Dark and Tangled Threads of Crime: San Francisco's Famous Police Detective, Isaiah W. Lees
He came to California with the great Gold Rush, but instead of riches, Isaiah W. Lees discovered his great talent for solving crimes and catching criminals. He captured stage robbers in Missouri, tracked con men to New York and caught the notorious eastern bank robber, Jimmy Hope in the middle of a San Francisco heist.\ San Francisco in the 1850’s, was the gateway to the gold fields, a city filled with adventurers, outlaws, con men and desperadoes of every description. In 1853 Isaiah Lees was...
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He came to California with the great Gold Rush, but instead of riches, Isaiah W. Lees discovered his great talent for solving crimes and catching criminals. He captured stage robbers in Missouri, tracked con men to New York and caught the notorious eastern bank robber, Jimmy Hope in the middle of a San Francisco heist.San Francisco in the 1850’s, was the gateway to the gold fields, a city filled with adventurers, outlaws, con men and desperadoes of every description. In 1853 Isaiah Lees was appointed the first Chief of Detectives on the new Police Force and during nearly fifty years he acquired an amazing record. An innovator of police methods, Lees easily eclipsed such legendary lawman as Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. When he retired as chief in 1900, the San Francisco Chronicle stated that “in point of service, no one has ever equaled the record of Lees.” He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time, and this is his exciting, true story, told here for the first time.
Map of San FranciscovIntroductionixAcknowledgmentsxiPrefacexiiiChapter 1A New Life in a New World1Chapter 2Love Across the Continent13Chapter 3Riots and Renegades25Chapter 4A King in a Stew Over Mulligan37Chapter 5Vigilante Days49Chapter 6Prostitutes and Plaza Thieves59Chapter 7Archy and the Cornelia Affair69Chapter 8Mrs. Billman and an Express Robbery79Chapter 9The Horrible Affair at Lone Mountain89Chapter 10A Most Remarkable Case97Chapter 11Murder Most Foul & the Chapman Affair107Chapter 12Thieves, Thugs, and a Man Named Twain119Chapter 13A Sagebrush Bohemian125Chapter 14Highwaymen and Patronage137Chapter 15Little Maggie Ryan145Chapter 16Hoodlums and the Pereda Case153Chapter 17Bull Run Battles and Newspaper Wars163Chapter 18Kidnappers and Rioters175Chapter 19The Great Duncan Hunt189Chapter 20A Stage Robbery and Other Mysteries199Chapter 21A Fight for Life213Chapter 22Jimmy Loses Hope221Chapter 23A Detective's Library227Chapter 24Footpads, Cracksmen, and Train Robbers235Chapter 25Perfidious Policemen & Murderous Russians243Chapter 26The Beast in the Belfry253Chapter 27The Great Nevada Bank Forgery267Chapter 28A Just Tribute to Captain Lees279Chapter 29"A Newspaper Is a Powerful Thing"289Chapter 30The Parting Hour301Notes and bibliography are combined at the end of each chapterIndex314About the Author336
