|
The
next gang that made its appearance was one headed by
Sam Bass, the Collins brothers and others. They “held up” and robbed
the Pacific Express on the Union Pacific Railway and got about $60,000 in
gold. Two of this gang stopped the train, compelled the crew to alight
together, while they went through the safes, taking everything in sight,
money, watches and jewelry. Their career, however, was brief. Joel Collins
was shot and killed; one confederate named Berry was shot and killed near
Moscow,
Missouri,
arid all the money recovered.
Sam Bass succeeded in making his escape, and went to Denton County,
Texas ,
where he had a great many friends, being situated there in very much the
same way as the
James
brothers in
Missouri,
nobody being willing to give any information concerning him.
In
Texas
he organized another gang of train robbers. These men perpetrated a number
of train robberies in
Texas,
but the United States government took hold of the matter in conjunction
with the detectives and arranged a plan for luring the gang to Round Rock,
Texas ,
for the purpose of robbing a bank.
|
Sam Bass died of gunshot wounds on his 27th birthday.
This
image available for photographic prints
HERE!
|
|
The case was worked by
our agency in conjunction with the
St. Louis,
San Francisco and
Los Angeles
police forces.
Robert A.
Pinkerton, Detective Whittiker, and an officer in
Los Angeles
arrested Slye at
Los Angeles,
California.
On his person was found the watch taken from the express messenger and a
ring that was known to have been in the express safe. Slye pleaded guilty
and was sentenced to twenty years. Later on I received information that
Hedgepeth was receiving mail under an alias at San Francisco,
California.
This information was communicated to the San Francisco police, who
arrested
Hedgepeth a few days later as he was calling for his mail at the
post-office. Shortly after this Jim Francis and a man named Myers, members
of this gang, attempted to “hold up” a train near
Ft. Scott,
Kansas,
but were overpowered and killed.
Hedgepeth fought his case bitterly in the courts, but was finally
convicted and sentenced to twenty-five years in the
Missouri State Prison. Dink Wilson, the other member of this gang,
escaped, went into the mountains near
Utah
,
and was in hiding for a long time. Last July while a detective at
Syracuse, New York, was trying to arrest two men who were suspected of
being connected with a number of burglaries which had occurred in the
neighborhood of Syracuse, the men turned and fired at short range, killing
him almost instantly. One of the murderers was taken, but the other
escaped. The picture of the man arrested was sent throughout the country,
and was finally identified as that of Dink Wilson. We subsequently located
the second man at Buffalo, where he was arrested by the local officers.
These two men are bound to be convicted, and will, in all probability, be
electrocuted. This will dispose of this whole gang of train robbers.
The two
Sontag brothers and [Chris] Evans were the next train robbers to
spring into prominence. They operated as far East as Racine, Wisconsin
They “held up” a train on the
Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, robbing the American Express Company of a
large amount of money. After this robbery they decamped to Minneapolis,
and there our agency, acting for the American Express Company, were put on
their track, but did not have sufficient evidence to arrest them. We,
however, followed them to
California,
where they “held up “a train on the Southern Pacific, robbing the
Wells-Fargo Company’s safe. One of the
Sontag brothers was arrested, but Evans and the other
Sontag succeeded in escaping after shooting all the officers. They
were, however, recently captured and in the encounter
Sontag was killed, and Chris Evans is now awaiting trial, badly
wounded.
In the recent train
robbery on the Mineral Range Railway the robbers succeeded in getting
about $70,000, the property of the American Express Company. This robbery
was committed by two brothers named Hoagan and three others. Our agency,
with the aid of the local officers, speedily captured these men and
recovered all the money. The last robbery of the United States Express
Company, on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway, has not yet been
worked up, but I feel confident that the officers engaged on this will
eventually get the right people. There is one thing certain, that the men
engaged in the last express robbery will not be allowed to escape.
One of the reasons for
the recent epidemic of train robberies may be found in the general
business depression. It is, however, also largely due, in my opinion, to
the reading of yellow-covered novels. Country lads get their minds
inflamed with this class of literature. Professional thieves or designing
men find among this class many who are willing to go into their schemes.
The majority of these robbers are recruited from among the grown boys or
young men of small country towns. They start in as amateurs under an
experienced leader. They become infatuated with the work and never give it
up until arrested or killed. I recollect a case where three boys aged
respectively seventeen, twenty-one and twenty-six “held up” a train near
Emmett,
Arkansas, in 1882 and took from the Pacific Express about $9,000 and
from the passengers about $1,500. The conductor of the train ran one of
them down and brought him back, the other two escaped, but were eventually
arrested in the
Indian
Territory.
They were convicted and sentenced to seventy years each in state’s prison.
One of these was a mere lad, who had seen a railway train for the first
time to “hold it up.”
