Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-03-18
BAD MEN OF rHF GOLD COAST

BAD MEN OF THF GOLD COAST
"Reminiscences of one of Them, whe
at the Age of SO is Trying TO "Livs
Square.o
from the San Francisco Chronicle.l
Pierre Ridge is eighty-two years old now,
He has been in California since 1S4S, and
most of that time he has spent in prison.
| He only finished his last term two months
| ago. His life has been one long story Of
Yesterday he sat in Chief Crowley's outer
Office, wearing large white sombrero and
smoking clay pipe with very short stem.
One of his eyes is gone, but the other, not
withstanding his age. is as sharp as ever.
"Well, don't know as it'll do me any
good to tell you the story Of my life," he
began, as he crossed his knees, blew a cloud
of smoke from his mouth and winked med
itatively with his good eye. "Tm trying
to live square now. I've had enough of
prison, and don't want to serve any more
time behind the walls. But suppose it'll
not hurt me much; Tim, there" nodding
to Detective Bainbridge, "has got it all
down in the book-that is, he's got some
VI IL, DuJ tueE6 u lOL more hDouN
I've done that he never can get. / wouldn't
tell my own brother about them.
81 was born in New Orleans in 1910, ;" he
continued. "My father and four brothers
were all butothers and I'm q butcher myself.
l served through the Mexican war in Col
onel Jack Hayes Texas regiment. Then /
came to Californis, and srrived at bos-Aa-
geles in December of 1S4s. / stayed there
all winter and came to this town in the
spring of 1S49. In February went up to
the mines in Plumas county. Rabbit Creek
was the name of the camp. In 1850 went
to 0roville. The 'diggin" was good there.
and during the four months / stayed /
made plenty of money.
'It was there 1 fell in with fellow
named Tom Bell and his partner, Rattle
snake Dick. We went to Sacramento to-
gether, and, at q saloon at l. and Second
streets. called The Shady Corner kept
by fellow named Welsh, we met Bill
Thompson and Charley Jackson They be-
Hanged to a gang of crooks and We joined
them. The sign of membership was bul
let with q cross on it. II one OF US was in
trouble he could show that marked bullet
to one of the others and he would do any
thing he could. We were twenty-three al
together.
then. Ne and Bill Thompson went to
Placerville and held up the Plscerville and
Sacramento stage. Thompson got the DUST
and we met in Sacramento and divided il.
was arrested and sentenced TO six years
in the brig The brig was all the prison
they had then. 1t lay at anchor out in the
cells. All the prisoners were ironed at
night. They put me and Red Nike in a
cell together, and one night we cut our
manacIes, filed the bars from the window,
and dropping down into the river, SWAN
ashore. Red Nike went to Yuba Dam at-
ter that, and was killed.
"I went down to San Jose under the name
of Charley Buford and opened butcher
shop. The quicksilver mines were being
worked at Almaden then, and they used to
get the money to pay with by stage from
San Francisco. One day went out about
three miles and made the messenger throw
down the sack with 81, 200 in it. then
went back to San Jose. l was arrested sf-
terward and served seven years in San
Quentin. They were putting up the stone
building there and we used to sleep on a
barge at night.
''rhen went to Nspa. Black Jack Bowen
and me went into Levi Solomon's store,
and while Jack was talking about buying
something carried off the box with the
SO, 800 in it. 1 got fourteen years for that
and Jack got ten. In 1862, while I was
serving that term, there was a big jsilbreak,
county. In 1856 l held up the Big River
stage twelve miles above Cloverdsle, and
got the express box containing $21. 900. i
carried it down to Cherry Run and buried
it. I was arrested for that and sentenced
to twenty-one years. But Governor Haight
pardoned me after I had served four
months because told the express company
where to go and find the money.
'In 1876 was sentenced to three years
in Fort Yuma for an Arizona burglary.
After that went to Folsom for two years
for burglary committed in Yuba. Ny
next term was five years from this city for
a burglary, and completed my last term
in Jail two months ago, when was released
from Folsom after serving three years for
burglary.
"Of course, 1 held up lots of stages and
committed other crimes for which / was
never punished. In 1854 met an old ped
dler named Ben Levy on the trail from
Colfax to Nevada City. He used to ride
around the camps on a mule buying gold
dust. 1 made him give up his sack. which
had ninety pounds of dust in it, and then
I pushed him and his mule over the grade.
Levy's leg was broken and his mule was
killed. lost all the dust the same night
playing against faro.
81 killed a man once. | thought l was
going to hang for it, too. 1t was in Pls-
cerviHe, when Jim johnson WAS judge.
Lie Owens and Tom Walker were dealing
faro at the Clinton house. A fellow named
Australian Tom DAILY wanted to take mp
one of my bets, and when / wouldn't
let him he threw glass at me. shot him
through the head, and then ran over into
miners tent across the slough. The vigil
antes came after me, but the miners began
to shoot and they went away. Two weeks
later Judge johnson examined me and 1
was acquitted on the ground of self-de-
fence.
after got out of the barge went to
Sacramento, in '5f, and stole box of dust
from Jim MoLear. hid il in my room and a
policeman named Burke found it there one
day while Tom jackson was inthe room.
He was found gnilty and sentenced to nine
years, although he was entirely innocent
jackson was one of the men who helped
lynch Center and Williams in '52 for muir
dering fellow named Boot Jack
81 was broke in the city once, when !
| saw Captain Shaw of the ship Onward com
| ing along Samson street. put Il rock in
my handkerchief and laid him out and then
took his watch snd S74. An hour or two
later he came into the saloon where / was
playing poker with his money.
| In 1871 stole S6,uUO worth OF lewelry
| from a store on Third street, near Mission,
and gave 1t to Aleck Wright to sell for
me. He never gave it back to me, nor any
of the money. He was afterward killed
| while trying to hold up a stage in the
mountains.
"You see, I've had plenty of experience.
I've been crook all my life, but I'm 60
ing to be straight now till l die. I don't
suppose tn at will be very long, but I'm a
pretty good man yet, if am eighty-two
| years DID,"