The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-06-12
A GENTLEMAN ROBBER.
Remarkable Career Of "Sheet Iron
Jack" Of Shasta.
a Daredevil OUTLAW and iIis Wonderful
Expio,t,-IIow ne OLcc Captured Hh
Pursuers-N Helping AN Unfort-
unu;e German.

II you want story, full to each mi
mute detail Of CXcctncss, like the exact
ness Of X photograph, come with me to
the cabins of the pioneers. Listen to
the legend Of ''Shoct Iron Jack, OF
Shasta" ono Of tho old brigands of early
California.
Sheet Iron facll became noted char
acter about the time the surface mines
OF Shasta a,I Trinity hogan to play
out" he wa3 handsome. young and
talented. and vo.y A.nsworths Dick
Turpin, or John l,ild's Cousin Tom, on
horseback 10 clergyman was ever
molcsted on his beat. so from this and
other circumstance the story canc that
he was the youngest son OF u prominent
Baptist minister IN New York. His
popular namo. the only one by which he
nas known. GyoSo irom some OF his re-
markcblc escapes. Men said that he
cOuld shake bullets from his coat as n
duel, sheds water. Certainly the best
shots among the constablcs and sheriils
of the rcc-ion found It Impossible to
win1, thia !,yi-@ r!'ior Is ho r&sscd like
whirlwinl through the mountains of
the Northern Coast Tango and Sierra.
There WIS never : rcro audacious
b,i-aHd. 'inc elder Dumas would have
made h..3 thr hero of Z throe-voiume
na-,,. l. wa go! that hn was the most
ex ,c-t .. ao"s,-g..;'yo3 bat he prarticcd
his profession with such admirable po-
l.tcnefs and hu:apr that ninc-tcnths of
LIS victims nevNr cared TO complain,
Witch 1T his unique genius free to
oscars. Gcride and cover with obloquy
and confusion the rcmaining tenth and
all whom they called to their holp. 1t
goes without saying that he was brave,
with that splendid physical courage
that II times of talHult raises fishermen
20 dpcal chairs, and makes hostlcrs
Msrshals Of l'rC%&n.
Ills high vitali'r ovc:rowod, SO the
old pioneers Say. in acts and sayings
that would have chordcd woll with great
| SURROUNDINGS anl iateful crises Of his
tory. He belonged to the type Of men
whom Napoleon and Skoboleff loved,
understood Gnd G"nt on desperate or
ran3s. Galy a he's, ;hief and yet what
wasted raw material Of LcroisIn went to
tho making Of his character.
No one know where Sheet Iron Jack
| lived. Somewhere in wilderness un-
crossed By wagon roads he made his
camps, never twice in tbs Same ravine.
He seemed to hayo knowledge Of all the
moves of his enemies, and. If the sheriff
went to San Francisco, waSas likely as
not to ride lcisurcly through the county
seat, take drink in the leading saloon,
dine at Miners Hotel and give the news
| paper editor an item, written out for
publication in his own Italian hand and
signed "Sheet Iron Jack, Of Trinity
Center"
Ono of his most famous exploits oc-
Cured in the foothills Of Southern
Shasta. He had taken II dozen blooded
horses from u wealthy Tehama farmer,
but was closely pursued, and just as he
reached the Cottonwood crossing he
found 1t necessary to change his tactics
Ie turned the stolen horses into another
rancher' stable. and drove q dozen of the
rancher's own horses into the highway tc
confuse his pursucrs. Whom these latter
reached the little village across the
bridge n rough teamstcr was the only
guest at the log cabin hotcl-Sheet IroI
Jack in whimsical disguise, for he was I
perfect Proteus when occasion req quired
Before morning he locked the sheriff
party in their rooms, took the bcs
horses, turned the others loose in thu
woods. went back to the rancher's stable
sud secured the pick of tho first lot
With these he swan the Sacramento
and taking advantage of hiding-place
known only to himself, reached Oregon
IN safety o week later. The saucy ant
amusing letter of thanks which he lef
behind on the occasion, pinned with hi
pocket-knife to the sherifrs door, wen
the rounds of all the newspapers.
Sheet Iron Jack on one memorabl,
occasion ventured into a town on th'
Sacramento at time when half a dozer
warrants werc hanging over his head
He was recognized under his Disguise
and pursued by crowd OF armed citi
Gems. He could not reach his owl
horse, but ran into stable, out out al
animal, rode out of tho back door on NJ
alley and made for the river. Every
one saw the horse and rider swim
across in q hail of bullets and climb the
shrubby bank, but when the pursuers
who ran around by q bridge, reached thu
place the horse was found riderless
Sheet Iron Jack had quietly slipped Of
and crept under the wild grape-vine'
into the river, again floated dowI
stream close under the bluff, swan
back and waited his time. An hou
later he recovered his own horse ans
made successful break for the West
ern foothills. M
That was time Of frontier balls 1,
the thinly-scttled counties OF Northern
California. People would often driv
] twentv or thirty miles To q dnnca mn