Charles E. Boles

Charles E. Boles, also known as Black Bart

Charles E. Boles (born in Norfolk in 1829 as Charles E. Bowles ; disappeared since 1888) was an American stagecoach robber from the times of the Wild West . He called himself Black Bart and also appeared under the name Charles E. Bolton . He had other cover names.

Black Bart was known to his contemporaries as "Black Bart the Poet" because he was known for leaving poems in robberies. Because of these poems and his upscale language, he became known as an honorable bandit and focused on stagecoach robberies in northern California and southern Oregon in the 1870s and 1880s. His fame is based not only on his nearly 30 raids, but also on his demeanor and style.

Early years

Charles E. Bowles, called Charley in his youth, was one of nine children of John Bowles (1788–1872) and Maria Leggett Bowles (1793–1872). He and his six older siblings were born in Norfolk , England . When he was two years old, the family immigrated to the United States and settled in Jefferson County . Sometime before his marriage, he changed his name and called himself Charles E. Boles from then on.

In the late 1840s, Boles and his cousin David took part in the California gold rush . The two began prospecting for gold in North Fork and the American River in California . His brother Robert (born 1822) joined them in 1852, but died shortly after in San Francisco . In 1854 Boles went back east and married Mary Elizabeth Johnson that same year. In 1860, Boles and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, settled in Decator, Illinois . The family had four children from 1857 to 1866.

Boles served from August 1862 in Company B of the 116th Illinois Regiment as a simple soldier in the Civil War . Boles was a good soldier and was promoted from recruit to first sergeant in a year. He served in numerous battles and campaigns such as Vicksburg (where he was wounded) and Sherman's "March to the Sea". On June 7, 1865, he was released from military service as First Sergeant in Washington, DC and returned to Illinois.

Criminal career

After the war, Boles was unwilling to live a quiet life on the farm. He was looking for adventure. In 1867 he went looking for gold again in Idaho and Montana . Little is known of Black Bart from this period, but in a letter to his wife, Mary Elizabeth, dated August 1871, he wrote of an incident involving some employees of what was then Wells-Fargo - & - Co. -The Post Carriage Company that wanted to take him out of his mine. He said he would take action against them. After this incident, he stopped correspondence with his wife, who from then on thought Boles was dead.

The character of the "Black-Bart"

Boles, like many of his contemporaries, read cheap adventure novels that appeared in the local newspapers. In the early 1870s, the Sacramento Union published a novel series called The Case of Summerfield. In the story, the main character mostly wore black clothes, had long untamed hair, a long black beard, and wild green eyes. The villain stole Wells Fargo stagecoaches and frightened those he came across. The character's name was Black Bart, which is why Boles decided to take the name on to avoid being recognized.

Boles first appeared in official documents as Black Bart in 1875 when he first robbed a stagecoach in Calaveras County . He is said to have faked a superior force with dummies. What made the robbery exceptional was the bandit's courtesy and good manners. According to tradition, he spoke in a deep and courteous tone “Please throw down the box”, roughly “Please throw the box down.” Boles was courteous and did not use foul language; In addition, he is said to have always rejected the passengers' personal valuables. This feature became the bandit's trademark. Furthermore, he never used a horse.

As Black Bart, Boles robbed numerous Wells Fargo stagecoaches in Northern California between 1875 and 1883, and he also carried out a number of robberies on the Siskiyou Trail between California and Oregon. During his fourth and fifth raids, he left a short poem with a disfigured handwriting at the scene of the crime, signed as "Black Bart, the P o 8". Black Bart has been very successful over the years, looting over ten thousand US dollars . During his last robbery near what is now the city of Copperopolis , he was shot on November 3, 1883 and had to flee. In doing so, he left behind many personal items such as his glasses, food and a handkerchief with a laundry seal.

Charles E. Boles / Bowles / Bolton as a gentleman

Transfer and process

Wells Fargo detective James B. Hume found that the laundry seal came from Ferguson & Bigg's California laundry in San Francisco. The laundry staff were able to identify Boles and Hume soon called in the police. According to acquaintances, Black Bart was known as a mining technician under a false name (various traditions speak of CE Bolton or TZ Spalding). The investigators were able to refute his false name with the help of a Bible, a gift from his wife with an inscription of his real name. When asked about the mines he allegedly owned, he was unable to provide any information and pretended to be angry about the arrest. Even in confrontations with coachmen, he was calm and a gentleman who had been accused of being wrong. It was only after several days of persuasion and interrogation that he finally confessed and pleaded guilty in the presence of a judge. The police report of Charles E. Bolton said: “Black Bart is a person of tremendous perseverance, persuasive insight in difficult situations, and was an extremely decent and polite person. Avoids profanity. "

Bolton (Boles had further refused to admit his identity as Charles E. Boles) was sentenced to six years in prison in the San Quentin Penitentiary on November 17, 1883 and entered prison on November 21. He wrote to his wife from prison for the first time since the beginning of his criminal career. The prison term was shortened to four years because of good conduct. When he was released in January 1888, Bolton's health was in poor health from prison. He had visibly aged, his eyesight was worse, he was deaf in one ear . Many reporters were present when he was released. A reporter asked Bolton, “Are you going to rob stagecoaches again?” Bolton replied, “No, sir, I'm done with crime.” Another reporter asked him if he would continue to write poetry. Bolton replied with a laugh, “Didn't you understand? I'm done with crime. "

Disappear

Boles did not return to his wife in Missouri after his release. However, he left his apartment in San Francisco at the end of February 1888 and is said to have stayed in a hotel in Visalia , according to Wells Fargo, who had him shadowed . After February 28, 1888 his traces are lost there. His wife was officially widowed in 1892.

Rumors and theories about his disappearance

One theory behind Bole's disappearance is that Wells-Fargo, the stagecoach company, paid him not to commit any more robberies. Wells Fargo distanced itself from these statements.

Evidence suggests that Black Bart moved to New York City and lived there in silence until his death in 1917: An obituary for a Charles E. Boles allegedly appeared in a New York newspaper in 1917. Other rumors have it that he committed more stagecoach robberies in Montana or Nevada . Another rumor is that Black Bart was killed in a stagecoach robbery near Virginia City , Nevada, in which case his body would have been safely identified.

Copycat offender

On November 14, 1888, a Wells Fargo stagecoach was ambushed by a bandit who also left poetry. After carefully studying the two manuscripts, Wells Fargo investigator Hume came to the conclusion that these poems were not by Black Bart.

Trivia

• Black Bart appears in Lucky Luke Volume 15 ( The Stagecoach ) as a minor character. His portrayal mixes real (e.g. the poems, his transfer through a laundry in San Francisco) with fictitious (Bart's employment as a village schoolmaster before his bandit career) elements.
• In 1948 the film Black Bart appeared , which portrays the character of Black Bart in a very alienated way.

Individual evidence

1. ^ William Henry Rhodes: "The Case of Summerfield" by Project Gutenberg

Web links

Information website about Black Bart (Engl.)