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N0KFQ > TODAY 03.11.10 19:03l 55 Lines 2407 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: Today in History - Nov 3
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From: N0KFQ@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
To : TODAY@WW
Nov 3, 1883:
Black Bart makes his last stagecoach robbery
On this day, authorities almost catch the California bandit and
infamous stagecoach robber called Black Bart; he manages to make
a quick getaway, but drops an incriminating clue that eventually
sends him to prison.
Black Bart was born Charles E. Boles, probably in the state of
New York around 1830. As a young man, he abandoned his family for
the gold fields of California, but he failed to strike it rich as
a miner and turned to a life of crime.
By the mid-1850s, stagecoaches and Wells Fargo wagons transported
much of the huge output of gold from California. Often traveling
in isolated areas, the Wells Fargo wagons and stagecoaches
quickly became favorite targets for bandits; over the course of
about 15 years, the company lost more than $415,000 in gold to
outlaw robbers.
It is believed that Boles committed his first stagecoach robbery
in July 1875. Wearing a flour sack over his head with holes cut
for his eyes and a fancy gentleman's black derby, he intercepted
a stage near the California mining city of Copperopolis. When
guards spotted gun barrels sticking out of nearby bushes, they
handed over their strong box to Boles. He cracked open the box
with an axe and escaped on foot with the gold, though his "gang"
of camouflaged gunmen stayed behind. When the guards returned to
pick up the box, they discovered that the "rifle barrels" were
just sticks tied to branches.
Heartened by this easy success, Black Bart embarked on a series
of stagecoach robberies. During the course of his criminal career
he never shot anyone nor robbed a single stage passenger; he
gained fame for his daring style and the occasional short poems
he left behind, signed by "Black Bart, the Po-8." Wells Fargo,
however, was not amused--the company ordered its private police
force to capture the bandit, dead or alive. After several years
of searching and tracking down clues, Wells Fargo detectives
finally located Boles.
Arrested and tried, Boles pleaded guilty and received a sentence
of six years in San Quentin prison. He served just over four
years and reportedly moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after
receiving a pardon. All told, the "Po-8" bandit had stolen only
$18,000 during the eight years of his criminal career.
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