News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-12-20


he addicted to the use of opium. His
character is an anomaly, made up of all
that goes to make respectability and gen
tiIity, combined with the nerve dash and
daring of the highway robber. His
dress Is always neat and proper, and his
manners those of o cultivated gentleman.
The most remarkable peculiarity about
Black Bart is his fondness for writing
poetical epist!es, which he leaves on the
1ansacked treasure boxes that be has
pilfered. While these do not display q
high order of literary talent, yet they
bear the unmistlkable ear-marks OF
originality.
Black Bart began robbing California
stages in 1875 and continued in q series
o. daring solitary attacks upon stages
until June %, 1883. Detectives secured
tho country for him, and for long time
could secure even no description of him.
They knew that he was no ordinary
criminal. The robberies occurred al.
ways in unfrequented parts of the noun.
tains and the robber was generally able
to conceal his identity. The first cleN
was finally, after the robberies in Men
docino county, October 2 aud 3, 1878
furnished by woman. She was Mrs.
McCreary and lived with her family on 8
lovely farm. Detective Hume was told
by her that a gentleman tourist had
passed that way the day before. One OF
the woman's daughters had seen aud
waited upon him for lunch They were
positive that he was not ighwayman.
From this woman the detective secured
q tolerab.y accurate description, which
was sent all over California. Still the
robberies continued, but as the pitcher
that often goes to the well and the
GROWER that is often rushed finally gets
broken, so Black Bart robbed one stage
too many and was at last caught.
The detectives, from what they could
learn of the man, were convinced that
he did not live IN any of the
small towns of California, but must
when st leisure reside in San Francisco,
SAs1 was probably respectable-appear-
the stage of Wells, argo ) s'> 20, is SSas
robbed three miles e~Copperopolis
r. E. Mcconnell, the stage-driver, was
compelled to unhitch his horses while
Black Bart was digging out the iron box
from under the drivers seat with &
sledge-hammer. BY chance a hunter
came along where Mcconnell was stand.
ing with the horses. He borrowed his
Lille and opened fire on the robEer Jus
9iaRifg hSf tfffIf1w with tn the I5Ie1 - e yas
some s., 600 in gold amalgam. Pie at
tack was so sudden and unexpected that
Black Bart was disconnected, and he
few, leaving behind n pair of opera
glasses and a handkerchief, on which
was the laundry mark, Sc L Y OF" The
articles were at once sent to San Fran
cisco, and all the laundries of the city
were searched. Nine DAYS after the
robbery the laundry was located. and il
was learned that the handkerchief be-
lOnged to n gentleman named c.. T..
Bolton, residing at Mrs. Webb's lodg-
ing house, at No. q Second street. 1t
was learned that Mr.. Bolton had the
day before returned from his mines.
He was called upon by the detective, J..
b. Hume, who, ON pretense of mining
business, induced him to go to an office,
where he was arrested.
He was tried, convicted and sentenced
to the penitertiary, and served his term
of four years and two months, having
been discharged on the 23d of last Janua-
~. Wilhelm prison hewas model convict.
He obeyet all the rules of the institu-
ton without a murmer. He was reti-
cent in his habits and avoided
being seen as much as possible. He
made no acquaintance during his CON
1inement, and had but one bosom friend
and that was Carl Ihorne, alias Dorsey,
who, in company with John G.. Patterson
brutally murdered the banker, VIM. Z.
Cummings, at Nevada City, in 1879.
After leaving prison he spent some time
in San Francisco; then went to Modesto.
MERGED and Visalia, and on the 2Sth of
February he left Visalia, leaving his
valise with the landlord, saying that he
would send for his baggage at some fu-
ture time. Since this time three stage
rObberies bearing his oar-marks haIe
been committed, and detectives are
securing the country for him.
Black Bart's real name is Charles E.
Roles. He was born in Jefferson County.
n. Y, in 1890. He came to California
after the gold excitement of IS49 or
about 1850, and worked in the mines
with some success in Butte, EIdorado,
Shasta and Trinity Counties In 1853 he
returned East aad settled in Illinois.
When the war broke out he lived Mt De-
catur, where, early in 1861 he Joined the
One Hundred and Sixteenth Illinois In
fantTy Volunteers. He gained some dis
tinction for bravery, and was made
Sergeant. In 1866 he returned to his
home and sold his farm, locating his wife
and three small children, all girls, in
Oregon, Illinois, and started for Mon
tana. He worked for eighteen months
in the mines at Helena, and regularly
corresponded with his wife and family,
and IN 1867 wrote them that he had set
tied up his business and was coming
home. From this nothing was heard of
him by his wife and family She, from
tofnlr faf cyF1r
little farm and stock, and at last vas
compelled to resort to manual labor 10 |
support herself and deserted children. |
She heard that he had been murdered |
by the Indians, but womanlike, chung
tenaciously to the belief that he was
alive and she would see him again,
After he was received at the San Quen-
tin Prison, in 1888, his criminal career
was extensively published all over the
United States, and the fact that the
name of G. E BoIes was found in n BIZ
bic in his room on Second street at last
reached his wife, who was living at Ham
nibal. Mo. Mrs. Boles at once wrote to
the officers of the prison, inquiring if
the rObber was her long lost husband.
A photograph was sent to her, and she
at once recognized the picture as that of
her husband. Through all these years
she had been faithful to his memory.
His daughters had grown from little
tOddlers to be young women, and one of
them was married, and the mother was
living with her son-in law at Hannibal.
Despite the graphic accounts of hismany
and great crimes, despite the fact that
he was then incarc, rated and occupying
Q felOn's coll, despite her long and CON
linued struggle with poverty on account
Of his heartless and brutal desertiOn, the
wife and daughters wrote him loving
and affectionate letters. and urged Linn 1
10 Join them at the cl' sc of his imprison-
ment and pass the declining years of his
fe in the bosom of h s fami Y as an
anest man. For q time he kept MP the {
RI spondence, and then, as the days
sds Incarceration drew to a close, he J
e an insolent letter to his soa-in- law s