an old west legend
Since his first stagecoach robbery to his last attempt at the same spot, the
man known as Black Bart remains an intriguing mystery.
Black Bart, who was born Charles Boles, came to California in 1849 from
New York with his brother David, to become miners. After a series of small
successes they returned to New York. They came back to California in
1852. On July 9, 1852 David Boles took ill and died. Charles left San
Francisco and ended up in Decatur Illinois, where he got married and had
two daughters. In September of 1862 Boles joined the Union Army where
he saw combat during the American Civil War. During the war he was
promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, but the war ended before the
commission could go through.
After spending a few years as a loving father and husband, Boles became
disillusioned and left his family for the west and the promise of finding gold.
He traveled quite a bit during this time. His name pops up in newspapers
from Idaho, Montana, Utah, and California.
When Boles ended up in San Francisco he realized that he needed to find a
way to make a living. During this time, even up until he was finally arrested,
Boles went by the name of Charles Bolton. He became a socialite,
hobnobbing with the rich and famous. He told his friends and associates that
he owned a big mine and that it was the profits from this mine that made it
possible to live the life of comfort he had made for himself. In fact it was a life
of robbing stages that allowed him to live high on the hog.
His first robbery occurred in Calaveras County on July 26, 1875. He never
asked for money or belongings from the drivers or the passengers of the
stages he robbed. He always took the mail pouch and the bank express box,
which was how banks in those days transported their money.
Riding up Funk Hill on the Sonora - Milton Road a bandit, his head covered
by a flour sack, jumped in front of the stage pointing a double barrel shotgun
at the driver.
The bandit asked for the express box and mail pouch and then called into the
hills "If he makes a move, give him a volley boys". The driver, John Shine,
was not stupid. The box carried less that $300 in gold notes.
When one of the female passengers saw the bandit she dropped her purse
out a window. Boles picked up the purse, with the gun still pointed at the
driver, and dropped it back into the coach saying "I don't want your money -
only the express box and mail".
After Boles let the stage go another stage approached. This time the bandit
let it go when he realized that it did not have any gold or mail on it.
After the robbery John Shine could clearly remember the details of that
surprising event. He noted that the flour sack the bandit wore covered both
his head and hat and had holes cut out for his eyes. He also remembered
how polite the bandit was, using phrases like "please" and "thank you". What
surprised Shine the most happened after he had stopped the stage, gathered
the two male passengers, and went down Funk Hill looking for the bandit. In
the rocky outcropping where he first thought he saw guns, they found only
sticks. It was found out many years latter that Black Bart never used a
loaded rifle in his robberies.
After robbing stages in Yuba, Siskiyou, Sonoma, and Plumas Counties he
decided to strike Mendocino County.
It was his robbery in Sonoma County near Fort Ross that he gave himself the
name of Black Bart. This robbery also showed his flare for the dramatics
when he left a poem in the empty express box that read "I've labored long
and hard for bread. For honor and for riches. But on my corns too long
you've tread. You fine haired sons of b----es." and he signed it "Black Bart,
the Po 8".
On October 2, 1878, Black Bart robbed his 7th stage on the Cahto to Ukiah
route, twelve miles north of Ukiah on Forsyth Creek (Highway 101 now
covers this spot on the Willits grade). He struck again on the 3rd of October
on the Covelo-Ukiah road, ten miles from Potter Valley. In the first attack in
Mendocino County the driver of the stage was Alec Fowler, the second
Nate Waltrip.
It wasn't until his 22nd robbery that Black Bart found himself back in
Mendocino County. Harry Forse was driving the stage that day on the
Ukiah-Cloverdale route when he was stopped six miles north of Cloverdale.
The now famous bandit took an unknown amount of gold and cash during his
22nd robbery.
Black Bart's last stage robbery in Mendocino County took place June 14,
1882 at the same spot on Forsyth Creek where he did his first robbery in this
County. He escaped with an estimated $300 from the express box and an
unknown amount from the mail pouch.
Black Bart's last known robbery attempt took place at the same spot his first
robbery had taken place. This time the attempt did not go as planned. He
was wounded in the holdup, and was arrested a few days latter.
For many years Wells Fargo employed a mister James B. Hume, former El
Dorado County Sheriff, as the head of their force of special agents. He was
the one responsible for finally bringing Black Bart to justice.
After the disaster of his last robbery attempt, Black Bart traveled quite a
distance in only a few days. He arrived in Sacramento where he ordered a
suite of clothes from one of the cities best tailors. From Sacramento he
traveled to Reno then back to Sacramento to pick up his suite, and then went
on to San Francisco.
It was in San Francisco that Black Bart was finally arrested. Hume had given
the task of finding Bart to former Alameda County Sheriff, and now special
agent Harry Morse. Morse used a handkerchief Bart had left at the seen of
the robbery attempt to locate him.
It took Morse quite a while to sort through the over 91 laundries in the city.
He finally tracked down the correct place which sent him to a tobacco shop
(what we would today consider a convenience store). Morse gave a false
name, saying he owned a mine and wanted to meet Mr. Charles Bolton. The
clerk agreed to take Morse to the hotel Bolton stayed but just a few minutes
after leaving the shop both men ran head on into him.
After their initial greetings Morse talked Bolton into going to the main office
of Wells Fargo. Morse coerced Bolton into going into the superintendent?s
office on the second floor where he introduced him to James B. Hume.
Hume, Morse, Bolton, and another man by the name of Stone traveled to
Calaveras County where in November of 1883 Bart confessed to his long
string of robberies, 29 in all.
On November 3, 1883, the man that became Black Bart was sentenced to 6
years in prison. He only spent 4 years in custody at San Quentin, seeing that
legislation had just been passed authorizing the release of prisoners for good
behavior.
What became of Charles Bolton, aka Black Bart, is not know. Many people
claimed to be the infamous bandit, but each time James Hume was able to
discredit them.
Every year Redwood Valley has a parade to honor the unique piece of
history Charles Bolton created. In many communities the locations where his
robberies took place still exist. Sadly, the giant boulder where he committed
his first and last robberies in Mendocino County was thrown into Reeves
Canyon when CalTrans decided to expand the freeway between Ukiah and
Willits a few decades ago.
Bolton would be shocked to find out that more than 120 years after he was
sent to prison he is celebrated for bringing a small piece of the old west to
Mendocino County.
