The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-27
TRAIN ROBBERY'S DECLINE.
DEATH PENALTY IN THE WEST THE
CAUSE OF THE DECADBHCE


In the Use OF Dynamite to the Dismay OF
safsmakc and Armored Car Builders
Noted Cases OF This Kind OF Crime
TUCSON, AriL, Aug. Alt Is held BY railway
men and express agents whose lines traverse this
territory that the efficacy Of q law af1xinG the
death penalty 70 q crime against property has
been proved By the utter dccadenoo Of the once
thriving industry Of uninrobbery. There was
time whom II was q common mode OF making q
living. Within year Of the passage Of tho law
defining IL az a capital offence it had dwindlod in
Arizona by moro than nifty per cent In two years
Gases OF train hold ups wero rare. Since then
there have been merely sporadic cases The
men OF the road have gone back 70 robbing stage
coaches or take their chances in looting detached
express Offices In small towns. Ninety per cent
Of them think TOO much Of their necks 70 run them
into almost certain nooscs.
There has becn however one curious result
Of the law. While II has enormously decreased
the number Of train robbenos it has increased
the percentage OF fatalities attendant upon them.
This is due TO tho fact that with capital punish
mont hanging over them only the most desperate
kind Of criminals have been willing 10 engage
In ooting trains at all. and once in Il they were
prepared 70 stop al nothing. In these days the
siightest show OF resistance is met with instant
DEATH The robbers say that as they are going
70 be hanged anyhow II caught they might as
well DO hanged for something worth while
Eight years ago in Arizona there was a rStn
robbery a month, and this Is a largo number when
the comparatively few railroads In this territory
and the few trains are taken into consideration
Into such condition Of desuetudo has the pursuit
descended that II has now been moro than year
since anything like decent hold-up" has been
accomplished. That which Is true Of Arizona
Is true also OF California In which state tho
law covers train-wrecking as we'll as train
robbery. II Is also true OF nearly all the states
In which train robbery once nourished. Not all
these states have prescribed tho death penalty
for the crime, but the robbers seem to think they
have The inactivity Of their brethren In tho
far south western states has discouraged them.
In Texas for Instance. there has been no coup
Of this kind worthy of the name for moro than a
year. yet In Texas less than ten years ago. there
were iyo distinct bands OF robbers operating SIM
ultanoously II is tribute TO the officers OF that
state that very few OF these mon are now alive
Most OF them were killed before there was
chance to send them to tho penitontiary.
The almost utter stoppage Of these enterprises
merely through tho fear Of public execution Is a
singular thing, and II becomes more singular
still when II u recalled that the men engaged In
II lust previous TO Its decline had succeeded in
perfoctng a means Of entrance TO express cars
and safes against which all the science and
ingenuity of builders were powerloss That
means was dynamite, applied In large quantities
whore IL would do the most good. Cars lined
with Steel which were good enough against rifles
or shotguns wcro no bars to IL, nor could any
express messenger. however brave and trusted,
be expected To remain at his post when once tho
threat was made that he would DO blown up unless
he opened tho doors and betrayed the combina-
ton High explosives OF this kind wero unknown
20 the carly practitioners OF the craft and II they
had known how 10 use giant powder their hauls
would have been even larger than they were.
When dynamite was first used by robbers they
were unsiful They had no idea Of the proper
quantity and they blew up themselves as often
as they blew up the They learned rapidly
however, and when suddenly and permanently
discouraged by tho hangman's ropo were fast
becoming experts In explosive" forces There
is no record of any express car standing against
the use OF explosives when they wero properly
applied, and the managers Of the companies were
In despair when the legislatures camo TO their
relief The express chiefs had gone even to the
length OF sending a powerful lobby to Washing
ton to work for national law prescribing tho
death penalty. II becomes speedily apparent
however, that tho national Jurisdiction in this
not be stretched to cover the States although
United States mail was carried upon every train
that was dynamited. Even Congressman with
every disposition TO oblige were forced to admit
that It would DO hardly tho proper thing to pro-
vide hanging as punishment for delaying the
mails. so tho thing fell through. State legisla-
lures arc almost wholly responsible for the
widey-spread reform of the railway freebooter.
The rise and fall OF this industry. II completely
and sensibly written. would mako book moro
thrilling than tho work known as tho "Vililantes
Of Montana" q papercovered volumne compiled
by preacher, which once had the distinguished
honor OF commendaion at the hands OF Charles
Dickens So far as records extend. and they
arc believe TO be reasonably complete the various
railways and express compenics having kept a
careful account OF their losses In this way; az
we'll as OF their numerous encounters the first
train-robbery In the United States occurred in
Indiana Tho year 1855 Ono night In
September express on the Ohio and Mississippi
road slowed up at Brownstown This place Is
ninety miles west Of Cincinnati Twomen climbe
on the locomotive. covered the engineer and fire.
man with revovers and conversed pleasantly,
They were heavily masked As they talked,
their companions uncoupled the express car and
the engineer was forced to haul il 1ve miles down
the road.
:, Here the car was entered the messenger
obliged TO unlock the safe and $4,000 was
taken The affair caused a fever OF excitement
all through the country and tho railway people
Jaw at once that new and terrible war had be-
gun against them. For this crime the members
Of a family named Reno were hold TO bo respon-
sble. but there was no evidence OF their guilt
and they were not moested.
A few months later two boys inspired by the
a.. - i,,.t bald