibers of .38-40 WCF and .32-20 WCF were also considered "Frontier Calibers," all because the 1873 and 1892 Winchester rifles were also made in those calibers. They obviously also offered a user the same convenience as the .44-40 WCF caliber did if the buyer bought a Colt and Winchester in those same calibers. 

Its name, "Colt Frontier Six-Shooter," was actually acid-etched on the left side of the barrel. After 1889, the model name was roll-stamped until 1919. In 1919, the caliber designation ".44-40" was added. It's said that Colt's 1895 Bisley model was the final Colt to wear the "Frontier Six-Shooter" designation.

Yes, Buffalo Bill Cody had used his Colt Frontier Six-Shooter in his Wild West Show, doing shooting exhibitions up until it closed in 1906. As for provenance, a record of ownership, proving ownership, the pistol had been passed down through Cody's family until it was first sold at auction in 1988. So yes, this piece of history is well documented. 

As for other collectibles belonging to Buffalo Bill? In 2012, a pistol belonging to Cody, one said to have belonged to him when he was a Scout for the U.S. Army during the Indian Wars, sold for $240,000. Imagine that.

Tom Correa

Doc Holliday & The Man That's Not Him

Dear Friends,

John Escapule is not Doc Holliday. Mr. Escapule's photograph is very often mistaken as being a photo of John Henry "Doc" Holliday. And though often mistaken, the picture of John Escapule is not a picture of Doc Holliday.

Mr. Escapule was born on December 16th, 1856. His place of birth was France. He migrated to the United States from France. He settled in Tombstone in 1877, actually two years before the town was established. His first business in Arizona was when he owned the State of Maine Mine on the edge of Tombstone. He also had an assay office next to the O.K. Corral.

As for his generosity? He was known as a man who would be there for a friend and help in ever way possible those in need. His generousness also extended to the town of Tombstone as well. In fact, he donated land to the city of Tombstone. That land became the "New Cemetery" for the city of Tombstone.

It's true. Because Tombstone was growing fast and the town started to outgrow it's cemetery that we know today as Boothill, there was a need for a new cemetery. The need was answered when John Escapule donated the land. The transfer of the donated land is said to have been sealed with a handshake. That land where the Jennie Belle, Little Tom, and the New Year's Gift mining claims sat at the west end of Allen Street, was gifted to the city for the "New Cemetery" by John Escapule.

The famous Boothill, which now charges visitors $3 to enter, has about 250 people buried there. Among them is Tom and Frank McLaury, Fred White, the now famous Lester Moore. Boothill was used until late in 1884. After that, the New City Cemetery on Allen Street came into use.

It is said that most folks in Tombstone wanted their loved ones buried in the "New Cemetery". In fact, after the "New Cemetery" opened, it's said that quite a few locals living in Tombstone actually had their loved ones disinterred and moved to the "New Cemetery".

Some say the reason for their wanting their family moved had everything to do with who was buried in Boothill. It is said that many who moved their loved ones, simply didn’t like the idea that their family members would be spending eternity along side horse thieves, cattle rustlers, murderers, prostitutes, and "Chinamen".

As for other who were buried in Boothill after it closed, there are actually a few people who were buried in Boothill after 1884. Usually, they were granted special permission prior to their deaths.

Here's a couple of things that I found pretty interesting. Tombstone's Boothill Graveyard was not called "Boothill" until the 1920s when Hollywood gave it that name. Prior to the 1920s, and after 1884 when it closed, Boothill was referred to as "The Old Cemetery."

As for the condition of Boothill over the years, because a great number of residents had moved away after the mining boom went bust, there was almost no one left to tend to the graves.

Of course because Boothill was neglected for years, nature reclaimed a lot of the old cemetery over the years. And besides nature taking it over, the original wooden markers either rotted away or were used for campfires. And if you're wondering if someone would steal a grave marker, some of the wooden makers were indeed stolen by souvenir hunters.

All in all, Boothill became an overgrown garbage dump trampled by free-range cattle. This was so much the case that even former editor of the Tombstone Epitaph as well as former Tombstone Mayor John Clum was appalled by the condition of the old cemetery when he returned to Tombstone in 1929. The story goes that he went to the old cemetery to pay respects to his wife, Mary. When he could not find her grave, he is said to have became visibly distraught.

In the 1930s, some of Tombstone's remaining citizens decided that the old cemetery needed to be cleaned up. It's said they actually called on the local Boy Scouts of America, and gave them the task of clearing the brush, the trash, and other debris. It was then that people tried to recall where various individual’s graves were located.

Some were known and others weren't. As for a few of the more famous people buried in Boothill Graveyard, it is said that there is reasonable certainty that their markers are either at or near the location of their graves.

For example, China Mary was the undisputed ruler of "Hoptown" which was what townsfolk called the Chinese neighborhood in Tombstone. She was granted special permission prior to her death to be buried in Boothill in 1906. Her tombstone is believed to be the actual site of her grave. Dutch Annie was a popular madam who gave generously to many worth while causes as well as to many men who were down on their luck. She was known as the "Queen of the Red Light District." She is believed buried where her marker sits.

Fred White, Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury, are supposedly buried where their headstones indicate. All five of those legally hanged for the Bisbee Massacre are buried in the old cemetery. Their graves are said to be at the approximate location where their marker sits.

As for John Escapule, in December of 1903, a couple of outlaws named Burt Alvord and Billy Stiles escaped from the Tombstone Jail and broke into Jim Rock's Dry Goods store . A young boy by the name of "Percy Bowden" was asleep in the store when Alvord and Stiles broke in.

The outlaws held the boy hostage while they robbed the store. And after fleeing the scene, the outlaws actually stopped at John Escapule's ranch to steal two of his horses to help them make their getaway.

John Escapule died on October 11th, 1926. He died of Stomach Cancer. He was buried on October 12th, 1926. At the time of his death in 1926, he was known as a retired Cattleman.

So as you can see, John Escapule is not Doc Holliday. And though Mr. Escapule's photograph is mistaken as being a photo of Doc Holliday, the picture of John Escapule is not a picture of Doc Holliday.

John Henry "Doc" Holliday is buried in Colorado. John Escapule is buried in the "New Cemetery" in Tombstone, Arizona. Yes, the very land that he himself donated to the city of Tombstone.

Tom Correa

Doc Holliday’s Derringer Returns To Colorado

Dear Friends,

On March 9th, 2017, an article was published talking about how Doc Holliday’s derringer was returned to Glenwood, Colorado. The story talked about how the Glenwood Springs Historical Society's Frontier Museum bought the derringer for $84,000.

The backstory story about the pistol is that it was supposedly in his room when Holliday died. On the derringer's backstrap, one can clearly read the inscription, "To Doc from Kate."

Of course, "Kate" is none other than "Big Nose Kate." Though many knew her by her famous nickname, her name was, in fact, Mary Katherine Horony. She is believed to have been born on November 7th, 1850, and died on November 2nd, 1940. Yes, just five days short of her 90th birthday.

She was a Hungarian-born prostitute. She was also the longtime companion and supposed "common-law" wife of Doc Holliday. The two supposedly met in Texas in 1877 and remained involved in one way or another until he died in 1887.

Some sources list her as Mary Katherine Horony-Cummings because she married Irish blacksmith George Cummings in Aspen, Colorado, on March 2nd, 1890. It is said that they worked several mining camps throughout Colorado before moving to Bisbee, Arizona, where she briefly ran a bakery. Then while living in Willcox, Arizona, George Cummings is said to have become an abusive alcoholic. Soon enough that they separated.

As for Cummings, he committed suicide in Courtland, Arizona, in 1915. As for Kate, she died of a heart attack a few days short of her 90th birthday. She was buried on November 6th, 1940, under the name "Mary K. Cummings" in the Arizona Pioneer Home Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona.

