The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-30
Henry Bacon Booked at the
City Prison for Two
Charges.
The Poll ce Have Been Looking
for Him for Nearly
Three Years.
He Is Credited With Being One Of
the Most Dangerous Criminals
in the City.

Henry Bacon, who is credited by the
police with being one of the most danger
Gus criminals that ever infes, ted the City,
was booked at the Cily Prison yesterday
morning by Detectives Dillon, Crockett,
Ryan and ODea on two charges Of rob-
berry, and it is possible other charges may
follow.
Bacon gives his occupation as molder,
but according to the police he has led the
life of a criminal since he was Is years
OF age. He Is now 81 and has all the ap-
pearance of a typical bad man. He is
above medium height, we'll built, with
shifty black eyes. thin. compressed lips
and salIow complexion.
When he was Is years of age he was
sent from Portland, Or, to the penl-
Tertiary at Salem for five years, on the
charge of grand larceny. lie came TO this
City in the fall of 1894 and soon made his
presence felt by holding up crap game
at A Eddy street and robblng the dealer
and players. Two nights afterward ne
held up another crap game on Grant ave-
nue.. On both occasions he was accom-
panied by two other men. Ex-Policeman
Byrne, who was at the time special o.
ficer on Grant avenue, came upon the trio
and they fired two shots at him, one of
the bullets striking him on the left hand.
The police were notified. and Detectives
Coffey and Gibson arrested Bacon in his
room at Ill Minna street Owins to the
fact that Joe Harvey, who conducted both
the crap games. would not allow Jack
Wolff, his dealer, to indentify Bacon, the
police had to release him from custody.
Soon afterward. Bacon went into
saloon on Eddy and Mason streets. He
had been watching a man who wore
valuable diam ond sud in his shirt front,
and followed him into the saloon. Pull
ing out 4 revolver, Bacon compelled the
man to hand him his diamond stud, and
then disappeared.
That winter there were number OF
people held up in different parts of the
City, and Bacon was suspected OF being
the robber, but he managed to elude the
vigilance OF the police. On the night OF
April 5, 1895, six men were held up in the
district south of Market street. One of
Them was Peter Demarke, waiter living
on Minna street, near First. He was on
his way home, and on Jessie street, near
Fifth, three men, one with revolver,
knocked him down and robbed him of
silver watch and chain and 81 so in com.
Arthur Johnston was another, and he was
held up near his home on Minna street,
between Third and Fourth. and rob bed OF
a valuable gold watch and chain and all
the money he had in his pockets.
d -marke the following day swore out
warrant for Bacon's arrest i'll Judge Lows
court and since then the police have been
looking for him Directive Crockett
watched the house on Sixth street near
Clemen ina, where he roomed, for >everal
days and nights, but Bacon had flown.
1t was ascertained by Detective Gibson,
while IN Los Angeles bout two years ago,
that Bacon had gone there and held up
horsecar. relieving the driver OF all his
coin. He was arrested for petty larceny
and while In prison was identified as the
man who held up the horsecar. One
morning he took the place OF drunk"
in the chain gang, was put to work on the
streets aud made mis- escape.
He went to New York and was last
heard of in Kansas City. The police
learned that he lad returned TO this City
about ten davs ago and D lion. Crockett,
Ryan AMI O'Dea were etailed to find
him. They were successful in doing SO
last Monday night and put him in the
tanks" Since then they have been
working up the Demarke and Johnston
cases and say they have a dead cinch"
on bim. They believe he came here TO
start in robbing people as soon as the
dark nights set in.
Bacon takes his arrest coolly and says
the police cannot prove anything against
him.