Charles Earl Bowles was one of the most notorious stagecoach robbers of the 1870s and 1880s , contain up piles of coaches over a period of eight years . You plausibly recognise him good as “ Black Bart . ”
Also bonk as Charles Boles , Charles Bolton , and C.E. Bolton , Black Bart sure as shooting was n’t the only guy working the stagecoach tour . But hewasthe only one who like to impart poetry behind . Here’soneof his chef-d’oeuvre :
He was also unfailingly polite to his victims , never surcharge stagecoach passengers , andneverfired his gunman — not over the track of 28 robbery . And Bart was always deliberate to mask his personal identity , wearinga flour sack over his font , a hat on his head , and a duster over his clothing . But in the oddment , it was a simple hankie that was Black Bart ’s undoing . On November 3 , 1883 , Bart hold up the stage turn tail from Sonora to Milton . When the sheriff come at the scene to survey the damage , he name a square of textile in the dirt . Picking it up , he noticed a small marker in the corner—“FX07 . ”
Those four little character are known as a laundry mark , letters and numbers used by launderers to help name customers ’ clothing — and handkerchiefs . After checking91 laundries , Wells Fargo detectives were able to find one responsible for cleaning Black Bart ’s item . While they were there talking to the owner , the robber himself walk through the door . Detective Henry Morse chatted the bandit bard up and convinced him that he had some meridian mining property for sales agreement . It was n’t until Bart followed Morse back to his situation to discuss a potential transaction that he realized the jig was up . He accepted his capture with characteristic politeness , throw off up his hired man anddeclaring , “ gentleman’s gentleman , I excrete ! ”
Bart served a niggling over four years in San Quentin as self-abasement for his crimes . He was released on January 22 , 1888 — and evaporate into the annals of account , never to be heard from again .
