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Mug Shot of Frank Harnick, Cripple Creek, CO, 1906.

Cripple Creek in 1906

By 1906, Cripple Creek gold mines had reportedly produced almost $216,000,000 worth of gold ore since first discovered in 1891.  And there was more down there, although the amount of water that had seeped into the mines during that time was great enough that measures to construct water drainage tunnels were being seriously considered. 

Mining accidents continued, irrespective of a miner’s fiscal accomplishments.  On May 23rd, 1906, 42-year-old Robert Orr, aptly named, perhaps, in light of the several fortunes he had made in mining, made a misstep and fell 186 feet to his death from the bucket of the Jack Pot Mine on Beacon Hill.  The newspaper reported that he sustained a crushed skull and broke most of the bones in his body.

People were getting married and divorced, and in equal proportion during the week of June 2nd of that year.  A newspaper article headlined, “New Marriages Make Up for the Knots Untied,” reported that the Teller County Clerk’s office in Cripple Creek issued four wedding licenses and four divorce decrees that week.

Cripple Creek, which sits on the western slope of Pikes Peak, was still a good-sized town in 1906.  Though witnessing a population on the decline, its population that year was somewhere between the 10,147 heads counted by the Census Bureau in 1900 and the 6,206 noggins counted in 1910.  But that is the town population; the mining district surrounding Cripple Creek, with its approximately 500 active mines, contained a population of approximately 30,000. 

Cripple  Creek at that time could boast of 86 saloons, 49 grocery stores, 52 stockbrokers and, it would probably be safe to say, many prostitutes.

Mug Shot

As written on the front and documented on the back of this mug shot from the Cripple Creek sheriff’s office, the person pictured is one Frank Harnick, who is described on the back as Austrian, single, aged 17, with the occupation of rancher.  The arresting officer is Aleck (aka Alex) Ault.    According to Ault’s information, Harnick, who is being held for county court, is 5 feet 4 inches in height, weighs 135 pounds, with dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion.  Officer Ault describes Harnick’s build as  “stout.” (!)

Based on the information Ault has written on the back of this mug shot, this was likely not his first encounter with Frank Harnick, for he indicates in the remarks section that Harnick never has his hair combed.  That he is not too fond of Harnick is borne out by Ault’s one-word description of Harnick’s clothing, i.e., “Bum.”

Unfortunately, I could find no information on Frank Harnick, so I can only wonder what trouble he was in.

Alex Ault Biography

Alexander Ault was born in May of 1861 to Irish immigrants John and Eliza (Morton) Ault.   He married fellow Canadian Julia Ann Insley on April 30, 1887, in Madoc, Ontario.  (Julia had previously been married to New York native Franklin Dean, with whom they had a son, Frank Henry Dean, born in 1872.  Sometime before 1881, Franklin Dean died.)  

We know that Alex and Julia, with Julia’s son, Frank Dean, had come to live in Cripple Creek no later than March of 1895, for the March 5, 1895, edition of the Cripple Creek Morning Journal included the following ad placed by Alex: “Girl Wanted – For general housework.  Apply at residence of Alex Ault, back of Koch’s Opera House, Warren Avenue.” It was at 117 East Warren Avenue that the Aults would make their home.  On Mar 27, 1895, Julia gave birth to a boy, Mervin Chambers Ault. 

Perhaps things were tight economically for the Aults, for Alex’s occupation is listed variously as “miner” and “police.”   

Days in the Life of Alex Ault, Cripple Creek Law Enforcement Officer

I thought it would be interesting to scrutinize local newspapers to sample the types of situations Officer Ault found himself in.  What follows is a chronological listing.

October 27, 1894 – The Morning Journal reports that, at about 9:00 p.m. on October 26th, Mr. George Lavagnino, manager of the Rose Bud mill, was in town on business and while heading home in his buggy was confronted just outside of town by two men who sprang from the side of the road.  One of them grabbed the reins and the other ran to the side of the buggy and ordered Lavagnino to hold up his hands.  Instead, Lavagnino leapt out of the opposite side of the buggy, but then stumbled and fell.  Before he could stand up, the two men were upon him, beating him over the head with their guns.  Lavagnino shouted for help, and someone on the other side of the gulch shouted, “Stop that!” and fired two shots in rapid succession.  This frightened the two assailants,  and they “took to their heels” in the direction of Mound City.  Meanwhile, Lavagnino, bleeding and staggering up the road, was met by Henry McDonald and Cornelius Ward, two miners heading home from work at the Sweet mine, who assisted him into town.  (Before they spotted him, they witnessed his runaway buggy, but were unable to catch it.)  

They took him to the Palace drugstore, where Dr. Chambers dressed his wounds.  Chambers reported that Lavagnino had lost a lot of blood but was not seriously injured.  After his wounds were dressed, Lavagnino was taken to Conant’s lodging house for the night. 

