The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-09
Chicago Inter Ocean.)


The passing of the "hold-up" man
and train rObber has been the cause of
much Generalization among those TO
whom is delegated the enforcement of
law and order. OF the many criminal
gangs that infested the country in the
years Immediately following the civil
war scarcely a single member remains
at liberty. Many Of the Old-time crooks
have gone to their reward, and those
left among the living are kept in the
straight path by the stern hand OF
justice.
The desperadoes of yellow-backed lit
erature originated in the mining camps
of the west. The close of the rebel
lion threw upon society a large num-
Der of fearless men who had been hard
ened by the struggles of war, and who
were either too adventurous and rest
less or too lazy to earn honest liveli-
hoods The lure of golden plumber at
tracted these men. and it was not long
before ''hold-ups' in the west became
everyday occurrences.
The life of a bandit offered the op-
portunity for reckless adventure that
they craved, and emboldened by sue
cess these criminals became a power
i'm the frontier states. Ordinary set
tiers were either afraid to attempt their
capture or secretly in league with the
criminals.
Among those who graduated from the
perils of war to those Of the outlaw S
life perhaps the best known were the
James brothers, the Younger brothers
and the Renos. There we're many imi-
tators among dissatisfied cowboys and
unsuccessful prospectors, and in the
early seventies a dozen different gangs
flourished in the country west of the
Mississippi river.
Like the footpads Of old, the bandits
bounced upon their unsuspecting vic
TINS and enforced their demands at
the point of the pistol.
Most gangs of train robbers consist
ed of four to eight members, although
men with nerve enough to work single
handed were not uncommon. The usual
method was TO oVeTawe the train crew,
and after uncoupling the express car
to compel the engineer to carry them
TO a lonely spot where the safes could
be blown open without fear of molest-
alton. Resistance frequently resulted in
the death Of the one who failed to heed
the command, hands up"
Well mounted and with relays of
horses previously provided for, the
train robbers experienced little diff
Guilty in escaping from the poorly Or
canned posses OF liidl SpdTS6iy lnlaD-
tied region This kind of crime was
considered the most hazardous of all
evil occupations, and statistics show
that nearly three quarters of those en-
gagged in it eventually died with their
boots on" The exploitation Of these
desperadoes as heroes was responsible
for the many recruits who sought to
emulate the examples of the older out
laws. and retarded the growth of the
great west.
The five brothers Reno began opera
tons in Indiana shortly after the close
of the war, and in their raids on
what is now known as part of Penn
sylvania system thousands of dollars
were stolen from the express compa-
MES covering the territory between
Jeffersonville and Indianapolis. One of
the members of the Reno gang was a
young girl, whose name never was
made public, but who accompanied the
brothers on their raiding expeditions.
The gang subsequently robbed the
treasurer of Gallatin, Mo-. of s20, 900,
and this crime led to their undoing. All
the members were either killed while
resisting arrest or sent to prison for
long terms.
The world is familiar with the ex-
ploits Of Jesse and Frank James, who,
with their parents, DR.. and Mrs. Sam
uels. settled in Clay county, Missouri,
a few years after the war. The names