We will start with Thomas Barker, he was born I believe 13 Oct 1872 in Ireland. I found this document and it very well could be him. (I went by prison record information).
Ireland, Poor Law and Board of Guardian Records, 1839-1920
Name Thomas Barker
Gender Male
Admission Age 0
Birth Date 13 Oct 1872
Birth Place Ireland
Birth Poor Law Union South Dublin
Admission Date 13 Oct 1872
Admission Place Ireland
Discharge Date 3 Dec 1872
Discharge Poor Law Union South Dublin
Inmate: #16627 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 18 Jan 1896
Crime: Robbery
His Supreme Court Link
Then he meet his co-harts
Inmate: #20853 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 27 Oct 1904
Crime: Burglary 1st Degree
Age: 32
Now things get interesting there were two women involved they were sisters Nellie & Annie Nihil. Annie was involved with Thomas and thinking she couldn't testify against her husband they get married while they are both being held in the Broadway County Jail on 13 Jun 1902.
To see full article click link above
The photo of the building below is where Thomas kept all the stolen goods from the burglaries, 835 Howard Street in San Francisco, CA. The first photo is from 2007 and the second from 2020.
1910 Census he is still in San Quentin Prison working in the tailor shop as a cutter and still married.
Joseph King Born March 1873 in Missouri.
Know as "Preacher Joe"
Alias William Martin
Inmate: #3395 Folsom Prison
Rec: 4 Feb 1895
Crime: Burglary 2nd Degree
(This was already his 4th term in prison)
Inmate: #17750 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 8 May 1898
Crime: Burglary 2nd Degree
Newspaper article from 1902 jail break but he just sat there
Inmate: #7054 Folsom Prison
Rec: 20 Aug 1908
Crime: Burglary
Harry Hamilton
Alias: Harry Day, Harry Dean, & Frank Blair
He was born about 1864 Ohio or Pennsylvania
Inmate: #12725 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 31 Jul 1892 as Harry Day
Crime: Burglary
As Frank Blair one of his alias'
Inmate: #18539 Folsom Prison
Rec: 1 Apr 1900
Crime: Burglary 1st Degree
Albert Dixon
Born abt 1877 in Mississippi
Inmate: #18541 Folsom Prison
Rec: 2 Apr 1900
Crime: Burglary 1st Degree
More on Harry Hamilton
Rec: 15 Apr 1903
Crime: Burglary 1st Degree
Inmate: #30527 San Quentin Prison
Rec: 16 Apr 1917
Crime: Possession of Morphine
As Harry Dean
Here's a longer more detailed article about the above
What a powerful story of a bunch of men and their lives behind bars for decades. Each one with their own stories to tell and then the story of them together as friends and criminal partners. I did not locate any records for the 2 women involved Nellie Nihil I only found the one article that mentions she is Annie Belle Nihil sister who marries Thomas Barker. Almost like a Bonnie & Clyde story there.
I feel the saddest for Harry toward the end he is hooked on morphine, he is ashamed of it and knows the guard he had promised he would change and never be back and broke that promise, this shows empathy and love. I wonder what happened to him. I never found any death records or obits for any of these men. Did they die in prison or of old age or some other criminal factor that may have taken them from this earth? We may never know. But they left us these stories.
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