Among the things that I find fascinating about Big Nose Kate is that she claimed that Doc Holliday wasn't the first dentist she supposedly married. She claimed that while living in St. Louis, Missouri, she married a dentist named Silas Melvin. They supposedly had a son. Both her husband and her son, she claimed, died of yellow fever. 

Of course, as with many claims made by folks back then, no one has been able to produce a record to substantiate her marriage to Melvin, the birth of a child, or even the deaths of both. Then there's the story that Silas Melvin did, in fact, live in St. Louis about the same time, but he was married to a steamship captain's daughter. So really, who knows if Kate was telling the truth or just making up a story. 

We do know that are records showing her as working as a prostitute for madam Blanch Tribole in St. Louis in 1869, And we know that Big Nose Kate was fined while working as a " sporting woman" in a whorehouse in Dodge City, Kansas, in 1874. That brothel was run by Nellie "Bessie" Earp, who was the wife of James Earp, and Sally Heckell, who was the wife of Wyatt Earp.

In 1876, Big Nose Kate moved to Fort Griffin, Texas. And in 1877, that's where she met Doc Holliday. Because she worked as a prostitute for Bessie Earp, it is believed that she actually knew Wyatt Earp before Doc Holliday did. It is said that Big Nose Kate actually introduced Doc Holliday to Wyatt Earp in Fort Griffin in 1877. 

But there is also the story about how, in October of 1877, Wyatt Earp was given a temporary commission as Deputy U.S. Marshal to track down outlaw Dave Rudabaugh who had robbed a Sante Fe Railroad construction camp. According to Wyatt Earp, Rudabaugh fled south, and he left Dodge City to chase down Rudabaugh. According to Earp, he chased Rudabaugh for over 400 miles.

At one point, Earp arrived at Fort Griffin, Texas. Earp supposedly went to the Bee Hive Saloon owned by Earp's friend John Shanssey. The story goes that Shanssey told Earp that Rudabaugh had passed through town earlier in the week. Supposedly Dave Rudabaugh, who was on the run, stopped there and played cards with Holliday. After Shanssey introduced Earp to Doc Holliday. Holliday told Earp that Rudabaugh headed back up into Kansas. Contrary to Big Nose Kate's claim, Wyatt Earp told his biographer that Shanssey introduced Wyatt Earp to Doc Holliday. As to which story is true? Who knows. 

In 1887, Doc Holliday was living in the Hotel Glenwood near Glenwood Springs, Colorado. It is said that as he lay there dying, that Holliday asked an attending nurse for a shot of whiskey. After she refused, the legend goes that he looked at his bare feet and said his last words, "This is funny."

John Henry "Doc" Holliday died in his room at the Hotel Glenwood at 10am on November 8th, 1887. He was 36. As for Wyatt Earp, he did not find out about Holliday's death until months later. 

The fact is after Wyatt Earp's now-famous vendetta came to an end, he and Warren Earp, Doc Holliday, and the other members of the posse were faced with warrants for the murder of Frank Stilwell. So the group fled Arizona Territory for New Mexico Territory and then to Colorado. 

As for Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, it's said they had an argument that had them part ways in Albuquerque. The story on that goes to a letter written by former New Mexico Territory Governor Miguel Otero. According to Governor Otero, Earp and Holliday were eating at Fat Charlie's The Retreat Restaurant in Albuquerque in early April 1882 "when Doc Holliday said something about Earp becoming 'a damn Jew-boy.' "

Supposedly, Earp got angry, got up, and left. The argument between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday was said to be over Earp staying with a friend Henry N. Jaffa in Albuquerque. Jaffa was a prominent businessman, Jewish, and the president of New Albuquerque’s Board of Trade. Earp is said to have observed Jewish traditions while staying in Jaffa’s home. Traditions that Earp learned in his relationship with Josephine "Sadie" Marcus, who was Jewish. This is what supposedly led Holliday to say his friend was becoming "a damn Jew-boy."

Legend has it that Doc Holliday survived being ambushed on five different occasions. And while that in itself seems unbelievable, it is also said that there were four attempts made to hang him in the 17 times that he was arrested. One of the last times that he was arrested came about on May 15th, 1882.

That was when Holliday was arrested in Denver, Colorado, on the still outstanding warrant for his involvement in the murder of Frank Stilwell in Tucson, Arizona. Tucson Justice of the Peace Charles Meyer issued arrest warrants for Wyatt and Warren Earp, Doc Holliday, Sherman McMaster, and "Turkey Creek" Jack Johnson for the murder of Frank Stilwell in Tucson on March 20th, 1882.

The Earp "vendetta posse" said that they spotted Frank Stilwell and Ike Clanton hiding among the railroad cars, apparently getting ready to ambush and kill Virgil Earp. Fans of the Earps neglect to say that after the Earps arrived, they left the train station and went to dinner. It was actually when they returned that they met with Frank Stilwell. Of course, no one really talks about the fact that Stilwell and Clanton were at the train station meeting a third person who was also ordered to appear in front of the Grand Jury there in Tucson.

After killing Frank Stilwell, the Earp posse fled the scene. Yes, they fled the scene the same way as other outlaws would after committing a criminal act. Not stay there and make a report as law enforcement did even back in the day, but skedaddled away as fast as they could.

Stilwell's body was found at dawn alongside the railroad tracks. All of the Earp posse, all deputized by then-Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp, was in on shooting Stilwell. Even though Wyatt Earp later said that he himself killed Stilwell using his shotgun, upon examination, Stilwell's body was found to have been shot several times with buckshot as well as multiple caliber pistols and rifle rounds.

Less than two months later, when Doc Holliday was arrested on May 15th, even though they had a falling out, Wyatt Earp is said to have been concerned that Holliday would not face a fair trial in Arizona. Some say he was actually concerned about his own participation in the murder of Stilwell and how Holliday's extradition would open the door to his own extradition. It is reasoned that he may have been concerned that once his infamous posse was there to be tried, that his friends in political office wouldn't be able to stop from extraditing back to Arizona to face murder charges.

Either way, while not wanting to be shown as taking a hand in stopping the extradition of Holliday, Wyatt Earp asked his old friend Bat Masterson, who was then the Police Chief of Trinidad, Colorado, to help get Holliday released to his custody instead of being shipped back to Arizona. To do this, Bat Masterson came up with the idea of fabricating fake bunco charges against Holliday to keep him in Colorado.

Within two weeks of his arrest was Holliday's extradition hearing. That was the hearing which would determine if he should be returned to Arizona to face charges of murder. That hearing was set for May 30th. But on the night of May 29th, Bat Masterson sought help from his friend Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin.

Governor Pitkin was not available at first, so Masterson is reported to have contacted E.D. Cowen, who was with the Denver Tribune newspaper. Cowen called Pitkin. Then Pitkin is said to have looked at the case and reasoned that the Arizona extradition papers for Holliday "contained faulty legal language" and that there was already a Colorado warrant out for Holliday, which of course were the bunco charges that Bat Masterson had faked. With that, Colorado Governor Pitkin refused to honor Arizona's extradition request.

As indirect as it was, that was the last dealings that Wyatt Earp had with Doc Holliday.  As for the last time they saw each other, a few years later, it is said that Holliday happened to bump into Earp while with Josie one last time in 1886 while passing each other in the lobby of the Windsor Hotel in Denver, Colorado. While previously mistakenly reported that their last meeting was at a hotel in Gunnison, Colorado, or possibly the Windsor Hotel in Del Norte, Colorada, my source assures me it was at the Windsor Hotel in Denver. Supposedly, the meeting was only momentary as they only saw each other in passing. 

