Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-01
THE DETECTIVES STORY !;
The Romance of Life on the Road,
and the Exploits of Mod
ern Dick Turpin.

Written from His Note book and Memory, es-
pecially for the New Year RECoRD-l MON, by
J. B. Hume, Chief Detective officer for Wells,
Fargo & Co.
On the 31st day of January, 1870, Richard
Perkins, alias Dick Fellows, alias George
Bret Lytle, was received at the California
State Prison at San Quentin from Los An
geles county, sentenced 10 serve term of
eight years for robbery and assault to muir
der He was entered upon the register at
the prison as native of Kentucky, and "a
years of age.
He had been an inmate of the prison but
a short time, when it became apparent
from his meek and lowly demeanor that
he had undergone complete change of
heart. He organized Sunday-school and
Bible class, and being looked upon as the
proper leader of the entire religious element
of the prison, was given position in the
library, where he expounded the Scriptures
with vigor and eloquence that struck
terror to the souls of the minions of Satan.
His sanctity was so pronounced that the
most ungodly refrained from their impious-
ness in his presence, and the priests and
leaders of the good pointed TO him as one
who had come up out OF great tribulatiOn,
and was an example worthy the emulation
even of the godly Upon the opportunities
of those who had noticed his apparent re-
formation, Governor Booth on April 1, 1874.
granted
DICK PERKINS AN UNCONDITIONAL PARDON
And restored him to citizenship. In No
vember, 1875, he appeared in Calente an
associate of known thieves and outlaws
At that time Caliente was the terminus of
the Southern Pacific Railroad, and infested
with large number of very bad charac-
ters James B. Hume, special officer of
Wells, Fargo Il Co., was there looking
after the safety of their stages in that re-
gion, and on the Sd of December, 1879, re-
ceived a dispatch from Wells, Fargo &
Co.'S Division Superintendent S. d. Bras
tow requesting him to be at the train next
morning, the 4th. when it arrived On the
arrival of the train. Hume met Superin-
tendent Brastow and jerome Meyer, Chief
of Police Of the city of Stockton. They
| had III their charge $4,000 in gold coin.
going to Los Angeles TO the suspended
bank of Temple & Workman The
bank had promised its patrons and credit
ors to resume business on Monday, the 9th,
and Wells, Fargo & Co., some days prior,
had agreed to deliver at Los Angeles any
amount they desired to send in time for
banking hours Monday morning No per
Loo, nf hA INF. ll,,t e
| Wells, Fargo e. Co.. knew that the nonev
was to be sent, or, if they did, did not
Know whether it would go by sea or over
land. Stage time from Caliente to Los
Angeles was twenty-three hours, and the
| starting time 8 a. NJ. There was always a
crowd around the depot on the arrival of
the trains and the departure of the stages,
The three express boxes containing the
quarter of million dollars required two
men to each box in transferring them from
the cars to the stage coach. Hume was
wanted to accompany BTastow and Meyers
in guarding the treasure through to its des-
tination. He saw Dick and several other
OLD CoYyICTs LOOKING At THE TRANSFER,
But apprehended no particular danger, Us
no one in Caliente or on her0ute knew the
amount of the treasure or of its coming.
The boxes were placed inside the body of
/ H.
passengers took seats. Hume took the out
side seat with the driver, and two other
passengers occupied the " dickey seat just
behind them
A case containing two double-barreled
shotguns and two Winchester rifles had
been placed on the deck Of the stage Bras
tow, Hume and Meyers were each armed
with pistols but they were not in sight.
The stage road from Caliente to Tehachapi
summit eighteen miles, was new, and the
stage could not make more than three
miles an hour in ascending the mountain.
| Hume, being known as a Wells, Fargo 4.
Co. man, was the only person presumed to
! be in charge of the treasure. Soon after
| leaving the station the case was opened and
the guns distributed. Immediately after
| the departure of the stage Dick and another
, -" old con-, who owned a saddle horse, con-
cluded to get ahead of the stage and rob it,
| Dick was to get a livery horse and meet his
| friend mile out of town, and then they
were to take a short route and head off the
stage. Dick, who is a poor horseman. hired
a horse at the stable mounted it, but be-
fore reaching his friend the bronco
bucked Dick Off landing him on his head
rendering him unconscious for some time
The horse, as it had got rid of its rider, ran
back to the stable in Caliente. Dick made
his way back into the town, and of course
| the " job was abandoned. Brastow Hume
and Meyers reached Los Angeles with their
treasure unmolested, and were entirely
| ignorant of the proposed robbery. The
| return stage from Los Angeles was due at
! Caliente between and 9 o'clock in the
evening. About an hour before stage time
| Dick seeing a saddle-horse hitched in front
of Sisson & Wallace's store, unhitchcd.
mounted the animal and started up the
road meeting the stage about one and Il
half miles out of town. He ordered Dugan
| the driver, to
| HALT AND THROW OUT TIE BON
Which order he obeyed promptly Dick
had failed to take anything with him with
which to break open the box, and in the
darkness, being unable to find stone for
that purpose, concluded to take the box on
his horse and carry it to a safe distance be-
fore breaking it open, when he would rifle
| it of its contents, and then ride as fast and
as far as his horse would carry him, when
| he would abandon the latter and travel on
| foot In trying to get the box on the horse
| the animal became frightened, broke away
and left Dick with the box and on foot
The work on the tunnels and grading on
the line of the railroad at this time was be-
! ing vigorously prosecuted and many of
| the tunnels were nearly completed
Dick shouldered the box and started
across the hills in the darkness, and walked
off an almost perpendicular bank of
eighteen feet into the approach to tunnel
No. ), breaking his left leg above the ankle
and had the instep of the foot crushed by
the box falling upon it.
| He lay there in an unconscious condition
for several hours. When he regained con-
sciousness he took in the situation. and re-
allied that to remain there with evidenced
his crime until the workmen came, would
insure him another term in San Quentin
Finding that all his other limbs We're in or
der, he turned over on his hands and knees
rolled the box at arms length ahead OF
him, then crawled up to it, and SO on until
he was out of the approach. A quarter of
q mile below him, down an almost perpen-
dicular hill was Tehachapi creek, and
along its banks the Chinese workmen's
tents lighted up, which indicated the APP
proach of day. He then assumed a sitting
posture, crossed the broken leg over the
sound one, and using his hands on the
ground
MADE HIS WAY TO THICKET
OF brush near the creek, taking the ex-
press-box with him. Here he concealed
the box as well as possible and crawled to