Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-12-17
THE RRNO EMPRESS non.
nk Ne -.
Acceuas Of the Family. their
Connossisas and their
Operations.

OPeratsonr.
The Chicago RspsSl.can eivss lengthy
acesus, Of the Reno express robbers. lately
hanged hy a Vigilance COMMITTEE. at New
Albany, Ind from which re extract the
The Reno family have been well known |
Ia the snnals OF crime for years past Their !
homo ass been abou, half . mile frsm
Rscs ford. which. . few years age. was .
bssatiill and thriving village In johnson |
county, lad. II wsud have been the cross.
ing point OF the Ohio and Mississippi rail |
road With The JsGsrsonvills. Madison and |
lndianApelis RA,lros6, had it net been on |
account Of the iawisssnsss 81 the people |
that we're ssstlsd in that vicinity. The vii |
laes of Rockford is new almost dilApidatsd;
the beautiful blssks Of buildings and storss |
Which snes gracsd its strssts are in ruins;
the torch Of the incendiary has done lie
work. Having become the centre Of vllainy
i, sson became the hiding place Of villain
dssvous Of acouudrsis, and the one or tive
saloonsor grogssriss left standing became
their ordinary abiding place.
Seymour 10 located on the line Of the
Jsrersonvills. Madison and lniianspols
railroad, and 10 also the crossing point Of
the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. two miles
south Of Rockford. IL has grown to be q
large town Owing 10 tho prox ni,y Of the
Rsnos and their gang TO tins placs, il had
become alss unsafe for tho peace Of law
abid ing residents.
Fer several years rsbberies and murders
have been frequent in the viclnity-in fact
TO such On extent that the people have long
csntsmp plated taking the Law into their swn
hsnds on account Of the defect in the State
law which prevented the conviction Of psr>
ties asrssted, and charged with crime
| Continuance after continuance Of the trial
of prisoners has followed with general
rapidity until II vas found that the law
could not b enforced.
Ii will 10 rsssliectsd that in February
| lot . raid was made upon oil the county
sfsasurss's safes Of Northern Iowa, taking
he Wbsle counties through, frsm the Ais-
| sissippi 70 the Missouri. All thsss robbsr
ice were either planned or executed ~ the
Rsnss end sheir confsderatss. Fer reb
! berry esmmittsd in Missouri, John Rene is
new in the Miessuri Penitsntissy, under
. sentsnes Of twssty ave years imprison-
| oent.
Fec ~ rshbsey Of The Mills and Harri-
Gun county SITES. in Iowa, shortly after
ward, Frank Rene. Mike Rogers. Charles
Anderson, William Dssring and Albert
Perkins we're arrested and oooflned 10 the
Mills county Jail. Shortly thereafter they
managed 70 break jail and made their escape
travelling the whsls way from there 70 Chi
c,gs on foot, fording the sti cams in the dead
Of winter, and crossing the Mississippi upon
the ice They then asds their way from
Chicago TO Windsor, Canads, by rail-.
After recruiting themselves there, an
other raid was proposed and agreed upon
Jsffsrsonvilis, Madison and Indianapolis
railroad. while stopping ~ Marshvills-an
isolated station, Or rather watering place
we've fsrcibly sc FED. the engineer, fireman
aud express messenger were thrown from
the engine and cars, and the engine and
express car having been disconnected, were
run At rapid rate of speed withlng half
mile Of Seymour. Here they we're left, the
express safes having been robbed Of all
their treasure, amounting to nearly $780,
600. Tho express messenger was thrown
froa the ears by the robbers whom tho
train was running at tho rate OF thirty
miles an hour.
This case was put into the hands Of Al.
Ian Pinkerton, detective. Evidence was
discovered to warrant the finding Of bills
Of indictment against Frank Rene, Charlie,
Anderson, WIN. Dssring, Simeon Reno,
VIM. Reno, Albert Perkins and Jack Mel.
son, alias California Nelss. Frank Reno
aud Charles Anderson msds their escape
70 Windsor; the other parties remained in
tho States. Simeon and WIN. Reno wsrs
arrested and confined in jail at New A.
bsny in July last. Dssring was arrested
aud held at ssynour fer idsntiHcati on,
having disposed Of some OF the stolen
bonds 70 man named Baum, at lndianap-
oils. Baum fed and aiss made his escape
70 Canada.
While held under guard. at Sew mour,
Dssring managed 10 make his escape
Nelson WAS aftsrward arrested, and alss
taken 70 Sey mour and held 20 hail. In the
meantime proceedings were commenced q
Canada for the exuaditicn Of Frank Reno
and Charles Anderson. After q tedious
legal strife they were surrendered by orde,
OF Chief Justice Draper, OF Canada, to The
United States authorities.
The Reno family consisted Of old man
Reno. who has been all his life desperate
old Mrs Reno, who died last summer, and
who supplied the brains for the crowd
John Rene. now in the Missouri Penitsn
tlary, as above mentioned; Frank Rene
Clinton Reno, Simeon Reno, Vim. Reno
Laura Reno, and one younger son, who il
known at Trick Rene"
Old man Reno was Of Swiss origin. but
| CNr ,,~D - H..
he aud his wife were married.
On the night Of the 9th Of last July, an,
ether attempt WAS made to reb the Adams
Express at Brownstown, 12 miles east OIL
Seymour, on the Ohio 4 Mississippi Rail.
road. The car Of the Express Company
vac again detached from the train, an en-
ginesr got on board, and the express CO,
and locomotive we're sapidly run of. The
EXPRESS Company, hswevsr, had guards
Who we're then in the express car. Shortly
after leaving BseWnstswn The train came
. steD, aadl.hs thieves entered the express
car with . view Of rotbing Il, when they
we're fred upon By the guards, and the en-
ginesr. who Was RAINING the engine. and
vho proved 70 b enc Vol. Ellitts, was Sc
vsrsiy wounded and captured.
The robbers made their escape, but we're
afterwards discovered to Be Elits, Frank
Sparkle. John Moore, Charles Rsssbsrry
Warren Clinton and Henry Jcril. They
were oil pupils Of the Rene school, having
bssn their intimate associates and friends
Elite had formerly been . brak sman upon
the Ohio 4 Mississippi Rsilsoad. Frank
Sparkle had worked upon farm Of Rens's
John Reno was a. one time brakeman On
the railroad, and probably enc Of the mos.
expert men in springing on or OF trains
that could b found he had been arrested
fer robbery prior to this offsnss.
Charles Rssebsrry WAS . painter, and
rosidsd IL Seymour; he had several timss
been arrested, and WAS enc OF the parties
who burned down the police station house
81 0eyoour. shsstiy before che eoannissien
Of this robbery. Warren Clifton had for
msrly been in the employ Of the Adams
Express Company At Sey mour, bu. had
been led into evil practices BY his associa.
ton with tho Rome family. Henry JerilI
vas the son Of the dray man who was in
the habit Of carrying the express goods
through Seymour. The father was re-
spectacle, but the son had been led int
evil habits from HE association With these
people.
I All che above named rebbsvs made their
escape, with the exception q Elite. A re-
ward vas, hswssss, offered for them, and
they were speedily captured. On the night