Murders, Mysteries, and Misdemeanors in Northern California

by Robert Walsh

Overview

Northern California has a fascinating criminal history. Some of America's most infamous criminals and outlaws lived and died in the area, including John Paul Chase, partner of Public Enemy Number One, Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis. Others have come from far afield to exploit the opportunities of Californian crime. Englishman Charles Boles, AKA "Black Bart the Poet," was only one of many.

With crime, naturally, comes punishment. In 1937, the Folsom Five tried to escape, murdering Warden Clarence Larkin in the process. Instead of escaping Folsom, they entered California's history as the first men to die in its new gas chamber the next year. The legendary Battle of Alcatraz ended in bloodshed and recriminations from prison staff and convicts alike, with accusations that staff needlessly endangered convicts' lives and arranged the wrongful execution of convict Sam Shockley.

Northern California may not be as well-known for its crime as Southern California, but it's a fascinating part of the Golden State's history all the same.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781634992381
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/28/2020
Series:	America Through Time
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	9.25(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.31(d)

About the Author

ROBERT WALSH has spent many years studying crime and criminals, particularly more obscure cases. Robert grew up on Dartmoor, the site of England's most notorious prison. Dartmoor's most infamous inmates, such as "Acid Bath Murderer" John George Haigh, inspired his interest in the subject. His print work has appeared in Real Crime Magazine and Crime Magazine and has been cited in books, academic texts, and articles. His online credits include Narratively, Crime Traveller, New Internationalist, and his own website, www.crimescribe.com. Robert was also an expert consultant to the BBC Radio Four series, Punt PI, for its episode on the Baker Street Bank Robbery.

Table of Contents

1 Josefa "Juanita" Segovia: Rough Justice or Legal Lynching? 7

2 Tom Bell and Richard Barter: The Doctor and the Rattlesnake 16

3 The Broderick-Terry Duel of 1859: The Last Notable Duel in California 24

4 Black Bart the Poet: A Gentleman Bandit 33

5 The San Francisco Tong Wars 42

6 Theodore Durrant: The Demon in the Belfry 51

7 The 1909 Santa Clara Valley Bank Robbery 59

8 Jacob Oppenheimer: Folsom's Human Tiger 67

9 Joe Parente: California's Bootlegging Czar 76

10 The Return of Frank Smith: Santa Clara Bank Bandit 85

11 The Brooke Hart Kidnapping of 1933 93

12 1937: Folsom Massacre and the Arrival of California's Gas Chamber 101

13 Murder in the First: The Henri Young Myth 109

14 Juanita Spinelli: First Woman in the Gas Chamber 118

15 May 1946: The Battle of Alcatraz 127

16 Aaron Mitchell: Cop Killer 136