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"Hands Up"
On September 1, 1860 a horse thief named "Black Hawk"
was captured and brought to Denver. After a speedy trial
by a secret meeting of the "Committee of Safety"
he was hanged. During his trial, he confessed to being a
member of a ring of horse thieves and named A.C. Ford, a
Denver lawyer, as being in charge of the Denver district
operations.
John Shear, an additional horse thief mentioned by Black
Hawk was located and executed. When AC Ford learned of this,
he departed town by stage coach. The stage coach was stopped
a short distance from Denver by Vigilantes and Ford was
summarily executed.
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AC Ford, mentioned in the letter
at left, was generally regarded as a habitual
professional defender and counselor to the group
of thieves that were causing problems in Denver
in 1860. |
September 18, 1860 letter of Mark Avery to his
brother. Letter mentions:
"You probably
have noticed something in regard to the hanging
of thieves - there has been some of that going on.
One, AC Ford, was taken out of a coach on his way
to the states. He has not found yet - nobody knows
what has become of him he lived one door from me
- he is a lawyer from Council Bluffs. I will send
a paper that has a little account of him."
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