Officers Ault and Hennessey, having received Lavagnino’s description of his two assailants as “one tall man and one short, heavy set man,” spotted two men fitting that description in town around midnight.   Brunswick followed the men into the Brunswick billiard hall, and after Brunswick left, one of the men was heard to say to the other, “I guess we are all right.  That officer did not recognize us.”  Upon receiving that information, Ault and Brunswick entered the hall and arrested both men.  The tall suspect was found to have in his possession a soldering gun, the shape of which matched at least one of the wounds on Lavagnino’s head. 

March 9, 1895 – A Morning Journal report titled “The Cages Well Filled,” referring to the large number of arrested suspects being brought to jail, stated that Ault, serving as a Night Marshal, had jailed a young man named Welch at the request of Welch’s father, Tom Welch, although the article didn’t report what was behind the father’s request—and young Welsh was released the next morning.  The next evening, when Ault was on duty again, the young Welch, passing Ault on the street, dished out some verbal abuse to Ault.  But Ault, seeing that Welch was heading to the train station, let it go.   At that moment, Tom Welch approached Ault and offered to buy him a drink, and  Ault declined the offer.   

While they were talking, young Welch returned.  Pushing his father to the side, the young Welch began making threats against Ault, whereupon Ault took young Welch into custody and started walking him toward the jail.  At this point they found themselves being followed by the senior Welch and a fellow by the name of Craig.  When they reached Bennett Avenue, the elder Welch struck Ault, and both he and Craig “interfered with the officer.”  Ault pulled out his billy club, but it was immediately snatched away by one of the two assailants.  When Ault saw the elder Welch put his hand on his hip pocket, he drew his revolver and fired a shot into the air to signal for help.  Officer Smith of the central fire station, having heard the shot, came over to help, and together, Smith and Ault managed to deliver all three assailants to jail.  It was said that “Mr. Ault was very cool throughout the scuffle and escaped with an injured thumb and a badly torn coat.” 

May 30, 1899, — We learn in this issue of the Morning Times of a mishap which befell Alex and Julia’s son, Merwin, who was 4 years old at the time.  According to the article, at about 6:00 p.m. the night before, Merwin was playing with neighbor children in the lumber yard between First and Second Street on Masonic when some 2 by 4’s fell on him.  He was seriously bruised, and it was thought he may have internal injuries because he was “still suffering severely” late the following morning.   We know he survived because he lived into adulthood in Cripple Creek.]

June 3, 1903 – The Rocky Mountain News reported in an article titled, “Fight Was Not Advertised:” “Policeman Alex Ault had an exciting experience this afternoon in a vacant building on the north side of Myers Avenue between Third and Fourth Streets.   Two boys, aged 18, got into a wordy argument on the street and decided to fight it out on a $20 bet with bare knuckles.  Friends assembled and the building was packed when the officer arrived at the end of the fifth round.  The spectators made a break for the doors and windows and Officer Ault fired a shot into the air.  One of the principals in the contest was landed in jail.  His name is Louis Polin.  Three or four others have also been arrested as participants.  Polin had his antagonist all but out when the limb of the law came to his rescue.” 

March 28, 1904 – The Rocky Mountain News reported that on the evening of the previous day “there was an exciting experience at the Imperial saloon and restaurant on Myers Avenue, which is one of the places in the city where non-union men have congregated.  It was reported by telephone that Frank Gest had killed a woman and Captain Byrne, Policeman Alexander Ault and Postmaster Daniel M. Sullivan were summoned.   A large crowd had collected in front of the saloon.   Captain O’Byrne was allowed to enter the room and was immediately followed by Mr. Sullivan.  Frank Gest tried to throw Sullivan out but failed.  There appeared to be thirty to forty men who were willing to mix in the disturbance, but Ault pulled his gun and so did Fire Chief Emmons and stood them off.  Those arrested are Frank Gest, George Lund, Hazel  Douglass and Phil Chandler.  Bonds were refused tonight for any of them by Judge Stevenson.  The report of the killing was a mistake.  A man had beaten up the woman pretty badly in the saloon with his fist.”

May 17, 1904 – The Rocky Mountain News reported on the doings in a Cripple Creek house purported to be an “immoral haunt.”  On May 16th, police broke up what they say is a place used for enticing girls.  Police Officer Jack Hennessey reported that on the afternoon of May 16th girls were seen going into a house near the west end of Bennett Avenue.  This information was provided by the father of a girl who had gone to the house the previous night.   

The father, the mother, and the girl had spent the evening of the 15th at the skating rink.  At about 10:00 p.m. the parents decided it was time to go home and told their daughter to come home as soon as she got her skates off.  But at 12:30 a.m. they received a note from her saying she had gone to sit up with a sick friend.  When she returned home later that morning, “she broke down under questioning,” telling her folks she had gone to a house on Bennett Avenue.  Her folks went to the police. 

