1866 : First U.S. train robbery
On this day in 1866, the Reno gang carries out the first robbery of a
moving train in the U.S., making off with over $10,000 from an Ohio &
Mississippi train in Jackson County, Indiana. Prior to this innovation
in crime, holdups had taken place only on trains sitting at stations
or freight yards.
This new method of sticking up moving trains in remote locations low
on law enforcement soon became popular in the American West, where the
recently constructed transcontinental and regional railroads made
attractive targets. With the western economy booming, trains often
carried large stashes of cash and precious minerals. The sparsely
populated landscape provided bandits with numerous isolated areas
perfect for stopping trains, as well as plenty of places to hide from
the law. Some gangs, like Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, found robbing
trains so easy and lucrative that, for a time, they made it their
criminal specialty. Railroad owners eventually got wise and fought
back, protecting their trains' valuables with large safes, armed
guards and even specially fortified boxcars. Consequently, by the late
1800s, robbing trains had turned into an increasingly tough and
dangerous job.
As for the Reno gang, which consisted of the four Reno brothers and
their associates, their reign came to an end in 1868 when they all
were finally captured after committing a series of train robberies and
other criminal offenses. In December of that year, a mob stormed the
Indiana jail where the bandits were being held and meted out vigilante
justice, hanging brothers Frank, Simeon and William Reno (their
brother John had been caught earlier and was already serving time in a
different prison) and fellow gang member Charlie Anderson.
history.com/tdih.do
1683 : First Mennonites arrive in America
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5405
1961 : Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5406
1973 : Yom Kippur War begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7042
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On this day in 1866, the Reno gang carries out the first robbery of a
moving train in the U.S., making off with over $10,000 from an Ohio &
Mississippi train in Jackson County, Indiana. Prior to this innovation
in crime, holdups had taken place only on trains sitting at stations
or freight yards.
This new method of sticking up moving trains in remote locations low
on law enforcement soon became popular in the American West, where the
recently constructed transcontinental and regional railroads made
attractive targets. With the western economy booming, trains often
carried large stashes of cash and precious minerals. The sparsely
populated landscape provided bandits with numerous isolated areas
perfect for stopping trains, as well as plenty of places to hide from
the law. Some gangs, like Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, found robbing
trains so easy and lucrative that, for a time, they made it their
criminal specialty. Railroad owners eventually got wise and fought
back, protecting their trains' valuables with large safes, armed
guards and even specially fortified boxcars. Consequently, by the late
1800s, robbing trains had turned into an increasingly tough and
dangerous job.
As for the Reno gang, which consisted of the four Reno brothers and
their associates, their reign came to an end in 1868 when they all
were finally captured after committing a series of train robberies and
other criminal offenses. In December of that year, a mob stormed the
Indiana jail where the bandits were being held and meted out vigilante
justice, hanging brothers Frank, Simeon and William Reno (their
brother John had been caught earlier and was already serving time in a
different prison) and fellow gang member Charlie Anderson.
history.com/tdih.do
1683 : First Mennonites arrive in America
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5405
1961 : Kennedy urges Americans to build bomb shelters
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=5406
1973 : Yom Kippur War begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7042
#########################################
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