Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-01
WILLIAM II. BRYANT.
The PCoRd Patriarch of the Penitentiary
KNOWN las "Number One"

WILLIAM II. BRYANT,
The PCoRd Patriarch of the Penitentiary
KNOWN as 'sNumber One"
Lets see; where shall we commence
unused Captain Dougherty. Goodness
knows we've plenty of old stagers here
and"
"Why not start in on Number One?'
suggested Captain Fish.
Sid Brown-just the man. observed
Captain Mclean, and at once a guard was
dispatched to, convey the body of William
T. Bryant, alias Sid Brown, ETC., to the pri-
vate Office. which had been assigned to the
newspaper emissary for reception pur-
poses.
In a short time the guard returned, &C
companied by the convict who epioys-as
he certainly does epioy-the distinction OF
being Number One on the roll of over ,4GG
inmates of the prison at San Quentin.
William T. Bryant, alias Sid Brown
alias William Bryant, alias &. j. Critten-
den, alias A. II. Pellissier, alias almost
anything else. may safely be said to be q
man with history, albeit one which we
should hardly adjure the youth of our
country to emulate. They have a saving
at SanQuentin that this prison was built
for Sid Brown"-his usual cognomen at
present-"and it couldn't run without
him." And the first clause in the declara-
ton would seem to be warranted, from the
fact that Mr. Bryant Brown was ready for
the penitentiary before ii was ready for
him, as will be seen b. the narrative fol-
lowing.
Bryant greeted his visitor pleasantly
apparently delighted at the opportunity of
l. Al !
expressed his entire willingness to talk O;
his remarkable history in crime.
"Istarted npretty young" he began, ''or,
rather, was started, for of the crime OF
which ] was first convicted l was innocent,
and if had never suffered that first i'm
prisonment l should never have seen the
inside of prison walls.
ION the Sd day of May. 1871 was only
Is years and 6 months old then, although
nearly man in size-I was convicted OF
grand larceny at Coloma, Ell Dorado
county-a little matter of thirteen or four
teen horses. / had no hand in the Job.
There would be no object in my telling
you this if it were false, but | lust remark
it because it's the truth, and dote on the
truth.
"a short sine before the date named, 1
was working in my mine at Mud Springs.
i was sitting rocking my cradle and getting
out the gold when thirteen men on horse
back galloped up to me. The leader-a
man by the name of Smith, who ran a
gin-mill at Diamond Springs-threw rope
over my head, and, after dragging me to a
tree near by and throwing the rope over a
limb, asked me: Where's the men that
stole them horses2'
81 was frightened nearly to death and
asked them what they meant-for didn't
know.
They insisted upon it that did know
and gave it as their opinion that they'd
make me tell in hurry.
Now, for the keynote of the whole
business. | had been lucky for some time
past and had got together decent pile |
had $500 in dust deposited in Smith S
safe; he was the leader of the gang which
pulled me up on charge of horse stealing.
Do you see the point! He wanted me out
of the way so he could freeze onto my dust,
and he had got his friends to help him.
We'll, they pretended to think | had
stolen the horses, and they hanged me
three times to force me to acknowledge the
theft. They couldn't make me do it. Ny
treatment rendered me senseless, and
knew nothing for three days, when awoke
and found myself in house which Smith
owned. He had twenty five men guarding
me, and had given it out far and wide that
l was a horse-thief.
"The next day 500 people gathered about,
all clamoring for my life. There was lots
of preaching, with me for text, and the
excitement ran high as the crowd deter
mined that should swing.
ION the fifth day after my capture l was
tried by lynch law, condemned in short
order and sentenced to die in half an hour
The mob hustled ME into wagon with
only one horse hitehed to it, and, after
placing a rope around my neck, drove me
under tree and tied the cord to limb.
Just then Tax Collector Scouten came
up on horseback and demanded that an
other horse be hitehed to the wagon Do
the job up in style he said; 'wedoR't want
any such slouehy work here
Some one brought another horse and
hitched it in with the first one, and Scouten
said to friend: You take those reins and
drive that team up. ] want TO see this job
done neatiyl
THE party spoken TO jumped on the seat
and took the reins, and then Scouten rode
up alongside the wagon opposite me- and,
drawing a bowie knife from his boot, quick
as a flash he cut the rope and shouted to
the driver, Drive for your life to Coloms
jail Then facing the crowd and drawing
two revolvers he said: The first man who
winks is dead meat. This boy is going to
have tair trialr
at was all done so quickly that had a
good start before the crowd realized what
had happened. Ny private carriage q al
ways did like travelling in stylel took me
over the ground as fast as those horses
could run, and we soon reached Coloma,
twelve miles away
Il was taken charge Of by Sheriff Will
lam Rogers, and it was not long before my
prosecutors arrived upon the scene, rein
forced by a large number of other people
who wanted 10 see a horse thief hanged
and all cryilg for NV life The Sheriff got
together guard Of 100 men. who watched
me constantly tor three nights aud days.
''On the Both of June / was legally tried
and convicted on the peJjured evidence Ct
Smith and his pals. l was sentenced to
three years in States Prison-before there
was States Prison.
Il was taken to the County Jail of San
: Francisco. and was the first prisoner OF
the State TO arrive there.
After passing four months in this Jail
/ went to Angel Island, where | spent nine
months in the old prison brig La Grange.
when the quarry a. Angel Island was
worked cut the brig was towed over to San
Quentin, and the prisoners were put to
work on the brick mschine.
IN 1854 the foundation-stone OF San
SHSAAAd neS iaiu, auo was Tue uiah ~
lay it. with a silver trowel furnished by
Genera Vallejo, General Estelle-ihe lessee
of the pyssou-and Governor McDOBgall.
My time expired June 30, 1854, bat
about two months before that date got
sort OF impatient aud broke ont. On Au-
gust 18Th I Eas arrested at Saersrner to,
where was working as q waiter in hotel.
l must have resembles some bad mar, be-
Gauss they faxed Up g charge Of stealing
against ne. Tue Judge found out ab9nt