Excerpt from Celebrated Criminal Cases of America The hundred and ten cases presented in this volume should prove interesting to the general reader because of the psycho logical and, in many cases, the historical interest which attaches to them. This book also contains a brief history of the San Fran cisco Police' Department from the date of its organization; an accurate history of the far-famed Vigilance Committee; the Kearney riots; the life of Chief Justice Terry, including the famous duel in which he killed United States Senator Broder ick and his tragic death while assaulting Justice Field of the United States Supreme Court; also a synopsis of the police and municipal history of the great earthquake and fire, which contains much information which has not heretofore been published. While this volume will show that in some instances fabu lous amounts of money have been unlawfully obtained, it will also show that retribution invariably overtakes the professional criminal and brings with it untold misery and degradation. Although there are isolated cases where the perpetrator of an atrocious crime succeeds in escaping the iron hand of the law, there is one court he cannot escape, and that is the one whose findings are incontrovertible and whose sessions are held in the chambers of his own breast. The dread of discovery is constantly with him by day and by night, and who can doubt but that he finally concludes that even an ignominious death on a scaffold would be preferable to such a miserable existence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Originally published: 2011. With new addendum.

San Francisco, a city founded in part by criminals, was once one of the most dangerous cities in America. Its Barbary coast was called "a unique criminal district that was the scene of more viciousness and depravity, but it possessed more glamour, than any other area on the American continent." "San Francisco Notorious" brings back the glamorous depravity and noir atmosphere that made it the premier location for murder thrillers like "The Maltese Falcon," "Vertigo," and "Zodiac." This book contains more than 20 compelling tales of serial killers, deadly women, con-men, masters of escape, and unsolved mysteries. San Franciscan criminals were as colorful as the city they inhabited. Take William Thoreson, a murderous millionaire who hid the nation's largest private armory in his Pacific Heights mansion. Then there's Isabella Martin, the murderous "Queen of Grudges" who tried to poison an entire town, or Ethan McNabb and Lloyd Sampsell, the "Yacht Bandits," who used a luxurious sloop as a getaway vehicle for their dozens of bank robberies. Most of these unusual cases are largely unknown and have never appeared in book form. Included are cases that are still mysteries today, including the mysterious tale of the Zodiac Killer, complete with a new analysis and a startling new theory on the murder.

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