So understanding that Earp and Holliday did not see each other for years before his death just goes to show that Earp's anger over Holliday's anti-Jewish remarks was more serious than some thought. And knowing this, it is understandable how Wyatt Earp did not find out about Holliday's death until months later. 

As for Big Nose Kate's claim that she attended to Doc Holiday in his final days there at the Hotel Glenwood? Most believe that she wasn't with him at the time.

As for Doc Holliday's derringer? 

The Glenwood Springs Historical Society board authorized the $84,000 purchase of Doc Holliday's derringer. As stated earlier, it is said to have been in Holliday's Hotel Glenwood room, where he died November 8th, 1887. The Glenwood Springs Historical Society bought the pistol with the hopes that it would boost the town's reputation as an Old West tourist stop. 

In March of this year, 2017, at the time of the purchase, the gun was said to have been kept in a safe-deposit box.

Glenwood Springs Mayor Mike Gamba stated, "Doc Holiday is a very important character in the history of Glenwood Springs, and we are extremely excited that this piece of history will return to the city where he spent his final days. Along with visiting the cemetery where he is buried, we have no doubt that this will be yet one more attraction that will draw visitors to Glenwood Springs."

Marianne Virgili, president and CEO of the Glenwood Chamber Resort Association said in an email, "This is great news. Our visitors are certainly intrigued by history, and Doc Holliday is our most well-known frontier resident, so this precious piece of memorabilia will go a long way in positioning us as a historic Western town."

Historian R.W. Boyle spoke of the gun's authenticity, stating. "The gun is real. There's no doubt the gun is real." But could he have been wrong? Doc Holliday historian R.W. Boyle examined the gun and the affidavit and declared the gun authentic. But Boyle may have been dubbed.

It is believed that Big Nose Kate bought the 1866 Remington derringer as a gift for Holliday while they were in Tombstone, Arizona. It's one of several Holliday items to have sold in recent years, including a flask that went for $130,000 and a shotgun believed to have been Holliday's, which sold for $200,000.

The derringer is believed to have been one of few possessions in the hotel room when he died. But the hotel burned down in 1945. Hotel bartender William G. Wells got the derringer as partial payment for Holliday's funeral. It remained in the Wells family until Utah gun dealer E. Dixon Larson purchased it in 1968.

But wait! There is a good chance that the folks at Glenwood Springs Historical Society may have been cheated out of $84,000 for the cost of the gun because it may be a fake. It seems that the whole story was made up by Larson.

"We all love a good story. Weave a tale of Big Nose Kate gifting a Remington derringer to Doc Holliday that's next to impossible to prove or disprove," Glenwood Springs Historical Society Executive Director Bill Kight wrote, "A man's reputation is judged by one's words and actions. The historical society tried hard to do just that, to peer into Dixon Larson's past."

An affidavit from the 1968 sale was the first documentation of the derringer. The 1968 affidavit signed by Larson and an unknown notary public appears to be the source of the story about the derringer being in Holliday's hotel room when he died. As a result, the historical society now questions the origins of Holliday's derringer. 

Is the gun real? Was the 1968 affidavit doctored? Did Dixon Larson make up the entire story?

Glenwood Springs Historical Society Executive Director Bill Kight said the society contacted both Remington and a gun expert in Cody, Wyoming, before the purchase. The Remington's expert was unavailable. The man in Cody couldn't evaluate the weapon without an examination. The gun's owner Jason Brierley had set a two-month deadline for the purchase because of an impending move. So with that deadline approaching, the Glenwood Springs Historical Society board moved ahead with the purchase.

The gun was part of an exhibit at the Glenwood Springs Historical Society's Frontier Museum. The Glenwood Springs Historical Society had hoped that the pistol would have lead to more museum loans of more Holliday paraphernalia. Hopefully, this will increase the museum's visibility to the public, especially those interested in Doc Holliday and Old West history. It will be interesting to find a definitive answer if the gun is fake or not. Right now, it looks like it is.

Now, though there are all sorts of con games going on out there, no one should underestimate the value of guns and other paraphernalia belonging to Old West figures of interest. For example, back in November of 2013, it was reported that famous trick shooter Annie Oakley’s shotgun sold for $293,000 at an auction in Dallas, Texas.

The 16-gauge Parker Brothers Hammer shotgun, which once belonged to famed sharpshooter Annie Oakley, was sold to a collector by Heritage Auctions. And while the shotgun once owned by one of America's most famous Old West sharpshooters sold for $293,000, please understand that a personal gold charm bracelet once owned by Annie Oakley also went up for auction. Her gold charm bracelet sold for $250,000.

Imagine that.

Tom Correa

Juan Flores -- A Californio Killer

Ever wonder who were the very first Los Angeles County lawmen to die in the line of duty? Ever wonder about the no good murdering outlaw who did it? Well, here you go.

Juan Flores was a killer who is said to have been born sometime in 1834. He was a Californio bandit, who with his gang known as "las Manillas," "the Handcuffs," robbed and stole and murdered in Southern California in the late 1850s.

At the time, Flores was considered a folk hero by some people in California. Yes, the same way that some in the Mid-West considered Jesse James a folk hero. Both were supposedly Robin Hoods, bandits who stole from the rich and gave to the poor.  Of course that wasn't the case, but let's not let myth get in the way of facts when it comes to legends of the Old West. 

Many people don't want to hear the truth when it comes to facts gathered about someone who lived back in the Old West. It's been my experience that some folks refuse to believe anything other than what Hollywood has fed them.  

As for Flores, the idea that he somehow fought the wealthy Californio and gave money to poor peasants is all fantasy. Fact is, Juan Flores was born to a prominent Californio family. And since he was a true Californio aristocrat from a wealthy Californio family, Juan Flores didn't want to work and took to stealing instead. 

The first time Flores was arrested was in 1855 when he was caught stealing a horse. For that crime, he was actually sentenced to do time in San Quentin prison. And fact is, he escaped from San Quentin in late 1856. Yes, he and a partner by the name of Jim "Red Horse" Webster actually stole a boat that was tied to the prison's wharf. The convicts took the boat and sailed it across San Francisco bay where they escaped justice.

In Northern California's Contra Costa County is where Flores joined forces with Pancho Daniel and a dozen or so other criminal types. From there they went south to Southern California and the Los Angeles basin.

There in the latter part of 1856 and the beginning of 1857, Flores and the gang known as the "las Manillas" are said to have gotten help from a great number of Mexicans in the San Luis Obispo and San Juan Capistrano areas. The help he got was with food and eluding capture. Yes, even back then, there were those who favored criminals over law enforcement for one reason or another. Usually fear or retaliation, or maybe simply hatred for authority. But harboring Flores and others was done, just as fools harbor criminals today.   

The Flores gang, the "las Manillas," is said to have terrorized the area by stealing horses and cattle, committing armed robberies, and cold-blooded murder. All while raiding towns and homesteads in Southern California.   

In either December of 1856 or January of 1857, Flores tried robbing a wagon traveling from Los Angeles to San Juan Capistrano. Try as he did to meet that wagon and rob it, he actually missed it a number of times. Finally in frustration, Flores lead his gang, although some folks call it the Flores-Daniel Gang, on a raid against the town of San Juan Capistrano. 

They went on a rampage and sacked the town. Yes, including looting a shop owned by a Russian-Polish merchant by the name of Michael Krazewski. Flores is said to have shot the store assistant, and then he and the others carried the stolen goods out to two waiting horses. As they were leaving, Flores threatened the town saying his gang would be back the next day. And yes, the very next day, Flores' gang hit the town again. This time, Flores murdered German shopkeeper George Pflugardt. 

