Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1907-09-14
YEARS. WAR
WITH ROBBERS
PINKERTON TELLS OF EXTERMT-
NATION OF FAMOUS BANDS
OF ROBBERS

nous train robbers who have figured
: in the criminal history of the United
States since the Civil war have either
been killed outright, lynched. OF
died with their boots on"
OF the remaining third, many died
of wounds, or were captured, impris,
oned, or driven into exile in lands
beyond the sea.
So declared William A. Pinkerton
OF Chicago recently in an address to
the annual convention of the Inter.
national Association of Chiefs of Po-
lice.
Mr.. Pinkerton's address was a
complete epitome of the history OF
train robbing in the United States
from the close of the Civil war down
to the present time. In this history
the Pinkertons, father and son, were
personally associated. Taken to-
gether, their work covered a period
of half a century of almost constant
battle with the most desperate bands
of robbers known to this or any 9TH
er country.
Many brothers" i'll Gangs
In his address, Mr.. Pinkerton said
by way of introduction:
1T is somewhat remarkable and
peculiar that many of these criminals
were brothers, or members of one
family. OF these | recall the Reno
brothers, John, Frank, Sim and Bill;
the Reitenhouse brothers, the Miles
brothers, James X. and Joe, all of
Indiana; the Harrington brothers,
Levy and Hillary of West Tennessee;
the James brothers, Frank and
Jesse; the Younger brothers, Cole,
Jim, John and Bob; the Logan broth
ers, Harvey and Lonny; the Collins
brothers, part of the Sam Bass gang,
Joel, William and Albert; the Nc
Daniels brothers, part of the Jesse
James gang, Bud and William, of
Missouri. The State of Missouri,
strangely enough, produced more
train robbers than any other state in
the Union. These bands for many
years retarded progress in Western
Missouri. The Dalton brothers, Bill,
Bob, Emmett and Grafton of Kan
sas; the Burrows brothers, Rube
and Jim of Alabama; the Sontag
brothers, John and George of Min
nesota; the Gates brothers of Cali
%fornia, the Jones brothers, the Nc
Carthy brothers, Tom and Bill of
Colorado; the Cook brothers, Bill
and Jim of Arkansas. who were part
of the Dalton gang, and the Carver
and Fitzpatrick brothers of Texas.
How the Game Started
The holdup robber originated
among the bad men of the gold min
ing camps. unsuccessful as a pros
pector and too lazy to work, and with
enough bravado and criminal instinct
to commit these crimes. He first
successfully robbed prospectors and
miners of gold dust and nuggets, on
foot to stage stations, becoming bold
er, looting stages, and eventually
after the railroads were built held
up railway trains and robbed express
cars.
During the Civil war there were
n number ne fHoro dayiIct frnpo fho
Southwest engaged in guerrilla war
fare who the pride of the states
which sent them to the front, and
as a result of their ambuscades, raids
and lawless acts during the war
were received as warriors when they
returned home.
This can especially be said of the
James boys, the Youngers, the Re.
nos. the Farringtons, and the bands
who operated Immediately after the
war. During the war they expert
enced a reckless life which they
longed to pursue, eventually engag-
ing in these crimes. The ~overdrawn
newspaper vi lue FtADlOlIf
OF the Renos, Jameses, youngers and
Others of their class were responsible
for many of their imitators.''
Began In Indiana
Mr.. Pinkerton then took up his
"reminiscences of the various bands
of train robbers, beginning with the
depredations in Indiana shortly after
the close of the Civil war. 1t was
in Indiana that the Reno brothers
operated. They made their headquar,
tiers at Seymour and headed a large
gang of desperate men. They com
mitted robbery after robbery, prin.
cipally on the old J~effersonville ant
Indianapolis railroad, now a part Of
the Pennsylvania system. They ter
rorized the whole part of Southern
Indiana.
Eventually Allan Pinkerton rar
Reno gang to earth. In the winter
of 1S67-6S John Reno robbed the
county treasurer of Gallatin, Mo-. OF
$780, 900, and returned to Seymour