Bertha Belmont

Bertha Belmont, 1870-1905
Con Artist

Buried in City-Loosley Cemetery, exact location unknown

(Image generated using Bing AI)

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​Bertha Belmont was born about 1870. Not much is known about her early life or even whether this was her true name. Bertha had a career as a confidence woman associating with three men from Texas.

Supposedly, Bertha was married to an Ed McClain. McClain had been born in Texas in 1870. He was associated with Elmore “Elmo” Barnett, Comby Barnett, and Cicero Ernest Nash AKA the Texas Kid. McClain is believed to have been be the half-brother of the Barnetts.

In the late 1890s into the 1900s, these four travelled together from Iowa to San Francisco, plying their trade of thievery and scams. One scam involved representing themselves to be respected businessmen from out of town needing cash. They would present the victim with a check in return for a cash “loan.” The victim would realize later the check was worthless and a forgery.  

Using various aliases, they avoided capture most of the time. The group was involved in an argument while in a San Francisco saloon over who would pay for the drinks. The dispute ended when Elmore pulled out a gun and started shooting up the bar. All four were arrested at that time, but later released.

Shortly after McClain committed a robbery in Iowa in 1905, Bertha fell ill with tuberculosis. She came to Phoenix seeking treatment at Sisters Hospital. At this time, Ed McClain was being sought by law enforcement as was Comby for a prison escape in Texas; the wanted men were believed travelling together. 

A sharp-eyed law enforcement officer saw the ‘Wanted’ photos of McClain and Comby and remembered seeing them in Denver. A tip led officers to believe that the gang was headed for Phoenix. Sheriff’s officers mounted surveillance on Bertha, waiting for McClain to show up. When he did, he and Comby were arrested.

Bertha died on January 31, 1905, just as McClain was taken into custody. He was given the option of staying in Phoenix until her burial. He declined and was taken back to Iowa where he was tried and sentenced to prison. It was discovered that his companion was not Comby at all, but Comby’s brother Elmore. Elmore was not wanted at the time, so he was released.

Bertha was buried in an unknown location within City Loosley Cemetery.

© 2021 Patricia Gault. Last revised August 2021.

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