The nearest law was in Los Angles County. So when the law got word of what took place, on January 22nd, 1857, the folks there dispatched Los Angeles County Sheriff James R. Barton and a posse made up of County Sheriff's Deputy Charles T. Daly, Constables Charles K. Baker and William H. Little, and three deputized citizens to San Juan Capistrano to apprehend Flores and members of his gang or kill them. Just as he deputized the other citizens on the posse, Deputy Daly had just been deputized by Sheriff Barton that day just so he would be able to legally help apprehend Flores and the others.

As for Flores, after leaving San Juan Capistrano, he went to see a woman by the name of Martina "Chola" Burruel in the Burruel Adobe a few miles outside of San Juan Capistrano.

Sheriff Barton and his posse headed south, resting for the night, before stopping for breakfast at the main house of the San Joaquin Ranch which is just Southwest of modern-day Santa Ana, California. Californio Don José Antonio Andres Sepúlveda owned the the Rancho San Joaquin. He warned Sheriff Barton that they were extremely outnumbered. He advised him to get reinforcements before continuing his pursuit of the Flores gang. But Los Angeles County Sheriff Barton ignored the warning and lead his posse forward to San Juan Capistrano. 

Then it happened, after traveling 12 miles, they were ambushed in a ravine known as the Barranco de los Alisos. During the ambush Sheriff Barton, Deputy Daly, and Constables Baker and Little were shot dead.

These were the first lawmen in Los Angeles County to lose their lives in the line of duty. The other three deputized posse members were barely able to escape the hail of bullets and report back about what took place, the ambush and the death of the four others. 

When the folks in Los Angeles heard of what took place, in not more than two hours, a posse of 60 heavily armed men was formed and left to pursue the Flores gang.  Under the leadership of James Thompson, who would later be named Los Angeles County Sheriff himself, lead a large posse which found the bodies of the four dead lawmen. Soon enough word was relayed back that the bodies of Sheriff Barton, Deputy Daly, and Constables Baker and Little, were found. 

As soon as the word of the discovery arrived, a special recovery party which consisted of a large number of outriders that escorted several wagons filled with coffins left to recover the dead lawmen. The mission of that recovery party was to secure their bodies and return them to Los Angeles. 

As for their return to Los Angeles, as for the reception of the bodies and the funeral, it was reported that the remains of the four lawmen were received in Los Angeles at about noon on a Sunday. The city went into instant mourning and all businesses closed. The burial ceremonies were held on Monday and were attended by the citizens "en masse."

Los Angeles County Sheriff Barton and his posse were on their way to arrest Flores for killing George Pflugardt when they were ambushed at Barranco de los Alisos.  The murders of Sheriff Barton and the other three lawmen is said to have been a huge miscalculation by the Flores gang. 

If the Flores gang thought that they would still find sanctuary with the Mexican community after the murders, they were wrong as even their most staunch supporters turned on them. And at the same time, citizens volunteers in great numbers to wage war against outlaws, and hunt down the Flores gang.

Sooner than most thought possible, the Flores gang was captured by a small army of legally deputized citizens. They included a Los Angeles posse of 51 American merchants and Californio ranchers, a Temecula Indian leader who supplied 43 Luiseño scouts, the Monte Rangers which was a group of former Texas Rangers living in Southern California, members of the vigilance committee known as the "El Monte Boys", and posses from San Bernardino and San Diego. And believe it or not, even U.S. Army troops from Fort Tejon and from San Diego were a part of the manhunt for the Flores gang. Yes, a small army all with a common goal of bring in the Flores gang dead or alive. 

We should also take note of what can happen when Americans bond together. For example, that small army didn't stop with the capture of the Juan Flores and those bushwhacking killers. Fact is, they attacked outlaw violence itself as between 60 and 70 Mexican-Americans were arrested on having connections with Flores and other outlaw gangs. Some say that between February of 1857 and November of 1858, there were 11 members of the Flores gang who were lynched by the vigilance committee the "El Monte Boys". In reality, all toll 52 members of the Flores gang were arrested and 18 were hanged for the murders.

As for the capture of Juan Flores and his gang, the Luiseño Indian scouts were the ones who actually discovered where the Flores gang was hiding out in the Santa Ana Mountains south of the Los Angeles basin. Soon after their discovery, a posse led by Californios surrounded and arrested those that they could. Of course as luck would have it, Flores and a few others managed to escape through the mountains. 

The Monte Rangers, those former Texas Rangers, moved in and captured Flores and the others after what was said to be one hell of a shootout. Sadly for the Rangers, a few of those they captured managed to free themselves and escape that night. Yes, one of them was Juan Flores.

During the next eleven days, a massive manhunt took place in that area, all looking for Flores. Then finally on February 14th, 1857, Flores was brought in by a 120 man posse of U.S Army troops. Imagine that if you would. Between this group and that, this all sounds like the largest group of posses ever assembled in the history of law enforcement.

One report read, "with practically every man, woman and child present in the pueblo" known as Los Angeles, in front of a crowd estimated at 3,000 people, Juan Flores was tried for murder while walking to a hanging tree at the top of Fort Hill. That spot is modern-day downtown Los Angeles. And there at Fort Hill, he was hanged until dead.

Of course, justice has a way of being slower for some. Take for example, the hanging of Juan Flores. It's said that when he was hanged, that his noose was a bit too short. So for Flores, instead of dying quickly by having his neck snap, he lingered while choking and struggling. Some say he actually danced while suffocating at the end of his rope.

For many there that day, the hanging of Juan Flores was justice finally served. Very overdue.

Tom Correa

We're Now Working with Avantlink

Dear Friends,

In the past, many of you have written to ask why I didn't have ads on my blog? Many of you were concerned that my blog, The American Cowboy Chronicles, would disappear because I wasn't bringing in any revenue to support it. As wonderful as you are, many of you wrote suggesting a number of ways that my wife and I could make a dollar or two on here. Well, as you can see by the advertisements that we now have posted on here, my wife and I have partnered up with a few folks who have Affiliate Programs. 

For me, I'm trying to post ads that I figure might be what you're interested in. I figure you might be looking for deals when looking for a new computer, a kindle, a cell phone, and such. I also figure that you might be interested in "Cowboy" niche products such as Western boots, hats, books, movies and videos, horse tack, and more.. 

Since I've bought a number of their outstanding belt buckles, and a lot of their jewelry for my wife Deanna over the years, I'm now trying to become an affiliate of Montana Silversmiths. Make no mistake about it, I've loved Montana Silversmiths' products for many many years. 

Well, I just received a call from Jeremy Britto from Avantlink. He and others at Avantlink are looking at my blog to decided as to whether or not grant me an affiliation with Montana Silversmiths. 

I cannot tell how great it was to talk with Jeremy. Besides the fact that we have a great deal in common, including our ancestry from Hawaii and beyond, I can see that I will love working with the great folks at Avantlink. Just from our short phone call, I can see that they're helpful in steering me in a positive direction.  

If you noticed, I have provided links to find Avantlink. I do this because I get a lot of requests from other Bloggers for information on this and that. I figure if my experience with Avantlink is helpful to me, then I know the folks there will be helpful to others as well. 

So, in the future, I'm hoping to add an ad or two for Montana Silversmiths. But also, with the help of Avantlink, I'm hoping to add ads that you my readers will click on to find what you're looking for. By clicking on the advertisements that I've posted, you are definitely supporting my blog. And for that, I cannot tell you how truly grateful I am. Your visiting and supporting my blog has meant the world to me. 

And friends, I cannot thank you enough.

