The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-03

they carried their case, however, to the
/ highest court in Canada. But the de-
c1sion Of the lower court was affirmed;
and in October, 1868 the men were
surrendered into the hands Of Allan
/ Pinkerton, who was delegated by the
1 United States government to receive
them It was due to the patience and
persistence of Mr.. Alfred Gather the
/ western manager OF the Adams Esx-
1 press company. and his then assistant,
Mr. L. c. Weir, later president of the
4 company and to the general policy
7 Of the company TO permit no compro-
mise with thieves, that. regardless of
/ the cost and time, the prosecution was
/ continued until it issued thus success
fully.
/ Michael Rogers was also discovered
/ to be in Windsor at this time. and he
I was known to have had a hand in the
! Mashdeld robbery; but he escaped ar
( rest and remained securely in Windsor
/ for year or two. Later. though. he
Preached the penirentiary, being
brought to grief by burglary done at
| Tolono, Ill On coming out, he Joined
the notorious Mccartney gang Of coun-
/ terfeiters, and had many narrow es-
capes. The last known Of him, an old
man, he was living quietly on farm
Made at last secure of Reno and
Anderson, Allan Pinkerton chartered
a tug to carry them to Cleveland, and
thus avoid the friends who. as he had
ICdSOn TO Know, were WalIlnE across
the river in Detroit to effect rescue
When the tug had gone about 20 miles,
1t was run down by a large steamer
and sunk. the passengers. including
the prisoners, being saved with the
greatest difficulty. The prisoners were
carried on to Cleveland by another boa
and from there were hurried on by
rail to New Albany, where they were
placed in jail along with 'fSin" and
William Reno.
The final passage in the history of
the Reno gang occurred about a month
later, in the latter part of Novem-
Der, 1858, when one day a passenger
car was dropped off at Seymour, Ind
some distance from the station. There
was nothing remarkable in this, nor
did the car attract any attention.
That night a train passing through
Seymour took up the car and drew it
away. A few people about the sta
ton when the car was taken UP re-
membered afterward that this car was
filed with strange men, who
wore Scotch caps and black cloth
masks, and seemed to be under the
command of a tall, dark-haired man,
addressed by every one as mo. IL
Although there were at least so of
these men, it is a remarkable fact. de-
lveloped in a subsequent fnvesdg cation,
that the conductor of the train could
remember nothing about the incident
declaring that he did not enter the
car, and knew nothing Of its being at
tached to his train. It is certain that
the company of masked men did
everything in their power to avoid at
/ tention. scarcely speaking to one an
other during the ride and making all
their movements as noiseless as DOS
sible.
The train reached New Albany at
two o'clock in the morning. The car
was detached, and was presently emp
tied of its so men as silently and
.mysteriously as it had been filed. A
few hurried commands were given BY
mo. Il and then the company
marched in quiet order to the jail. Ar
rived there, they summoned the Jailer
to open the doors, but were met with
a firm refusal and the shining barrel
lsof a revolver. There followed an eX-
change of shots. ia which the sheriff
received a ball In tbs arm. and two
local police officers were captured
Without loss of time the Jail doors
were battered down: the company en-
tered, and taking the three Reno
brothers and their friend Charles An
+ derson, from their cells placed noOses
that they had ready around the men
necks, and hung them to the rafters in
the corridors of the JAIL. Then, hav-
ing locked the doors Of the jail, leaV-
ing the prisoners secure they made
their way silently back to the New
Albany station reaching there in time
to catch the train that drew out at
$3.50 a. M The same special car in
: w
this train, and dropped off at the
switch when Seymour was reached
This was Just before daybreak on
dFedry Novenn Der morning.
Whose these SO men were was never
discovered, although, because of the
fact that Reno and Anderson had been
extradfted from Great Britain, the
general government made an investi-
cation. It was rumored, however, and
generally understood, that the COM
pany included some Of the most promi-
nent people in Seymour, among others
a number of railroad and express en-
plOyes. It was found that at the time
of the lynching all the telegraph wires
cut, so that 1t was noon of the follow
ing day before the country learned
of it.
! The newspapers described the leader
of the party as a man of unusual stat
lure who wore a handsome diamond
ring on the little finger of his right
hand. Later some significance was at
/ tached to the fact that a well-known
railroad official who answered this de-
scription a to stature and who al
ways wore a handsome diamond ring
previous to the lynehing, ceased to
wear his ring for several years after
ward
After the execution of her brothers.
it was rumored that Laura Reno had
taken an oath to devote the rest of
her life avenging them; and for q
n crnent there were threats and NUT
terings of reprisals from allies or sur
living mem bers of the gang. But
these latter were not heard again after
certain morning, the third day after
the execution. when the people of Sey-
mour on leaving their homes, were
startled to see on the walls and in
other public places large posters pro-
claiming that if any property was in
jured or destroyed, or If there was any
further talk In regard to recent hap
pc nings, some Is persons, therein
frankly named, who were known to
be SYM athizers with the Renos or to
be more or less Intimately connected
with them, had better beware. And
as for the sisters deadly oath, she lid
nu act in proc? of the violent infen-
tons imputed 20 her. but instead. sub
sequent1y became the wife Of a re-
sraacta HE mn md settled down 10 2