Train robbery is not a
profitable pursuit by any means. In nearly every case capture and
punishment are almost certain, and death is very frequently the penalty.
The chances of escape are not one in a hundred, and the stealings as a
rule are very small in spite of the popular belief that train robbers
succeed in getting large sums of money without being caught. Until three
years ago dynamite was never used in train robberies. It has been
employed, however, in several of the more recent cases, and its use makes
train robberies all the more dangerous. The robbers can now blow open an
express car in a few seconds, where formerly it took them several minutes
to pick the lock or force the combination. Speaking on this point the
General Manager of the
St. Louis &
San Francisco Railroad said recently
I frequently receive
suggestions to have steel express cars built and to send guards with
trains. But why should we do that when any one may buy a quarter’s worth
of dynamite, and blow to pieces the strongest metal ever put together?
Great treasure is carried by every line, and dynamite will open the best
of safes. In many states any one may buy that dangerous explosive, and no
questions are asked. Law should first restrict the sale of it, as it does
the sale of poison. Men who hold up passenger trains are armed, and, if it
is necessary to carry out their designs, they will kill. Aside from the
liability of a messenger, an engineer, or a curiously inclined passenger
to be shot, there is a greater danger that another train may come along
and wreck the passenger train, standing alone on the track, in some dark
cut or lonely piece of woods. Train robberies are increasing each year,
and I shall bend my energies to procure legislation making train robbery a
capital offence.
That this peculiar form
of crime is on the increase no one will deny. That it should be checked
promptly and firmly is imperative. Indeed, unless some measures are taken
to prevent the increase of train robberies I would not be surprised to see
an express train held up within ten miles of New York or Philadelphia at a
not very remote date. The question is a very serious one. In fact a
meeting of the general managers of the different railroads centering in a
Western city was recently held for the purpose of adopting some means of
defense against these desperadoes.
The bill recently
introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Caidwell, of
Ohio, which proposes to place the crime of train robbery under the
jurisdiction of the United States, has great merit, and should be passed
without delay. If it becomes a crime against the United States to “hold
up” and rob a train, it is almost certain that this class of work will
soon come to an end. The robbers frequently have friends or relatives
among the local authorities in the county in which they reside, and more
particularly is this so in the South and Southwest. A Western officer once
told me, when I asked his assistance to arrest a part of a train-robbing
gang, that he would deputize me and aid me secretly, but owing to the
relatives and sympathizers of these men residing in the county he
dare not lend a hand openly; that J did not reside in the county and did
not have to live there after this arrest was made, but he did. He
deputized me and one of our men whom I had brought with me, and that night
he rode with us into the
Missouri
River “bottoms” and pointed out the home of the men we wanted, helped to
surround the house, and was ready to kill either of the men if necessary,
providing it was not known that he helped to do so. This man was a good
officer and willing to do his duty, but it was impossible for him to
conduct a fight against these men alone. Had it been known that he was
against them he would have been assassinated. This itself is a good
argument why the United States government should take charge of these
cases, as the robbers are not likely to be able to control the United
States officials as they control the local authorities. The latter will
frequently drop pursuit at the state or county lines, claiming that they
have no authority to go further. A state or county line would not act as a
barrier for a United States officer. I hope, therefore, that Congress may
see the necessity of taking some action on the bill now before them.
If it were not for the
prompt and energetic action of the express companies in persistently
following up train-robbing gangs and never giving up the search until all
the gang are landed in prison or killed, train robberies would be more
frequent. A man who will rob an express company is a fugitive forever
afterwards until arrested or punished, as express companies are relentless
in pursuing those who rob them; but it is not right that these companies
should be obliged to take these steps and go to the great expense that
they frequently are obliged to go to in order to arrest or exterminate
these highwaymen. They are as much entitled to protection under the law as
is a private individual, but, being corporations, they do not get this
protection, but are obliged to spend large amounts of money to protect
themselves.
Express companies which
carry large sums of money are seriously considering the advisability of
placing the money rates so high that the banks will be forced to use the
United States mails for the transport of their money, so that the robbers,
to get the money, must “ hold up” the United States mails as well as the
express companies, thus making such a robbery a government offence. The
express companies are now carrying on their heavy money trains guards
armed with the latest improved style of revolvers and Winchesters. These
guards are men known for their determination and nerve, and will most
likely give a warm reception to the next gang that attempts to rob a train
anywhere in the country. The express companies are also placing
burglar proof safes in their cars. These safes are strongly constructed,
so it will take the robbers hours to get into them, and if they are blown
up the money will be destroyed so that it will not do the robbers any
good. The safes are locked in New York and cannot be opened by any one
until their arrival at
Chicago or
other point of destination, the messenger not knowing the combination.
Added August, 2006
|
Please report
broken links, missing pictures, or other problems online by clicking