Tom Correa

The Trail of Tears

Dear Friends,

Many have heard of the "Trail of Tears." The phrase "Trail of Tears" is said by some to be the description of the removal of the Cherokee Indians from their homelands in 1838. While that may be the case, the term "Trail of Tears" is actually linked to the journey that followed the removal of a group of Indian tribes collectively known as the Five Civilized Tribes. Those tribes were the Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw.

In reality, the Trail of Tears was a series of forced removals of the Choctaw, Seminole Creek, Chickasaw, and the Cherokee. This included their black slaves from their lands in the Southeastern United States between 1830 and 1850. Their destination was to an area West of the Mississippi River that became known as Indian Territory, which is modern-day Oklahoma. The trail West into Oklahoma was a total distance of nearly 1,000 miles. And yes, in case you're wondering, while they had some horses, they mostly walked that distance.

In 1831, the Choctaw were the first Native Americans to be removed. One Choctaw leader is said to have called the journey West "a Trail of Tears and Deaths." Then in 1832, the Seminole Indians were removed. The Creek Indians followed in 1834, and the Chickasaw were removed in 1837. The last to leave was the Cherokee in 1838.

While some say that all were removed, that's not true. In reality, many members of the various tribes refused to leave even at gunpoint and remained in their ancestral homelands. For example, some Choctaw are today found in Mississippi, Creek in Alabama and Florida, Cherokee in North Carolina, and Seminole in Florida. In fact, one small group of Seminole who retreated into the Everglades were never rounded up by the United States Army. Those who are there today are said to be the descendants of those who refused to be evicted back in the 1830s. 

By 1837, it is said that 46,000 Indians from the Southeastern United States had been removed from their homelands. To give you an idea of how many died along the way, it is said that approximately 1 in 4 died making the grueling trek West. More than 4,000 of the 16,543 Cherokee who made the arduous journey died along the way. They died from exposure to the elements, diseases that they had no immunity to, and of course, starvation since they had little to eat along the way West.

Why was it done? Well, simply put, it was to make more land available to American settlers in the very early 1800s. It was all about President Andrew Jackson. He was a soldier and statesman, a man who served as the seventh President of the United States from 1829 to 1837 and the founder of the Democratic Party. He also wanted to evict all of the Indians from their lands in the Southeast. And even when he lost a battle in the U.S. Supreme Court over the legality of the removal of those Native American tribes, the five nations, he violated the Supreme Court decision and went ahead with his plan to evict all of the Indians.

This all came about because many who wanted to settle in what we know now as the Deep South actually pressured the Federal government to remove Indians from the Southeastern states. The fact is that they petitioned the Federal government while at the same time they themselves were squatters encroaching on Indian lands. President Andrew Jackson is responsible for pushing the Indian Removal Act of 1830 through Congress. And while it was definitely started under Jackson, it was actually carried out by Jackson's successor President Martin Van Buren as well.

While settlers were one reason for it taking place, I believe the other reason for what brought about the Indian Removal Act was the discovery of gold near Dahlonega, Georgia, in 1828. That discovery actually stated what became known as the Georgia Gold Rush. The result of that gold rush and the demands of the settlers for more land enabled the passing of the Indian Removal Act of 1830 relocation program which opened up 25 million acres for settlement.

It should be known that the Cherokee fought the Indian Removal Act. Not with arrows, but in the courts. The Cherokee nation actually filed several lawsuits regarding conflicts with the state of Georgia. In the most startling case of the times, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court actually ruled in favor of the Cherokee.

President Andrew Jackson have completely disregarded that Supreme Court ruling. Instead, Jackson negotiated a "land exchange treaty" with the Cherokee. Jackson negotiated with the Cherokee the Treaty of New Echota on December 29, 1835, which granted Cherokee Indians two years to move to Indian Territory. When the Cherokee negotiated the Treaty of New Echota, the tribe exchanged all of their land East of the Mississippi for land in modern-day Oklahoma and a $5 million payment from the Federal government. Just so you have an idea of how much money that amounted to in 1835, $5,000,000 in the year 1835 is worth $132,088,028.44 in 2017.

Of course, many Cherokee felt betrayed that their leadership even accepted the deal. In fact, it is said that over 16,000 Cherokee signed a petition to prevent the passage of the Treaty of New Echota. Because of this, only a fraction of the Cherokee people left voluntarily. The others were rounded up during the Van Buren administration. To relocate the tribes, the Federal government had the assistance of state militias. Most of those Cherokee were forced to go West in 1838.

During the summer of that year, like the other Indian nation being relocated, the Cherokee were placed in temporary camps along the way. These camps were furnished with very little food and disease became rampant. Then in November of 1838, the Cherokee in the camps were broken into groups of 1,000 or so. Those groups were the ones who were pushed West while having to endure the worse weather imaginable. It is said that torrential rains turned the ran into snow because of the freezing temperatures, and it took its toll on those journeying West.

By 1840, tens of thousands of Native Americans from the five various tribes had been removed from their land East of the Mississippi River. It was devastating as thousands died along the way West. And while people talk about those who died en route, it should be known that about 800 Cherokee died in Oklahoma after they arrived.

To me, this is one of the saddest chapters in relations between the United States and Native American Indian tribes. Knowing what took place, it should not surprise us, nor should it not be understandable, that even today almost 180 years later, that some Native Americans still loath President Jackson.

Tom Correa

Black Bart -- California Bandit -- Part 2

Black Bart Wells Fargo Wanted Poster

Dear Friends,

When we left off in Black Bart -- California Bandit -- Part 1, Charles Boles, the man who would become known as Black Bart, had just robbed his first stage. I was talking about how some historians seem to fawn over him as if he were more than just a criminal stealing other people's money.

Among what some of the things that they like to point out is the way he dressed. As I stated before, some seem almost giddy when describing him as "impeccably dressed" in a tweed suit with a topcoat that had an "exquisite velvet-collar", a cravat with a diamond stickpin, wearing an "elegant bowler" hat.

Of course, that's not the man who stopped stages to commit armed robbery. For his robberies, Charles Boles concealed his identity from head to toe. He wore a full length linen coat to conceal how he was dressed, and he wore a flour sack over his head to conceal his face. There were two holes in the sack so that he could see who he was robbing.

If that manner of disguise reminds you of something, it should. Those who dress in hoods and sheets do so to hide who they are so they won't be recognized later. It enables them to brake the law and get away with it. Boles himself was not caught for eight long years mainly because of his total concealment which the hood and long linen coat did so well. In fact his appearance was concealed so well, that nothing of himself was showing and it was his voice the was later recognized.

For years, no one knew who he was and there were no descriptions of him other than the sack hood, long linen coat, and of course a double-barrel shotgun. And by the way, depending on the driver that it was pointed at, that shotgun was said to grow in size in the reports. For example, some swore it was a 16 or 12 gauge gun while others said it must have been a large 10 gauge.

Now as for those who say that he leveled his shotgun at those on the stages but was "polite about it when doing so"? Polite or not, he was threatening to kill them. Polite or not, the threat of a shotgun is nothing to screw with and those on the stages that he held up knew that very well.

As for those who insist that Boles never even loaded his shotgun? Unloaded or not, show me someone who was daring enough to call that bluff if that is somehow fact. Fact is, I don't know who would be dumb enough to make the assumption that his shotgun wasn't loaded and disregard it when it's pointed at you.

Where do people come up with things like that? If a driver or anyone thought that his shotgun was not loaded, and was not a threat, then they would not have allowed themselves to be robbed. And while some make it sound as if Boles merely pointed the shotgun but was never a threat, I can assure them that being on the receiving end of a shotgun, just as on the receiving end of any gun, pointed at you with the intent of being used to kill you, that's indeed a threat.

