True Detective Stories from the Archives of the PinkertonsMoffett, Cleveland
History
True Detective Stories from the Archives of the Pinkertons
Moffett, Cleveland
Crime -- United States; Criminals -- United States; Detective and mystery stories, American
Thus about thirteen thousand dollars lay for weeks in these
ordinary-looking cartridges, and were finally removed in the following
way: While Schwartz was in jail, a well-known lawyer of Philadelphia
came to Mrs. Schwartz, one day, with an order from her husband to
deliver the money over to him. She understood this was to defray the
expenses of the trial and to pay the other lawyers. Superintendent
Robertson remembers well the dying woman's emotion as she made this
solemn declaration, one calculated to compromise seriously a man of
some standing and belonging to an honored profession. Her body was
wasted with disease, and she knew that her end was near. There was a
flush on her face, and her eyes were bright with hatred as she
declared that not one dollar of that money was ever returned to her,
or ever used in paying the costs of her husband's trial. Nor was one
dollar of it ever returned to the railroad company, or to the bank
officials, who were the real owners.
The Destruction of the Renos
The first, and probably the most daring, band of train robbers that
ever operated in the United States was the notorious Reno gang, an
association of desperate outlaws who, in the years immediately
following the war, committed crimes without number in Missouri and
Indiana, and for some years terrorized several counties in the region
about Seymour in the last-named State. The leaders of this band were
four brothers, John Reno, Frank Reno, "Sim" Reno, and William Reno,
who rivaled one another in a spirit of lawlessness that must have
been born in their blood through the union of a hardy Swiss emigrant
with a woman sprung from the Pennsylvania Dutch. Of the six children
from this marriage only one escaped the restless, law-despising taint
that made the others desperate characters, this single white sheep
being "Clint" Reno, familiarly known as "Honest" Reno, and much
despised by the rest of the family for his peaceful ways. Even Laura
Reno, the one daughter, famed throughout the West for her beauty,
loved danger and adventure, was an expert horsewoman, an unerring
shot, and as quick with her gun as any man. Laura fairly worshiped her
desperado brothers, whom she aided in more than one of their criminal
undertakings, shielding them from justice when hard pressed, and
swearing to avenge them when retribution overtook them after their day
of triumph.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account