Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Go to the Archive Home
Go to Thumbnail View of this Item
Go to Single Page View of this Item
Download the Page Image
Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard
Don't highlight the search terms on the Image
Show the Page Image
Show the Image Page Text
Reset View and Center Image
Zoom Out
Zoom In
Rotate Left
Rotate Right
Toggle Full Page View
Flip Image Horizontally
More Information About this Image
Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard
Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)
Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 12
6 . The. Nevada County Nugget_ Wednesday, Aug. 9, 1972
gs
eee . ee
The band ranged through the foothills, chiefly in Yuba,
Nevada and Placer Counties, and terror was spread throughout the whole region. A favorite resort of the band was the
Mountaineer House, kept by Jack Phillips, between Auburn and
Folsom; another was the Western Exchange, on the NevadaSacramento road, kept by Mrs. Elizabeth Hood, alias Mrs
Cullers, and her three daughters. ; ;
Hodges was a surgeon, and was able to attend to the dressing
of any wounds his men received; and he sometimes exercised
his professional skill on those who were so unfortunate as to
by injured while resisting him.
The largest enterprise undertaken by the gang was the robbery of the Marysville and Camptonville stage. Engaged in
this undertaking were Tom Bell, Bill Gristy, Monte Jack,
Ned Conners, Jim Smith, Bob Carr, alias English Bob, and
Juan Fernandes, a Mexican. They rendezvoused at the California House, twenty-six miles from Marysville. This place
was kept by Madam Cole, who was interested with them, the
house being one of their stopping-places. The stage was near
Dry Creek, on its way to Marysville, the treasure-box containing $100,000, Six mounted men confronted it and ordered
the driver to stop, threatening to kill any who resisted. Dobson, messenger for Langdon's Express, fired on them, and
indiscriminate shooting immediately commenced between the
passengers and robbers, in which some forty shots were
fired, All except Bell and Gristy ran at the first shot; and they
soon found that nothing but bullets could be expected from the
stage, and retreated. When the stage was ready to proceed,
a mounted Mexican began firing at them from the other side
of the road, His fire was returned by Dobson, and the Mexican
was unhorsed, whereupon he beat a precipitate retreat witn two
others who had been concealed in the thicket. One of the occupants of the stage, a lady, was killed; three others were
wounded; and the stage itself was completely riddled with bullets,
When news of the occurrence was received in Marysville,
a procession headed by a band went out to meet the stage and
escort Mr. Dobson into the city, where great honor’ were
paid him, His services were substantially recognized by Langdon & Company.
A portion of Bell's band, known as the Walker Branch,
had headquarters at Folsom, and most of these the authorities
succeeded in capturing.
On Monday, the 6th of October, 1856, Bell's career was
brought to a sudden termination by the noose in the hands
of self-constituted hangmen, A party of nine men, headed by
Joseph Belt, captured him; and he was given four hours to
live, during which time he wrote two farewell letters to his
family in Tennessee, He then said he was ready to meet
his doom and his tragic career was ended.
: JIM WEBSTER
The last of the early highwaymen to make himself especially
notorious was Jim Webster, whom all of the old residents will
remember as the cause of the sad and tragic death of Sheriff
W.W. Wright. Webster was a miner at Timbuctoo, in Yuba
County; but meeting with poor success, he was driven to the
road by his misfortunes, where for a livelihood he levied conHistory of Nev
Published i
W.B. Lardner
tributions upon those who had been more fortunate than he.
His career as an outlaw continued for two years, beginning in
1855, He lived Washington, Nevada City and other places for .
short periods. In 1855 he had a dispute at Timbuctoo in regard.
to a mining claim; and afterward, meeting in a ravine the three
men involved in the quarrel, he shot and killed all three. He
was feared along the Yuba, and many a man held up his hands
at his request,well knowing that refusal meant death; for the
desperado was not afraid to shoot, and he never had to shoot
twice. A price was put upon his head, and many sought to earn
it; but few dared to seek him openly, hoping always to catch him
off his guard. He often came to towns where he was wellknown but where none were bold enough to molest him. He
was captured in 1856 and placed in the county jail, but soon
made his escape with another prisoner; in fact, he was captured
many times, but was always fortunate enough to make his escape,
While on the Coast Range, Webster quarreled with one of