Boles knew that shotguns are intimidating when looking down the business end of one. He knew that his shotgun would prevent just about everyone from acting the fool. And friends, it is ludicrous to think that the folks on those stages were not in fear of their lives, or that they did not think that Boles would kill for money. His actions made it known that he was willing to kill for money.

Remember, he accomplished what is believed to be 28 stagecoach robberies. It is very obvious that the drivers, the shotgun messengers, and the passengers of those stages all thought that they were in mortal danger. They all turned over their strongboxes, the mailbags, and whatever money and jewels that they had on them to stop from being murdered. Yes, contrary to some strange idea that this was some sort of "sophisticated bandit", people feared for their lives and gave him what he demanded. That included taking money and jewelry from the passengers.

This myth that he somehow stopped in the middle of a robbery to hand a woman back her jewelry or to hand back over some money to a poor man is imaginative but not reality. Witnesses said they feared for their lives that he was going to kill them unless they give him everything they had.

These stories about this supposed "polite sophisticated bandit" who only stole from Wells Fargo as if he were Robin Hood is silly. Whose money do folks think was in those strongboxes? Whose money was in those mailbags? That money was the hard earned dollars of people, who unlike Boles, who actually worked for a living.

We forget that when talking about bank robbers or train robbers, or stage robbers, that criminals like Charles Boles were no different than the James Gang in that they stole payrolls, life savings, the wages of others. And in the process of their crimes, those robbers took the food off the table of hard working people every time they robbed a bank, a train, or a stagecoach.

Fact is, banks at the time were not Federally Insured and covered against such loss as they are today. The FDIC only started in the 1930s. Before that, there were no insurances as we have today. Back then if payrolls were stolen, workers didn't get paid. If a business is running on a shoestring budget and can't weather the hit of a robbery, that business closed and people were laid off. In some cases where a single employer is all a town has, once they were out of business and the people who worked there no longer had jobs, people moved to look for work. And yes, that's how towns dried up.

Ever wonder how posses were easily manned by local citizens? Ever wonder why citizens armed themselves and were ready and willing to go after bandits? Knowing the ramifications that a robbery has on a town got a lot of people to take up arms. A robbery united townsfolk to take up arms and fight such bandits. Yes, they took it very personal when their money was stolen because it was their money. And yes, that's why in many cases robbers were hanged no differently than how they hanged murderers.

So why was Charles Boles called Black Bart? Well, I read where he borrowed his pen name from a character in a popular book. Another source said it was from a character in a comic strip that appeared in a Sacramento, California, newspaper at the time.

Later he supposedly used it to sign two poems as Black Bart. Yes, poems that he left behind for some reason or another that no one can really explain. And while no one really knows why he left the poems behind at two robberies and not all, some think it was like how Jessie James left behind his own press notices. Basically it was because he wanted to see what he wrote in the papers. Then again, some think Boles left them behind simply because he wanted to stick it to the people he was stealing from and taunt the law that was chasing him.

On August 3rd, 1877, Boles was said to have robbed a stage near the Russian River, a few miles south of Fort Ross. This was supposedly his fourth stage robbery. This and the fifth robbery were the only two when he left a poem. The story goes that after breaking open the strongbox and before making off with the loot, that he took the time out to leave behind a poem inside the empty box. It read:

"I've labored long for bread,

For honor and for riches,

But on my corns too long you've tread

You fine haired sons of bitches."

Since the poem was signed "Black Bart, the Po8," Wells Fargo's Chief Detective, Jim Hume, used the name Black Bart to give the unknown robber a name. Especially for the newspapers, which like today were clamoring for information.

On June 23rd, 1883. Boles robbed a Wells Fargo stagecoach in Amador County about four miles from the town of Jackson. Then a few months later on November 3rd, Boles robbed his last Wells Fargo stagecoach. This time he was back in Calaveras County.

The irony is that his last robbery would be at the exact same place where he robbed his first stagecoach. Yes, that was right here in Calaveras County on Funk Hill in the Stanislaus River Canyon on the road from Sonora to Milton.

In his last robbery, the Wells Fargo stage driver was 31 year old Reason E. McConnell. McConnell picked up 19 year old Jimmy Rolleri at the Reynolds Ferry Hotel. McConnell knew the younger Rolleri. Rolleri is said to have wanted a ride to a spot up near Funk Hill where he could hunt deer.

It is said that Jimmy Rolleri thought that the storm the previous night may have driven deer down from the high country. So he wanted to hitch a ride to where the hunting might be better. McConnell agreed, and Rolleri was armed with his .44 Henry rifle when he climbed aboard the Wells Fargo stage. 

The coach was half-way up Funk Hill when Rolleri said that he'd get off and work his way around the hill looking for deer. After Rolleri left the coach, McConnell started the slow climb up Funk Hill. McConnell is said to have been rounding Yaqui Gulch close to the top of the ridge when a man in a hood and long linen coat brandishing a shotgun appeared out of nowhere.

Boles ordered McConnell to throw down the strongbox. McConnell said that he couldn't because it was actually bolted to the floorboard as a precaution against robbers. Boles then told McConnell to get down off the stage and unhitch the horses. And believe it or not, they have words as McConnell tells Boles that the brakes on the stage wouldn't hold if he got down and the coach would roll down the hill.  

Boles is said to have gotten angry and finally tells him to get down from there and do it quick or else. McConnell did so fearing for his life. He is said to have gotten down, places a rock under a wheel, then unhitched the team of four horses. The whole time, Boles has his shotgun aimed at McConnell.

Boles tells McConnell to take the horses away up the hill. As he leaves, Boles climb up and started to smash open the strongbox with a hatchet that was on board the stage. McConnell who lead the horses about 200 yards away still hears Boles smashing at the strongbox when he sees Jimmy Rolleri coming toward the stage. McConnell wanting Rolleri's Henry rifle to either capture or kill Boles, actually starts waving to get his young friend's attention.

Getting him to go around, so that Boles doesn't see him, McConnell explained to Rolleri what was taking place and soon the two start toward the coach. The two are said to have been about 100 yards away when Boles finally opened the bolted strongbox. It was also about then that Boles grabs what he could and starts to jump off the coach when he sees McConnell and Rolleri coming toward him. 

McConnell now had the Henry rifle and fires twice at Boles who now off the stage and starting to run into the bushes. While a shotgun is great at close range, it was no match for a Henry rifle at 100 yards. But, Boles was lucky because McConnell missed both shots.

After missing twice, young Jimmy Rolleri grabbed the Henry rifle and fires at Boles just as he was entering the thick brush. Seeing him fall, both McConnell and Rolleri slowly move to where they had last seen the robber hit the ground. Remember, they were about 100 yards away when they shot at Boles. Once at where he fell, Boles was already gone.

Instead of finding Boles, they find a bundle of mail that Boles had dropped and blood was on some of it. Yes, Boles was believed wounded. With that McConnell and Rolleri hitched up the team, gathered the strewn mail, and continue to the town of Copperopolis to report the robbery.  

Once there, immediately a posse was formed and young Jimmy Rolleri leads them back out to the site of the robbery. After searching the area, they find a worn leather valise that Boles left behind in his hast to get away. The leather bag contain a case for a pair of field glasses,  a razor, a belt, three soiled linen shirt cuffs, two paper sacks containing crackers and sugar, and two empty flour sacks. Also in the bag was a handkerchief with a laundry mark.

Calaveras County Sheriff Ben Thorn reached the scene before nightfall and also began a search for any additional evidence. All evidence was turned over to famous California lawman and Wells Fargo Detective Harry Morse who was hired by John Hume to specifically track down Boles. 

The handkerchief with the "F.X.O.7.5" laundry mark was their best clue. Since the Wells Fargo headquarters was in San Francisco, they decided to start there and check out the 91 laundries in the city at the time.

