Ventura County Biographies

W. H. Reilly

Submitted by Sandy Neder

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
W. H. Reilly, a native son of the Golden West, and the youngest Sheriff in the 
State, was born in Yuba County, California, June 15, 1861. His father, M. J. 
Reilly, a native of New York, came to California in 1849. His mother, whose 
maiden name was E. J. Linn, is a native of Illinois. M. J. Reilly, after a 
residence here of only two years, died, in 1876, in San Buenaventura. W. H. 
Reilly, the subject of this notice, was the eldest of the children, was educated 
in the public schools of San Francisco and Ventura, completed a course in a 
business college. April 10, 1889, he married Miss Mae Beck, a daughter of Hon. 
Thomas Beck, who was Secretary of State of California. In November, 1888, Mr. 
Reilly was elected Sheriff of Ventura County, on the Republican ticket, by a 
majority of 352, which was far ahead of his ticket. Not long after he assumed 
the office to which he had been elected a circumstance occurred which 
demonstrated that the county did not make a mistake in his election. At noon, on 
April 23, 1889, the desperado James McCarthy entered the bank of William 
Collins & Sons, and, leveling his pistol at the clerk, ordered him to hand out the 
money. The clerk instantly dropped below the counter and ran out the back way. 
The robber seized what money he could get quickly, amounting to $4,000, and was 
making his escape when he had a horse to mount. Mr. Reilly heard the alarm, 
thought it was a fight, rushed into the street and saw the robber, who turned 
when the sheriff was within ten feet of him and snapped a forty-four caliber 
Colt's revolver at him. Unfortunately, the sheriff was unarmed, but had the 
presence of mind to rush into a hardware store, seize a shot-gun and load it, 
and succeeded in overhauling McCarthy, made him surrender, took his money from 
him and safely landed him in jail, where he was safely kept until he was tried 
and sentenced to State's prison for eight years. That was indeed an act of 
courage and promptness worthy of any officer, no matter how skillful.  The 
sheriff of a California county is also tax collector. The total taxes collected 
by Mr. Reilly in 1889 were about $159,000. He is a man of character and 
marked ability, and is destined to be successful in his undertakings. 
    Mr. Reilly belongs to the I. O. O. F., K. of P., A. L. of H., and N. S. G. 
W., of the last of which he was one of the organizers and a charter member.
 
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF THE COUNTIES OF SANTA BARBARA, SAN LUIS 
OBISPO, AND VENTURA, CALIF. by Ida Addis Storke, 1891, p 495