Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-12-30
RLACK BARTTHE HIGHWAYMAN
. Esrxx Randit Who Has Robbed Many a
Western Stage Singlehsnded'
Ss,xeiOI

Western Stage Singlehanded'
San Ftaneisco Special.
The mystery of the recent series OF SIX
bold stage robberies in thu northern part
of the State by lone highwaymsn has
been cleared ND by Special Detective
Hume, of the Wells Fargo Express Com
papy, who has proof that these crimes were
all the work of one man, the notorious
! BLACK Bart" who was released from State
prison only Last January, after serving q
seven q seveu-years' sentence for stage rob-
barry, ruuripg through several years ana
costing the express company thousands OF
dollars.
To-day Hume gave to your correspoo-
dent detailed history Of his lnyestlSa-
TOYS, carried on for several months, to es-
tablish the fact that Black Bart had once
more returned to the road. He now has
evidence that rot only establishes this
point, but which shows that Bart is one OF
the most daring of stage robbers and 3
man who hes shown the most cold b!ooded
cruelty towards his family, which ne de-
serted about fifteen years ago 10 Missouri
Toe following is digest OF tie salient
facts of Hume's story:
In 1887 Black Bart, who then went I'M
der his true nan es of Charles Bibles, wrote
2 letter 10 tie wife aud three daugeiers
whom he had deserted. They lived IN
Hannibal, Mo-, and the wife hsd been
forced 10 do housework to provide for her
children. Bolles dated his letter ST Hels'
no, Mon, aud said he had made enough
money in mining to come back and sup
port thsm in comfort.
Nothing further was heard OF him by
the POOR woman, however, until she reld
in the newspapers that her husband was
the o 'or:ous highwayman, Black Bart.
She wrote q pathetic letter to him, ctfar-
inr elm money if Re was in the need OF IT,
and the prison officials induced Bart TO re-
ply, thinking 10 might reform the man to
renew the old associations will his family.
Just before his release from prison, last
January, the wifs again wrote TO Bart,
begging him to return home and lead an
honest lie. To this he returned a cruel
reply, saying he wanted nothing more to
do with her.
II will be remembered that Black Bart's
robosries were the despair Of detectives for
about seven years. The man had posi-
tive genius for eluding pursuit and for con-
cealing his identity. Before he was finally
captured he had robbed thirty-one s'agts
From none of tte,e did he secure less than
$500 o. $lOO, while from several ne clesued
no b+tTeen 5000 aud Sc, 900.
His method was to always do tho bust
neSs alone, and to the fact that ne did not
drink ard had no confGants the police as
cribe his csc 2ps from arrest. He used
a p4ir of powerful fsld-glasses, by
which he could distinguish q stage q
long distance. In this way he made out
whether a shotgun messenger was seated
BY tie driver. If the driver was alone
Bart slipped on a gunny-sack mask that
covered his face snd most of his person,
aud, Winchester in hand, halted the stage.
He always made the passengers get out and
hold MP their hands in line. Then he
robbed them of all their money and valua-
bles. Occasionally, when a female pas
senger was on board, he politely returned
her the iewelry she wore and some of her
money. Then ne would attack the mail
pouches and the express boxes, ritiing
them with great dexterity. He only al
lowed the sage to procstd when he was
ready himself to carry away his plumber.
1t became his habit to pin to the ritled ex-
prtss box bit of piper containing ga
tirical verse, ridiculipg the detectives and
signed BLACK Bart, the Pes"
The detectives in time secured good
description of him, but it did not seem to
aid them in the search. Although the
robber fTequeGtly had only two or three
hours start of the officers, he invariably
escaped and left no clue. He was caught
at laet. merely by an accident, through
his earelessness in leaving at the scene of a
robbery in Nevada County one of his shirt
cuffs. This bore laundry mark, aud thu
detectives finally located the laundry in
this city. They found the mark had been
placed on the clothing of one c. E. BOlles,
who was regarded as mining man. They
located Bolles, searched his trunk and
found convincing proof of his guilt. He
WAS convicted, and because he gave up
bullion valued at 5000 that he had
buried, he was given only seven years in
San Quentin. the other charges Of robbery
being dismissed.
Bart was model prisoner. He work ed
in the hospi al aud became an expert chem
if. so that he coald have earned a gooi
living on his discharge if he had been 30
inclined.
After his release, on January % last, he
went to Visalia and MERGED, in the lower
San Joaquin Valley. He livel at good
hotels and spent mis- tina looking at land.
In Visllia he registered as NJ. Moore.
When he lefs there last March he confded
TO the landlord we'll filled satchel, which
he sid he would send for. The landlord.
who had ven him in San Qantin, notified
Hums and the detective examined the
satchel. He found cuffs aud handkerchief
bearing the old mack which led to Bsrt's
former Identification. As the satchel was
uncalled for Hume suspected that Bait had
returned to his old life.
The robbery of stage by a lone high
wsymaa near Reddiug on July - las.
confirmed these suspicious. Hume exam
ined the ground and ali thu passengers
and found plain traces Of Bart's methods,
although the willy criminal left no poetry
behind. Clues, as usual, were lacking.
Then followed, in October, and early thu
month, three other stage ro5heries, all by
one man, and all in sections which could
easily have been travsrsed by Bsrt. From
one robbery there was secured $4,000 in
Spld bullion; from another the mail bags
PANIED out over $1,000. From the de,
sc7iptiou of passengers Hume learned that
the robber had lost one front tooth.
Bart WAS nsrvy, systematic and skillful.
His last robbery was the boldeSt on rec
ord, the stopping of stage with SIX men
on the outskirts of the town of Redding.
Hume has no clue to Bart's whereabouts,
but he claims that he is sure of catching
the cunning criminal before long. Next
time Black Bart will probably get life
term in San Quentin.