It's said that Harry Morse went from laundry to laundry looking for a match to the laundry mark. Then after about a week, on November 12th, lawman Harry Morse identified that the handkerchief belonged to a Charles E. Bolton. Yes, Bolton is believed to be the alias that Boles was using in San Francisco. 

Once they found him, Boles was questioned at length. As the interrogation at the Wells Fargo offices there in San Francisco went along, Boles' cover story of being a mine owner soon fell apart. It's said he lost his temper, but then asked to cut a deal for a lighter sentence. The result of the questioning was that Boles struck a deal to plead guilty to only one robbery if he'd turn over the loot from the last robbery.

After being assured that the deal was good, he directed the lawmen back to Funk Hill where he had stashed the stolen gold in the hollow of a nearby tree. After that, he was taken to the Calaveras County jail located in San Andreas which is the county seat.

Just four days later on November 16th, 1883, he was escorted to court of Judge P.H. Kean there in San Andreas. Charles Boles entered a plea of "guilty" to the single charge of having robbed the Sonora-Milton stage on Funk Hill. He was bound over to the Calaveras County Superior Court for trial but the following day waived his right to a jury trial. Superior Judge C.V. Gottschalk sentenced Boles to six years in prison. On November 21st, just a few weeks after his last stage robbery, Boles began serving his sentence in San Quentin Prison.

It was a laundry mark that the law needed to identify him. The men who hunted him down were California lawman and famous Wells Fargo agent Harry Morse, Wells Fargo's chief detective, Jim Hume, Calaveras County Sheriff Ben Thorn, San Joaquin County Sheriff Tom Cunningham, San Francisco Police Captain A.W. Stone, and Wells Fargo Special Agent J.W. Thacker.

Black Bart had carried out his last robbery at same place where he started his career as a bandit right there at Funk Hill in Calaveras County. Funk Hill is said to now be under water. Actually, Funk Hill is located under the New Melones Lake.

As I've stated a few times, over the course of 8 years from 1875 to 1883, it is believed that Charles Boles stopped and robbed at least 28 Wells Fargo stagecoaches all over Northern California at gunpoint. Fact is, while it is suspected that he did all 28 robberies, no one really knows if it was indeed him or a copycat who learned about his method of operating from newspapers.

For example, on November 14th, 1888, a Wells Fargo stage was robbed by a hooded bandit that met the known description of Boles. That bandit also left a poem behind. It read:

"So here I've stood while wind and rain

Have set the trees a-sobbin,

And risked my life for that box,

That wasn't worth the robbin."

Wells Fargo's Chief Detective Jim Hume was called in to examine the poem. It was reported that after comparing it with the handwriting of the others, Hume declared that that holdup was the work of a copycat criminal. So as you can see, things were no different than what takes place today in that there are copycat criminals.

Also, later after being caught and having confessed, it is interesting to note that Boles disavowed writing the poems or committing many of the other robberies. Of course, he was caught after his last robbery when he left evidence that helped the law to track him down. But as for all of the others, could there have been other bandits who wore hoods and linen coats and brandished shotguns? It is very possible. Certainly the stage robbery in 1888 proves that that could have been the case. But frankly, we will never know as he's gotten credit for all of them.

On January 23rd, 1888, after serving four years of his six-year sentence in San Quentin Prison, he was paroled for good behavior. After being released, he boarded a train headed south to California's central valley. He arrived in Visalia, California, and got off the train there. After that, he simply disappeared. He simply vanished.

Tom Correa

Black Bart -- California Bandit -- Part 1

Dear Friends,

Over the last few years, a number of you have written to ask about Black Bart. Many of you have noted the fact that he was a bandit, a highwayman, here in Calaveras County where I live. In my last article about the California Gold Country, I talked about Mark Twain's cabin in Jackass Hill and the place where Black Bart had carried out his last robbery.

To some Black Bart is not seen so much as an armed highwayman who stole strongboxes and robbed passengers of their hard earned money and family jewelry, but more some sort of a 19th century "gentleman" bandit. Some who have written about Black Bart have done so in a way that resembles how a fan today fawns over a celebrity.

For example, I read where one writer stated, "In the 1870s and 1880s, a certain well-spoken, finely groomed man was a regular fixture in respectable San Francisco society. Unfailingly polite and with a droll sense of humor, the prosperous mine owner was always impeccably dressed in a tweed suit with a velvet-collared topcoat, his cravat fastened with a diamond stickpin, an elegant bowler on his head.

He lived in pleasant furnished rooms at Webb's Hotel, at 47 Second St., and with his luxuriant white mustache and gold watch chain, he looked every inch the successful San Francisco businessman. And, in fact, he was. Except that his business was holding up Wells Fargo stagecoaches."

Of course, when reading something like that, my first thought is how did that know that he was a certain well-spoken, finely groomed, or a regular fixture in respectable San Francisco society? How did they know that he was "unfailingly polite and with a droll sense of humor"?

And as for saying that he "looked every inch the successful San Francisco businessman," it was only after his capture that authorities found out what he looked like. Lawmen described that when he was finally caught, that he was dressed in a suit, a topcoat with a velvet-collar, and wore a diamond stickpin and a bowler.

His name was Charles E. Boles, but we also know that he used the surname Bolton as an alias. He robbed stages in California beginning in 1875 until he was finally tracked down and arrested in 1883.

He was born Charles E. Bowles in Norfolk Co. England in 1829. He was seventh child of John and Maria Bowles who migrated to the United States when Charles was two years old. His parents settled in Alexandria township, Jefferson County, in upstate New York. His father, John Bowles was a farmed and they had a homestead of nearly 100 acres. Charles would later change his name to Boles.

It is believed that in 1849, at the age of 20, he and his brothers David and James left for the gold fields of California. They landed and started prospecting on the American River near Sacramento. I don't know how their luck was because it's said that much of the placer gold was actually played out pretty quickly. Some say as early as 1850 things started looking pretty bleak in the camps. That's not to say that gold didn't continue, it's just that it had reached its peak by 1852 when some $81 million was pulled from the ground. After that year, the total take declined gradually.

The mining camps that sprung up all over the Mother Lode were complete with saloons, brothels and all sorts of mercantile businesses selling all sorts of goods to those seeking to make their fortune. The claims were limited in many places to just a few square feet and the overcrowding created all sorts of problems. Yes, that includes gambling, prostitution, banditry, and other violent lawlessness. Armed bandits were dealt with swiftly if caught, usually by hanging.

I don't believe the Boles brothers hit pay dirt because they returned to New York state in 1852. The reason that I seriously doubt that they were successful is that they returned. Frankly, if they did hit big, then why leave? It is said that for every one miner that hit pay dirt and were a success, there were nine who left to stave off starvation. 

And though mining became more and more industrialized by 1852 because the placer gold was played out, Charles Boles is said to have later returned to California with his brothers David and Robert. It is believed that not long after their journey West, both David and Robert got ill and died. Charles Boles is said to have remained in California for another two years before giving up again.

Then in 1854, Boles is recorded as having married Mary Elizabeth Johnson. And while some sources say he and his wife lived in New York, the 1860 census had the Boles living with their four children in Decatur, Illinois. 

According to records, Charles Boles enlisted as a private in the Union Army on August 13th, 1862. He was assigned to Company B, 116th Illinois Regiment. Records show his name is spelled "Boles." Supposedly he was seriously wounded at the Battle of Vicksburg, and took part in Sherman's March. It is said that he also received a "brevet" commission as a First Lieutenant. Records also show that he was discharged from the Army on June 7th, 1865, with the rest of his regiment while in Washington, D.C.. From there, he returned to his family in Illinois.

