The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-09-19
APART OF DENVER'S RECORD.
SOME THINGS TOLD BY THE
OLD EX-CONVICT.
But He Carried to the Grave Many
Secrets He Could Have
DivuIged.

Jail Friday morning, was one of the
Oldest convicts in the State. While
confiened in the County Jail awaiting
trial for robbing the house of L. n. Bill
| lings, near the American River, he be-
came quite confidential with Sheriff
Johnson and County Detective Max P.
Fisher.
Immediately after his arrival at the
county's bastile he was visited by
Fisher, who al once recognized him as
old Johnnie JOY" the name under
which Denver had served his eighth
term in the State Prison. The detect
i've first spotted the man in July,
1894, during the great railroad strike,
at a time when Denver and several
other eX-convicts had planned a rob-
berry.
Fearing discovery, the job was aban-
doned, and Denver left for oregon and
Washington, and returned to Sacra-
mento about two weeks before his re-
cent arrest
After the County Detective had
greeted him in a familiar manner Den
yer saw that his identity had been
disclosed, so he made no further at
tempt to hide his record Indeed; he
felt rather proud to think that this time
he had managed to be a free man for
fully five years, the longest time that
he had enjoyed freedom for nearly forty
years.
Like old Jim Ivey, Denver hated,
above all things, liar, save when d
falsehood might save him from term
in prison.
With rather a feeling of pride he re-
lated to Fisher how, in the early days
of Sacramento, when Buck Harrigan
had an interest in the old race track
east of the city, he stole a valuable
dapple-gray horse and got away in
safety. How also on another occasion
he robbed a safe in a saloon on lower
j street, opposite the old Magnolia
House.
The proprietor of the saloon had
prided himself on the safety of his
place, having two ferocious bulldogs on
guard at night. One morning his safe
was empty and unlocked The dogs
were unframed. The street doors were
found locked as when the proprietor
had left the premises, and never until
'AON mas LIAC MY SlcIy u the disappear
ance of the money ever been explained
Denver got $500 from the safe, but
spent it all except a twenty-dollar
piece.
With his last $50 he went into the sa-
loon opposite the Bank Exchange, on
the corner of Second and K streets,
and bought q drink, rendering the gold
piece in payment. The bartender, hav-
ing counted out to him his change, for
moment turned his back to wait on
customer in a side-room, when Dem
yer leaned over the bar and not only
extracted his twenty dollar piece bur
three others as well. He calmly walk
ed out and across the street, depositing
the four twenties in a broken bottle,
and then walked back and stood out
side the saloon. Presently, SO he says,
Len Harris came along and took him
into the saloon, where the proprietor
charged him with having robbed his
till
Well-feigned surprise, coupled with
an earnest desire on Denver's part to
be searched, resulted in the bartender
offering an apology. In relating the in
cident Denver sail: you see, in those
days Len was kind of green in the biz
and he begged off for the mistake he
thought he had made, and we all had
a drink at his expense"
At this point the aged prisoner stop
ped, and attempts to learn more of his
criminal career and of unexplained
crimes, for which perhaps innocent ones
have been suspected or imprisoned,
ever silenced the lips of the old con-
Wet. 1t is safe to say that could he
have been induced to make confession
numerous unexplained crimes might
have come to light
Among other things he could have
explained the death of a young lad
who was murdered and robbed down
south a few years ago, and had prom
Used to do so, but death interviewed I'M
expectedly.