Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-02-16
! BANDIT OF THE COAST.

mltted twenty three rObberIes during SIX
years. was released from san Quent1D
Prison on New Years day. He promises
to turn over q new leaf from that day on,
and in view OF this resolve brief history
of his career will be found more than
usually interesting, as the histories of
of stage robbers 90.
Black Bart is the most celebrated of all
the skillfulI highwaymea, or road agents,
as Ihey are called, who have hOurished on
the Pacific coast since the early days of
the gold rush. For six years he was the
terror OF Wells, Fargo 4 Co.'S express
agents. lie seemed to be ubiquitous. He
first levied ou Iaai coach IN the Sierras
and the next heard OF him would be IN the
lonely S.5kiyOU Mountains, on the old
trail ITO Oregon He was always alone,
and he never failed TO do his work In sys-
tumatic and gentlemanly fashion. If there
was any doubt ia the drivers mind Of the
identity of the lone hghWayman, this
doubt was always dispelled when the de-
tectiyes arrived on the scene of the rob-
bary. Attached TO the rifad express box
would always be found some bit of pa
per. with q few lines Of doggered poetry,
signed "Black Bart, the Poe-8." The ex-
press company has IN It's employ some Of
trv, vet these men were always bat1ied by
"Blach Bart" UP To the time of his
capture they do not even know his name
or any of his haunts. The chief cause
Of the mystery was that Bart was phenO-
mental criminal who never had any con-
fdants-neysr drank liquor nor had any
relations with women. In this way most
Of the sources of information ON which
the police rely were cut of. Bart, when
not on the road was known in this city
and Sacramento as Charles ID. Benton, or
Bolton, aud Charles Barlow. He was sup
posed to DO q mining man who made fre-
quent trips into the interior TO look after
his properties. These trips, it is needless
to say, were always marked by "clean-
up but this was made at the express com
pany's expense, and the only tools that
the ingenious miner used were shotgun
to persuade any refractory stage-coach
driver, and a croWbar or ak to break open
the express-box.
THE ROAD AGENTS METHODS.
Black Bart was finally captured in No
vember, 1888, but this occurred only after
ne had pursued his lucrative calling for
six years. His first appearance in Cali
fornia was on August 3, 1877, when ne
halted the regular mail stage from Fort
Rose to the Russian river. The road at
this point is along a high bluff, and, on
the day mentioned, as the stage swung
around short curve, the leaders were
halted by 2 scarecrOw figure In the middle
of the road with q doUble-barreled shot
gun IN his baud. The makeup of the
road agent was unique. He had jute
wheat-6ags on the lower part of his legs;
his body was clad In an Olden time dUSter,
and his head and face were covered with
a white hour-sacb, through which CLEANED
the bright eyes of tho robber. On his
head he had a cap which bore a striking
resemblance to the conical hat of the
circus clown.
HIS FIRST ROBBERY.
Before the astonished driver could
fairly take IN the strange apparition he
was asked in polite tones, 'Please throw
out the box and mail-bags." As the gun
was trained on him he lost no time in
obeying. Then tbs figure nimbly leaped
to the side of the road and ordered him
to drive on. No attempt was made TO rob
any OF the passengers in the coach.
When the stage reached the next station
the Sheriff started out, but he found only
the dilapiteted treasure box, the riG ed
mail bags and an old ak. From the box
the road agent had secured $500 in coin,
a check on a San francisco bank for
$685. 81. On the back of q weigh bill of
the express company was scrubbed the
legend which soon was to be so well
known, "Black Bart, the PoeS." The
humorous signature of the highway man
caused much amusement throughout the
State, but the express officers thought he
was crank and they had heard the last
of him.
TwENrY-THREE SUCCESSFUL HAULs.
Rewards amounting to $500 in all were
offered for the capture of the stGge-rob.
Der, but not clew was gained by any OF
the small army of detectives that worked
on the case. The detectives had only
fairly given up the hunt, when another
stage robbery by lone highwaymen was
reported In Mendocino county, and among
the debris of small boxes and express
boxes were found some execrable verses
signed by "Black Bart" Again rewards
were offered, and again the unavailing
search was made. During the next five
years Wells, Fargo s. Cos express boxes
were robbed by this practical highway
man about four times year. He never
tackled a stage that had a shotgun mes
senger; he never disturbed a passenger
but was notorius for his politeness tc
women on board, whom be assured nc
harm would befan them; yet he always
got away with a good swag, his
clean-ups ranging from $500 to $4,000
He seemed to have q partiality for colo
dust and amaigam, but he also appeared
to have means of knowing when heavy
coin shipments were made. In this way
hn cTN kh,A -, Id -r
regularly, he could not have averaged les:
than $4,000 a year, which came out of tn,
pockets of the express company and on
Of Uuncle Sans exchequer.
A FORTUNE OFFERED IN REWARDS.
Although he always wore a sack owe
his head, it was sometimes carelessly ad
iusted, and the drivers of stages wer,
notified to take special pains to get de
scription of him. In this way the detect
ives finally had a good description. The,
knew he was about so, an American, Wit
long gray hair, thin face, deep set gra
eyes and prominent teeth; that he was
teetotaler and fond of reading; that h
always wrote his doggerel IN a differen
hand, but at times betrayed great prof
cheney with the pen. Yet this photo
graph OF the mysterious criminal did no
seem to aid them at ell in the search TO
him. The rewards by November, 1885
had reached the handsome sum of SIS,
400. Every robbery was committed il
precisely the same way. The mailbag
were always cut just below the lock in tn
form of letter L, and the ak with which
the express box was broken open was lef
OF the ground.
BARF's LAST ROBBERY.
PERI APPS he would still be levying o