There is no record as to what Boles did after returning from California while married, before entering the Union Army. We really don't know what his occupation was during that time. All we know is that he was a miner in 1854 and than a Union soldier in 1862. We also don't know what he did for work after leaving the Army in 1865.

We do know that by 1867, Charles Boles left his family and went prospecting for gold in Idaho and Montana. Then by 1871, he stops sending money home to support his wife and children. In reality, he deserted them as his wife never heard from him again. At the time, she simply presumed he had died.

What she didn't know is that her husband Charles Boles had made his way back to California. 

No one knows if he took up mining again after arriving, or if that was when he began robbing stagecoaches. There is a story about how he supposedly had a run in with a Wells Fargo agent in either 1869 or 1870, and that was his supposed reason for wanting to rob Wells Fargo stagecoaches. While I've tried to research this, I haven't found anything to support it. And even if that were true, it seems like someone is trying to excuse his breaking the law. 

On July 26th, 1875, Charles Boles robbed his first Wells Fargo stagecoach right here in Calaveras County, California, on Funk Hill in the Stanislaus River Canyon on the road from Sonora to Milton, about 4 miles east of the town of Copperopolis. And while some see it significant that Wells Fargo stages were targeted by Boles, we should remember that Wells Fargo had a reputation for carrying large shipments of gold as well as large company payrolls. So no, whether it was Boles or another bandit, outlaws specifically targeting Wells Fargo was not out of the ordinary. 

His "modus operandi", his method of operation, that distinct pattern or method of operation which he used was always the same. It was always the same in that he would suddenly appear and step out onto a road almost directly in front of a Wells Fargo stagecoach. It would usually take place close to dark  in some remote area when the coach was a going slowly uphill or making a slow turn at a curve in the road. From the driver's side, he would level his double-barrel shotgun at the stage driver, then demand that the shotgun messenger disarm. Only after that would he demand the strongbox. 

In that, his first robbery, with a shotgun as a persuader, he ordered stage driver John Shine to "throw down the box". 

It's said that a passenger inside that coach drew his revolver and was about to shoot Boles when another passenger told him not to for fear of the driver getting killed. Then when driver John Shine supposedly hesitated for a moment before throwing down the strongbox, Boles yelled "If he makes a move, give him a volley, boys."

Since it was very dark, driver John Shine said that he thought he saw rifle barrels pointed at him from the nearby bushes. Not wanting to get killed, Shine handed over the strongbox. Once Boles left on foot into the dark brush. It was then that Shine discovered that the "rifles" were actually carefully rigged sticks to resemble gun barrels. Boles bluff worked. His score though was much smaller than he thought it would be as his first robbery only got him $160.

Boles has been described by some as being an almost superhuman outlaw. I say this because some have stated that Boles was a "powerful walker." According to them, he was capable of walking 40 to 50 miles through the thick backcountry of California in a single day. Some say that's how he avoided capture. That "he simply out-walked his pursuers." These same people assert without proof that he never rode a horse and simply "out walked" the various posses who were after him. That means some people truly believe that he could out walk a horse which is a great trick. I discount such claims as being naive at best. At worse, being believers of Dime Novels.

For Part Two, click Black Bart -- California Bandit -- Part 2

Tom Correa

Mark Twain's Cabin & More

Mark Twain's Cabin

California's Sierra Nevada foothills, the California Gold Country, is full of Old West history. It can be found in both it's original form, meaning ruins and such, or in the form of re-creation as with the replica of a cabin that Mark Twain had supposedly lived in. 

It's true, on Highway 49, about 1 mile northwest of Tuttletown, right there in Tuolumne County, is a California Historical Marker that points to the location of Mark Twain's cabin. It is part of the Mark Twain Bret Harte Trail, at the top of Jackass Hill. Fact is the original cabin burned down, but in the 1920s it was recreated.

So yes, it's a replica of the cabin where Mark Twain spent the winter of 1864-1865. That's supposedly the spot where Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the man who we know by his famous pen name of Mark Twain, is said to have been a guest of his friends the Gillis brothers, Steve, Jim and Bill Gillis.

The Gillis brothers were local miners, and the story goes that Twain was with Steve Gillis in a saloon in Angels Camp when he heard a story about a jumping frog. After returning to Jackass Hill and the cabin, Twain wrote about what he had heard earlier that day. That tale became his first book titled "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." That book launched Mark Twain's career. 

It is said that it was in Angles Camp that he gathered material for his book "Roughing It" which is said to be a semi-autobiographical book about Twain's travels through the West during the years 1861–1867. 

Supposedly, after briefly serving as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War, he joined his brother Orion Clemens, who was pretty established politically. Orion Clemens had been appointed Secretary of the Nevada Territory. Twain is said to have consulted his brother's diary, borrowing heavily from it, when he wrote "Roughing It." That book is pretty interesting because it talks about the gold fields in California and silver prospecting in Nevada and elsewhere. 

Jackass Hill was once a mining camp. It's said the camp achieved notoriety in 1851 and 1852 when hundreds of miners rushed to the newly discovered diggings there. The gold there was coarse and said to be plentiful. The gold often appearing in "pockets" that could make a miner rich in a matter of hours. One account says that some claims of only one hundred square feet yielded as much as $10,000. 

The mines played out quickly and soon most of the population left. That is all except the die-hards who refused to give up. They continued prospecting the area, and it's said they occasionally turned up a small pocket of gold here and there. 

Jackass Hill was named for the mules in the pack trains that stopped there to rest overnight on their way to and from the mines. It's said that as many as 200 mules were picketed there at the same time. They were known to make their presence known by their incessant braying which was said to be heard for miles in all directions. The area was named Jackass Hill to remember their "concerts" each evening during the heyday of the California Gold Rush.

North of Jackass Hill, along California Highway 49, is New Melones Lake. The Archie Stevenot Bridge that spans the lake was built in 1976. It is an impressive structure, and near the center of the bridge is a sign designating the Tuolumne County/ Calaveras County lines. 

In reality, the lake is actually a reservoir on the Stanislaus River. The New Melones Dam and reservoir stores and ships water collected for the Central Valley Project. New Melones Lake provides irrigation water, hydroelectric power, flood control, and even wildlife habitats. The lake itself has a 2,400,000 acre ft capacity with a surface area of 12,500 acres. When full, New Melones has a shoreline that's more than 100 miles long. The reservoir and the dam are located west of Jamestown and Sonora, and south of Angels Camp. 

The site of the reservoir is at the very heart of the California Gold Country. And believe it or not, water was already being diverted and the development of that area began with the arrival of the miners in 1849. Water was immediately diverted to get to the riverbeds, that was where the gold was found. Soon the area was built up by miners and businesses that served their needs. 

About now you're saying, nice travel log, but what's so interesting about the New Melones Lake? 

Well, today the New Melones Visitor Center and Museum has information about cultural and natural history of the area. The museum has exhibits on how the Stanislaus River was used by historic peoples, including the Miwok Indians, during the California Gold Rush, by ranchers, and the now defunct community of Melones. Before being renamed Melones in 1902, that town was known as Robinson Ferry. 

It was there on November 3rd, 1883, that stage driver Reason E. McConnell stopped at the Reynolds Ferry Hotel on the Stanislaus River to pick up a passenger by the name of Jimmy Rolleri. As the stage headed for Funk Hill, the stage was robbed.

Today the town of Reynolds Ferry, later known as Melones, and its hotel are at the bottom of the New Melones Lake. Upon the dam's completion, the valley was filled with water. That water covers the ruins of the original smaller Melones Dam and what's left of the old mining town of Reynolds Ferry. That water also covers the very last place where a stage was robbed by the legendary bandit Black Bart. His last stage robbery. Imagine that. 

Tom Correa