The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-23

never used an uglier pistol than the
| one hanging here. It has an ugly
| shaped barrel, a shotgun hammer and
/ a big handle with a mob on the end OF
| it. Over in AmadOr in 40 there were
sluice box robbers, and they were hard
! to catch. This gun was loaded and
| set bear-trap fashion one night by a
miner now dead The gun went off
about midnight and the robber died
The old miner gave 1t 10 the Sheriff.
An odd thing in the way of armor Is
to be found on a stand. 1t is a coat
of mail" made of wire rings and wo
ven so closely and with such mechani-
cal genius that no bullet could pene-
trate it. It will as completely envelop
a mans body as an ordinary sack coat
1t fastens together in the front much
/ like a coat This coat is really a Won
derfuIly made article. AS to who man
ufactured it history does not tell. 1t
belonged to William Cox, who in the
early seventies killed his son-in-law
over in Calaveras County. Cox was
! hanged for his crime. This coat was
! found on him at the time of his ar
rest.
A ridiculous looking weapon is an old
"slop bucket" pistol, which was taken
from Fred Salkmann, alias Dutch
Fred, who departed this life in 1851 by
the rope route.
Chinese ingenuity and brutality are
ton. Murderous looking knives and
knuckles, several with human life to
answer for, are here found. The
knuckles are crude in construction and
calculated for murder. One Chinaman
unwiIlingly contributed to the col
lection what appears to be a fan. Press
a spring and the fan case comes off and
a keen knife is displayed.
One old pistol which looks like
sawed off manufacturing shotgun be-
longed to George Baker, alias Mick
ey," who also went by the rope route
in 1851
In the way of sandbags, the Sheriff
has one made out of the leg of a pair
of overalls 1t is simply filled with
sand and the ends tied with strong
cord.
belonged to Salter D. Worden. He
dropped the weapon in the railroad
yards here during the great strike.
One of the most complete outfits used
bv forgers is one which belonged to
man known as w E. Williamson. The
ordinary person would not suppose that
the trade Of a forger required so many
tools There are brushes, quilts, knives
and whatnot. Checks partially finished
and others on which large amounts
were collected are displayed. The case
devoted to counterfeit bills and money
is highly interesting. Some OF the coin
is crude and others so well made that
the ordinary mortal could not detect
them.
The cleverness Of criminals is illus
trated by an ordinary looking comb
which Cunningham took from James
Winters at the San Francisco prison.
Concealed in the back of the comb is
saw four inches long and third or an
inch wide.
To vary the list the Sheriff has a
Iat
murdered on the trail in the early pto-
neer days. His name or that of his
murderer is not known. Every article
in the vast collection has history, and
many of the crimes came under Cum
ningham's official eye.
lighted the heart of Samson is leg
bone Of a horse, handsomely polished
and with a string to swing it from the
wrist. 1t was taken from a gang of
San Francisco toughS who came up Ito
run" Stockton in the early days.
The Medina murder" is recalled by
all old timers. The Mexican sword
which ended the life of six men is on
exhibition.
The most unique weapon in the en-
tire lot Is one which was found in the
cabin of a recluse known as Bis
marck,' who resided near sonora many
years. It is a combination dagger, pis-
toll and brass knuckles. The brass
knuckles form the handle, the bullets
are fired directly from the chambers,
there being no barrel. The position
belonging to the barrel has the dagger
attachment. which can be closed back
under the handle
Cunningham has handled numbers of
the most distinguished criminals.
Many Of the bad men Of our State owe
their removal from business to Gun
ningham.