That evening after 10:00 p.m., police officers Ault and Hennessey went to the house, with the plan that Ault would enter via the front door and Hennessey via the back door.  Ault gained admission to the house by knocking, and immediately the people inside scrambled for the back door, where Hennessey was waiting.  Ault and Hennessey placed everyone under arrest.  Two girls were arrested, as well as Adolph Hassell, Albin Hassell, Ed Cotton, and L. J. Hall.

December 13, 1904 —  In an article titled, “Shooting Scrape,” The Aspen Daily Times reported on an incident in the Red Light dance hall the previous night.  Officer Ault was in the process of removing two people from the saloon when a friend of the two grabbed Ault by the leg and threw him to the floor.  Ault drew his gun and shot at his assailant but missed, and the man escaped.  Many guns were then pulled, “but no shots were fired and no blows were struck.”  Ault then arrested three of the men “for disturbance” and for carrying concealed weapons.

June 11, 1905 – The Rocky Mountain News reported on the June 10th contempt proceedings held that morning against Cripple Creek City Marshall John Sharpe regarding arrests made on the evening of the 7th, including an assault of citizen K. B. Wiley.  Sharpe testified he had nothing to do with those arrests, and Judge Thomas apparently accepted his testimony as truthful. 

In the afternoon session of the court, K. B. Wiley took the stand and exhibited “several ugly scalp wounds” reportedly inflicted upon him by law officers the evening of the 7th.  That afternoon, the court also heard testimony from Sheriff Bell (who I assume is in a position subordinate to City Marshall Sharpe).  Bell testified that on the evening of the 7th he had stopped the attack on Wiley and turned the following officers over to Night Captain Young:  Deputy Sheriffs Alex Ault, F. M. Reardon, A.C. Cole, A.C. Morrison, C.L. Williams, Harry Guyton and Thomas E. McClelland, as well as Constable F.P. Sheafer and Probation Officer and Probation Officer C.S. Bixler.   Bell also reported that he revoked the commissions of these individuals.  

Based on information provided in Rocky Mountain News articles dated June 14 and September 25, 1905, it appears that the incident resulting in injuries to Mr. Wiley and for which Ault and others lost their law enforcement commissions may have involved a raid against illegal gambling conducted by Ault and the others with their weapons concealed.   Maybe it was the equivalent of an undercover operation carried out without the full knowledge of Sheriff Bell.

September 26, 1905  — The Rocky Mountain News issues a story on a court case of significance to Alex Ault for two reasons.  It refers to: 1) the fact that at this point in time, Alex is now a Probation Officer for the County Court and thus would have the responsibility for selecting the jury for the case.  2) the case involves the raid on illegal gambling cited above.  Understandably, counsel for the defense moved that Ault be restrained from summoning the jury for this case because of his alleged involvement in the recent raid.  

September 27, 1905 – In a follow-up article to the one published the previous day, the Rocky Mountain News reports that Judge Thomas, who is hearing the above-cited court case involving illegal gambling, over-ruled the defense’s claim that Ault should be prohibited from seating the jury in the case because of his involvement in the police raid.  According to the article, Judge Thomas “upheld the honor and integrity of the new probation officer.” 

September 17, 1907 – The Rocky Mountain News reports in an article titled “New Probation Officer,” that County Judge Thomas has appointed a new probation officer to replace Alex Ault, who had resigned from his position.  No reason was given for Ault’s resignation. 

Passages

There’s not a shred of information about Alex Ault following the 1907 news article reporting his resignation from the position of Probation Officer.  Maybe he returned to the mines. 

I learned from the Find a Grave website at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109093355/alexander_ault that Alex died in 1914, as indicated on his gravestone.  He would have been 52 or 53 years old.  His remains are interred at Cripple Creek’s Mount Pisgah Cemetery. 

Note in the picture that Julia’s gravestone, which is just to the right of Alex’s, is missing a death date.  Maybe she left Cripple Creek, for it was there that she lost her husband, Alex, and both of her sons.  Like Alex, the remains of both sons are interred at Mount Pisgah.  

It’s interesting to note that Franklin Dean, her son by her first husband, served with Company G of the 1st Colorado Infantry in the Spanish-American War, which ended in 1896.   In 1900, the U.S. Census lists him as a Cripple Creek fireman.  He would have been 22 at the time, living with Alex, his mother and his younger brother, Mervin, in the family home at 117 East Warren Avenue.  Yet, 21 years later, military pension records would show him as an invalid living with his mother.   Perhaps he sustained some type of developmental disability in the war. 

Mervin, who as of 1920 was working as a carman in a gold mine, married Elizabeth Ridge in November of 1922, but, sadly, died the following year.

REFERENCES:

  • “Franklin H. Dean, U.S., Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 (www.ancestry.com) 
  • U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards for Merwin C. Ault (www.ancestry.com)

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