The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-09-17

turesque features Of
Western life, one Of the
piquant possibilities of Western
travel But piquarcy and pictures
queness do not appeal to those sor-
did soulless corporations known as
railways and express companies.
And they, with the aid of the Pink
ertons and the police, of local and
Federal authorities, and finally of
specially organized forces OF their
own have about eliminated the hold
up feature from their schedules.
The history of train robbing pro-
per goes back hardly more than
generation II was not an ante
bellum crime-probably because
most of the big Western railroads
through unsettled country are Of
post-bellum construction. The train
robber is purely modern and pure
Nv an American almost
purely Western American institu-
ton. But like many another West
ern American he, comes or good
European stock, being the direct de-
scendant of the famous highwaymen
who infested the roads of Merrie
England and the continent, and held
up the coaches of our grandfathers,
a couple of centuries back-held
them up in fashion so picturesque
and so punctiliously courteous that
1t must have been pleasure to be
robbed by them.
The first of the modern train rob-
bers to achieve anything like fame
were the Reno brothers, of Seymour,
Ind, VINO made a name as experts IN
their line in the year or two follow
ing the close of the war. There were
four of them-John, William, Frank
and Sim Their pull in Indiana,
partly of friendship and partly of
fear, was such as to preclude punish
ment for while. In 1867, however,
John made the mistake of branching
out into an Unfamiliar line of work.
He robbed the county treasurers
safe at Savannah, Mo. And knowing
that he would successfully evade ex-
tradition, q body of masked Missouri
ans came over and seized him forci-
bly,. put him on train and took him
with them. There he was tried, con-
victed and sent up for twenty-five
years.
The other brothers gathered some
kindred spirits about them and start
ed out on series of train robberies
In Indiana and Iowa Finally they
collaborated with a man named An
derson in the holding up Of train
near MarshfieId Station, Ind. They
forced their way into the express car,
threw the messenger of the moving
train, and escaped, protein, with
$50. 600. Two of them were arrested
In Indianapolis, two escaped to Can
ada, and though they fought it hard
were finally extradited. All four
were taken from the jail at New
Albany and lynched by the good peo-
pie of Indiana, who when they saw
LQdl SOHlclAlu6 iCo4iy "do AdPPch-
ing to the Renos, were only too
pleased to help on the good work
Then just to do the thing thorough
ly they lynched a few more who
were known TO have been associated
in a business way with the Renos-
nine in all--and since then Indiana
has not been much troubled with
train robberies, though for some
time before that she had had on an
average one every sixty days or so.
Next came the Harrington brothers
Levi and Hillary, and associated
with them William Barton and Will
liam Taylor. They gathered about
them bunch of kindred spirits and
for a time led the railways and ex-
press companies merry dance. But
the Pinkertons finally run them
down. Hillary and Barton were ar
rested near Vendetta, l. T.; Levi at
Pennington, ILL.,, and Taylor at Red
Foot Lake, in western Tennessee.