One of Placer County’s notorious criminals
information from an article by Chuck Myer, Neighbors, Sat. Jan. 13, 2002
and articles from Auburn Journal as noted.
Jack Santo had a history of committing many crimes, including murder. He had a pencil thin mustache and a definite attitude problem. In a book, Homer Eldridge recalled the early 1950's when he did a lot of work for a man named Jack Santo, who lived out northwest of Auburn. He had come to his house to change locks after Santo had come back from Mexico. When Santo paid him for the job, he saw that his wallet was stuffed with bills. He surmised that Santo was dealing in gold when he went to Mexico. Eldridge recalled that he found out that just before his trip to Mexico, Jack had killed a grocer and his kids in Chester. He committed a lot of crimes around there and the papers referred to him as “Jack Santo and his Murder Mountain Mob”.
A resident of Iowa Hill told Eldridge that in the mid-1940's his dad received a call from his brother in Folsom who bought and sold gold. When they arrived at his home, he told them that Jack Santo and another man had tied him up and tortured him and threatened his wife. A woman named Barbara Graham kept watch. His uncle finally told him where he kept his gold and Santo swore to kill him if he had more that he hadn’t told him about. There was more gold in the basement, but Santo left. A few months later there was an article in paper that a miner in Nevada City was tortured and killed.
According to an article, in the Auburn Journal, Thursday, May 7, 1953, Santo was captured in Los Angeles. He was being held for questioning in connection with the possible kidnaping and possible murder of Baxter M. Shorter, 43, who reportedly gave the police information concerning the killing of Mrs. Mable Monahan. It was reported, the gang believed there was $100,000 stashed in her home by a nephew who was a gambler.
The Monahan murder trial grabbed headlines across the state. An accomplice turned state’s evidence, ultimately convicting Santo, Barbara Graham and Emmett Perkins of the crime.
The trio died on June 3, 1955 in the San Quentin gas chamber.
Hollywood made two movies to illustrate his depravity. The story became a book and in 1958, a classic movie “I Want to Live” was made which was nominated for six academy awards. Susan Hayward won a Oscar for her portrayal of Barbara Graham. The movies glamorized Graham and suggested she was innocent, but Auburn old timers knew that anyone who hung around Jack Santo for long could best be described by the Chinese proverb, “He who lies down with dogs, rises with fleas”.
Much more intriguing information can be found in the Reference Dept of the Auburn Placer Library.