Charles Aull

 

Charles Aull. Warden of the State Prison at Folsom, was born in Clay County, Missouri, May 23, 1849. His father, Dr. T. M. Aull, a native of Kentucky, in 1832 joined the first regiment of United States dragoons enlisting from that State; they went to the Rocky Mountains, and afterward were stationed at Fort Leavenworth. The Doctor was in the Government service three years, and then went to St. Louis, attended medical lectures at the State University and graduated, and settled in northwestern Missouri, where he practiced his profession. For two terms he represented Atchison County in the State Legislature. In 1852 he came overland with a large train to this State, arriving in November at Marysville, but was soon driven out of that place by a flood, the same year. He next resided in Martinez, Contra Costa County, two years, and then, in 1854, located about on the line between Dry Creek Township, this county, and San Joaquin County, when the settlers were few and scattered. There were only two or three families at Hicksville, and one or two at Elk Grove. Dr. Aull pre-empted a tract of land, and resided on it for seventeen years. In 1856 he was elected to the Legislature from San Joaquin County, and served one term. In 1872 he removed to Modesto, Stanislaus County, and died there in 1873, at the age of sixty-seven years. In Missouri he married Clara Fugitt, a native of that State, and she died in Sacramento City, in July, 1888. Of the ten children in this family five are living. The first business in which Mr. Charles Aull engaged was the mercantile, at Liberty, near Galt. In 1870 he went to Modesto and was employed in a store there for nearly a year, and then, after assisting his father to move to Modesto, he fitted up a drug store for him there. He himself also had considerable experience as a druggist. In March, 1872, a bitter fight arose between two factions of the Democratic party in respect to under-sheriff. The sheriff, John Rodgers, finally solved the problem by tendering Mr. Aull the appointment, although he had never been an applicant or in any way connected with the matter. He accepted the appointment, and in that office he obtained his first knowledge of criminal business. This branch of the public service of the county fell into his hands, and at that time it was very voluminous. Having got through with some pretty hard cases successfully, he evinced that he was an ingenious and energetic officer. He held that position three and a half years. In 1875 he was appointed turnkey of San Quentin prison, under Lieutenant-Governor Johnson, who was at that time ex-officio warden of the prison; and during his administration of four years Mr. Aull held nearly every position under him, which gave him a practical idea of the minutest details of prison management. During Ames’ administration as warden of the prison, a clean sweep was made of all the officials in 1880, for political reasons. For the succeeding three and a half years Mr. Aull was employed most of the time by the Wells-Fargo Express Company, looking after criminals. He had charge of several cases, having to travel over the Pacific Coast several times. One of the most noted of these cases was the capture and conviction of the murderers of Banker Cummings, of Nevada County, who was captured in the East four years after the commission of the crime. The details of the pursuit and capture and trail would fill a large volume, and are fresh in the minds of many in the State. Many important circumstances of the case were in Sacramento city. Mr. Aull was appointed deputy warden of the San Quentin prison by Hon. Paul Shirley, in November, 1883, and served four years, resigning November, 1887; and thirty days later he was elected warden of the Folsom prison which position he now fills. He was married in December, in 1887, to Miss Maggie Anglon, of San Francisco. Politically Mr. Aull is a Democrat, and he has always taken considerable interest in the political affairs of the State, having often been a delegate to the State conventions.