The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1892-03-23
A CAREER OF CRIME.
A Veteran on the Brink of the Grave,
Boasts Of a Half Century of
Imprisonment,
fsan Francisco Examiner.

Pierre Ridge is SO years old now. He
has been in California since 1912, and
most Of that time he has spent in prison.
He only finished his last term two
months ago. His life has been one
lone story of crime, and be likes well
enough TO tell it.
Yesterday he sat in Chief Crowley's
outer office, wearing a large white SOM
brero and smoking clay pipe
with o very short stem. One Of his
eyes is gone, but the other, notwith-
standing his age, is as sharp as ever.
"Well, 1 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 cloud Of smoke from his mouth
and winked meditatively with his good
eye. I'm trying to live square now.
I've had enough Of prison and 1 don't
want to serve any more time behind the
walls. But suppose it'll not hurt ne
much. Tim, there" nodding to Detec-
tive cambridge, "hss got it all down in
the book-that is, he's got some Of it;
but there's lot more about things I've
done that he never can get. Wouldn't
tell my own brother about them.
HIS EARLY LIFE.
II was born in New Orleans in 1910, v
he continued. my father and four
brothers we're all butchers and I'm a
butcher myself. 1 served through the
Mexican war in Col. Jack Hayes Texas
Regiment. Then 1 came TO California,
and arrived at Los Angeles in Deem.
Der of ls4s. / staid 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 wal
the name of the camp. In 1850 1 wen
to Oroville. The diggin' was good
there, and during the four months
staid made plenty Of money.
at was there fell in with a fellow
named Tom Bell and his partner
Rattlesnake Dick. We went to Sacra
mento together, and at a saloon at !
and Second streets called The Shad,
Corner, kept by a fellow named Welsh
we met Bill Thompson and Charlie.
Jackson. They belonged to gang o
crooks and we joined them. The sigl
OF membership was bullet with eros
on it. II one Of us was in trouble h
could show that marked bullet to on
of the others and he would do anything
he could. There we're twenty. three O
us altogether.
81 was going by the name Of Boz
Morgan then. Me and Bill Thompson
went to Placerville and held up tn
Placerville and Sacramento stage
Thompson got the dust and we met il
Sacramento and divided it. was al
rested and sentenced to six years in tn
brig The brig was all the prisol
they had then. 1t lay at anchor out il
the Sacramento River and was fitted u
with cells. All prisoners we're ironed a
night.
| THE ESCAPE FROM THE BRIG
"They put me and Red Mike'in Gel
together. and one night we cut on
manacles, filed tue bars from the win
dow, and dropping down into the river
swan ashore. Red Nike went to Yub
Dam after that and was killed.
IT vent down to San Jose under tn
name of Charley Buford and opened
, butcher shop. The quicksilver mine
we're being worked at Almaden then
and they used to get the money to pc
off with by stage from San Fanciscc
One day I went out about three mile
/, and made the messenger throw dow
the sack with $1,000 in it.
"I then went back to San Jose.
) was arrested afterwsrd and served seve
years in San Quentin. They we're put
ting up the stone building there, an
| we used to sleep on barge at nigh
! Then went TO Naps.
"Black Jack Bowen and me went int
Levi Solomons store, and while JAG
was talking about buying something
carried off the box with $1,000 in it.
} got fourteen years for that and JAG
: got ten. In 1862, while / was servir
5 that term, there was a big jail-breal
and got away and went up into Lsi