The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-14
The Fake Confession.

! was born in Johnson county,
Arkansas. March. 1871. In lSia
the gold rush and he died near Fresno
In 1851. My mother then went to
Santa Clara county, near San Jose.
] was raised in the San Jose valley.
brought up lacking the advice and
protection OF Il father. In 1853 ]
became II member OF the knights OF
the Golden Circle. an organization
eru states to aid Jeff Davis and the
confederacy. was from the
south and my sympathles were all
with II, After joining this organlza-
tion ] was ordered TO visit all ar
mories in California and procure evil
dence as to the amount OF ammunI-
tIon on hand and also find out the
easiest approach to the armories. In
other words, I was a spy.
In our zeal TO aid the confeder'
and committed many crimes to get
money to send to the half starved
soldiers, was appointed a deputy
recruiting officer for the south and
participated In the thefts. The re
suit was that the federal officials
IN California pursued lis closely.
About this time there were some
horses placed In my charge to fur
nish 10 recruits going south When
the officers pursued me TOO closely
British possessions. where I stayed
until the war was over.
First Sentences.
On my return to san Jose ! was
captured and sentenced To two and
half years for horse stealing.
Governor Haight. Democratic
governor, pardoncd me from San
Quentin after had served SIX
months OF my sentence. ] returned
TO San Jose and then went TO
Fresno. ] fell in with man named
Crandall and we started over the
desert a sheriff overlook US and In
the revolver duel which followed
Crandall was killed and 1 was taken
prisoner. I served four years in San
Quentin for horse stealing.
am sorry TO say that ! came out
of San Quentin a full-fledged Grim
inal. I left there In 1873 and from
that time on l was the terror OF
the Yosemite, the Molave desert
and the towns OF California. My
when l was sent back TO San Quen-
tin for twenty years.
Held Up 120 Stages.
It was during this period that
bandit of the Yosemite" Whatever
held up as many as 12o Stages and
some express trains besides the horse
stealing and the individual robberies-
rough except to the degree where
they were made to hold up their
hands, The robblng Of the Yosemite
stage filled with English tourists was
my undolng. was too sentlemanly.
The Enelishmen piled out Of that
coach screaming and the women with
them were worse. ! told the ladies
that they could get back In the coach,
as ! did not want to rob women and
the men Just shook all over as they
put their money In my hat
At the trial II was told how gen.
tlemanIy the robber was and the Jury
knowing me by reputation as "gen
tleman robber" evidently took II for
granted that I committed the crime
and sent me to San Quentin for the
third time. This time 1t was for
twenty years. was released after
serving twelve and a half years for
good behavior.
Lee said that during his career o
crime he had married. but his wife died
while he was serving his twentyyeal
entence, leaving a son and daughter
shaking under the strain OF his confess
ion the old man resumed:
Holds Up Train.
After was released from san
Quentin 7 STAYED In California for
three months and went to Oregon.
One night ] got a tip that an ex-
press train on the oregon Rail
to carry lot OF money. l got a
partner and we held up the train
about five miles from Portland. We
could not get into the express box
and were driven away by trainmen.
The next day l returned to Portland
and was arrested. They convicted
me OF the crime and ] was sent up
for thirty years. The authorities
thought | was d new offender. | was
pardoned after doing ten years OF
my time.
Reads Bible First Time.
II was while was In the Oregon
prison that I read the Bible for the
first time, and | began to think things
over. At that time ] was 55 years
old. | thought that no matter how
much money one steals X never does
good, | decided then that ! would
another train. was long time In
reaching this conclusion, but ] finally
got around TO II.
[ returned TO Fresno county. Cal,
where I lived off and on until June
II. 1912, ] then started out and went
souri,. finally to Denver and then 10
Salt Lake. where 1 was arrested
charged with the crime for which I
am In jail now.
DS lilSt WI u ulu IdhlIS CleS
from IS gold pieces WAS in Myrtle
Point. Orc. in 1912. 1 made imita-
tion s5 gold pieces which I sold for
sleeve links. watch fobs and bracelets.
7 left there and went through the
south and got TO St Louis. There 7
worked IN a department store and got
81 per week then went to Kansas
City. where I worked for Corrigan
e. Murray in Liberty and In Dear
born. 7 got SO per week, ] worked
in Denver for a man named Tiuan.
1 came TO Salt Lake and could not
get work 7 tramped the streets and
when ] had only $3.50 left I started
making So gold pieces TO sell as orna-
meDts J made the die from copper
and the officers caught me with 81.
] was not going to pass the coins
for money. ] was going TO make them
into sleeve links. bracelets and watch
cha rms. ] swear 10 God that never
intended TO make counterfeit money
MY nephew is cashier Of the Hi
hernia Bank for Savings In San Fran
cisco, and my brother is Juvenile Judge
In San Jose. My daughter is married