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      WANTED FOR GRAND LARCENY. BOBBY FLASH

      Nativity, American; 25 years old; height 5 ft. 4 inches; weight

       150 pounds; brown hair; smooth shaven; light complexion;

       occupation dish washer, harvest stiff, bricklayer, etc.; two

       gold upper front teeth; corduroy pants, brown corduroy hat;

       tan button shoes, blue shirt. Member IW.W.., Holtville, Cal.

       Was under Stanley at Mexicali and under Price at Tia Jua-

       na-Mexican Revolution. Left here in the company of Gus

       Blanco. He was with the IW.W.. bunch that took four horses

       from Holtville and was mixed up in the robbery at Coyote

       Well on the night of December 24^th, 1911. He is a bad man. I hold warrant for his arrest.

      Arrest, hold, and notify,

       Mobley Meadows, Sheriff

       Imperial Valley, Calif.

       Dated: El Centro, Cal.,

       January 2d, 1912

      Who was Bobby Flash? I copied down the information and put the yellowed Wanted poster back in the folder. The next piece in the file was a mug shot of a young man staring hard into the camera with a defiant half smile that revealed what appeared to be a gold tooth. I looked at his face, under a mop of short but shaggy brown hair. His gaze was piercing and he had a fresh-looking scar under his left eye. I noticed that his work shirt was unbuttoned at the top and his overalls hung higher on his right shoulder than his left. On the back of the photo someone had written “Buckshot Jack, San Diego 1912,” but that had been crossed out by a different hand and replaced with “Bobby Flash, San Diego 1912?” I smiled at the thought of myself, Jack Wilson, being tagged with the nickname “Buckshot,” but I was more intrigued by the correction. Was this really Bobby Flash? I stopped for a moment, lost in thought. What drew me to him? Perhaps it was the vague stories about my “crazy commie great grandfather” that my mom would toss off when she was assailing my father’s side of the family. They had always resonated with me—just not in the way she had intended. And, perhaps it was just a flight of fancy, but I thought Flash looked a bit like my son Hank thrust back in time (minus the gold tooth). OK. Enough already. Maybe it was just the name, Flash.

      I checked the time. It was 4:30. I looked up and saw that the librarian was still occupied at the front desk so I continued to inspect the file. The next piece was another Wanted poster:

      WANTED FOR GRAND LARCENY AND ROBBERY. GUS BLANCO OR BUNCO

      Nativity, American; age 30; height 5 ft. 8 in.; weight 157

       pounds; brown hair; no beard; small moustache; gray eyes;

       chunky nose; red cheeks; occupation bronco buster and cow

       puncher; slightly stooped shoulders, upper lip hangs over

       lower, walks like a man stove up from riding horses; left

       here wearing blue overalls and black felt hat. Is a member

       of I.W.W. [agitator], canvasser for Industrial Workers of the

       World. Was in Mexican Revolution, first under Berthold at

       Mexicali, and at Alamo under Mosby at Tecate also un-

       der Price at Tia Juana in C Troop. Will probably find him

       around IW.W.. halls and men. He is also in the bunch that

       took the horses from Holtville and started for San Diego.

       He was the leader of the I.W.W. men here and is an all around

       bad man. Anything you may do to get this man will be very

       much appreciated. I hold warrant for this man.

      Arrest, hold and notify,

       Mobley Meadows, Sheriff.