Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-11-27
THE FIRST TRAIN ROBBERY.

1t Took Place ut t'ads Hill, Mo-, IN 1870
The first train robbery in America
occurred at Gad's Hill, Mo-, in 1875.
At that point and time an Adams ex'
press car. presided over by Messen.
ger Wilson, was held up on the Iron
Mountain road by the James boys and
looted. The Adams company lost
several hundred dollars, and the
United States mail Car was robbed Is
vel. AS most of the living world
knows the story of ,the James band,
the sequel to this primordial incident
may be guessed.
1t was not the only train, however.
that was held up by the James and
Younger brothers. All the after
years OF their outlaw experience were
stained by deeds of which express
rObbing was entirely the mildest.
Their example was also copied by
other ambitious intcllccts of an igno-
rant but bloodthirsty turn.
A neno gang sprang up in Indiana
and made their headquarters at Sey-
mour, where the senior Reno and his
family lived. Their operations GOV.
cred Southern Indiana from New AL
bany to Indianapolis. About fifteen
years since they began holding up
trains along with their other minor
enioyments.
In their operations as train robbers
only one messenger, according to the
memories OF several gentlemen,
figures. His name was Joe Dresbach,
aud for a number OF recent years he
ran into St Louis, but now has
moved hence. The incident in cues.
tion occurred when he was a messsen.
ger on the j., N. 4 I. road, running
from New York to Indianapolis. One
night the Reno gang boarded his
train at a water tank, eighteen miles
south of Seymour, Ind, and broke
into the express car. One of the
gang had taken charge of the engine
and was running the train. Dres-
bach refused to comply with the pre.
arranged details, and for his heroic
ODstlnacy was thrown off the train.
1t was purely accidental that he es.
capped death, for the train was NOV
ing swiftly. and the grading of the
road was anything but smooth and
level. AS it was he was laid up for
months. Perhaps it will! afford some
satisfaction to many to know that
this same miserable gang parished &C .
cordlng to their deserts. Three
swung from beech three three miles
east OF Brownstown, Ind, and seven
more of them were taken by iail-
storming mob from the New Albany
prison and justly hanged.
The work OF the Starr gang in In
dlan Territory Was cruel enough, and
every one knows OF the many train
robberies that figured in it. The ex-
press messengers who surrendered to
them were wise. Such determined
human devels would have rammed
the cold barrel Of a Al down a vic
TINS throat and blazed away into his
anatomy before they would have been
interfered with.
Those who have read the EXHIBITS
OF Evans and Soatag can imagine how
lone messenger with a spark of OBJ
lection in him would fare at their
hands. Those two cool-headed muir.
derers lived a strangely dual exist.
ence, pretending to be quite honest
citizens Of California, while making
record of crime that appalled, the
nation.
Inc desperadoes who push dyna-
mite sticks under express. car doors or
stand erect upon the tender of a fly
ing engine and level the siIvered bar
rels OF their revolvers straight upon
the cab crew in the shadowy glare OF
an engine furnace fire or moonlight
beams are fully determined and en-.
Unused. Like some crouching feline
of the jungle, with the odor of blood
in its nostrils. the desire of gold is IN
their hearts, and neither the sight of
human woe nor the thought of eter-
nal perdition could stop them.
In 1876 the Adams Express Com
panY was plundered just beyond
Greenville, ILL.,, at a lonely water
tank. In this case the messenger
fought the robbers off and was
wounded, though not seriously.
In 1881 Kellogg Nichols, a mes.
senger of the United States Express
company, running on the Chicago,
Rock Island and Pacific road between
Chicago and Davenport. was killed
by express robbers. The bandits
came upon the train between Mans
field and Joliet, Ill. Nichols was
alone in the express car and back of
him rolled a baggage car, the master
Of which has ever since been con.
sidered an accomplice in the murder.
How the robbery was conducted is
not known. The flying train never
stopped nor was any struggle heard. |
Yet when the train pulled into Joliet
Nichols was found bruised and dead
upon the car floor, the express safe
looted and the robbers fled. He had
been beaten to death with a large
ron poker that lay near by.
The great Pacific robbery of 1886.
Messenger H. D. Forthing-
nam and Fred Witrock, alias Jim
cummings, figured, is still matter
II public interest Eotherinpham
,ook into his express car one Jim
cummings, who bore letter from