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
The final passage in the history of the Reno gang occurred about a
month later, in the latter part of November, 1868, when one day a
passenger-car was dropped off at Seymour, Indiana, 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 station when the
car was taken up remembered afterward that this car was filled with
strange-looking 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 "No. 1." Although there were at least fifty of these men,
it is a remarkable fact, developed in a subsequent investigation, 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
attached to his train. It is certain the company of masked men did
everything in their power to avoid attention, scarcely speaking to one
another during the ride and making all their movements as noiseless as
possible.
The train reached New Albany at two o'clock in the morning. The car
was detached, and was presently emptied of its fifty men as silently
and mysteriously as it had been filled. A few hurried commands were
given by "No. 1," and then the company marched in quiet order to the
jail. Arrived there, they summoned the jailer to open the doors, but
were met with a firm refusal and the shining barrel of a revolver.
There followed an exchange of shots, in which the sheriff received a
ball in the arm, and two local police officers were captured. Without
loss of time the jail doors were battered down; the company entered,
and taking the three Reno brothers and their friend, Charles Anderson,
from their cells, placed nooses that they had ready around the men's
necks, and hung them to the rafters in the corridors of the jail.
Then, having locked the doors of the jail, leaving 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 3:30 A. M.
The same special car in which they had come was coupled to this train,
and dropped off at the switch when Seymour was reached. This was just
before daybreak on a dreary November morning.
Who these fifty men were was never discovered, although, because of
the fact that Reno and Anderson had been extradited from Great
Britain, the general government made an investigation. It was rumored,
however, and generally understood, that the company included some of
the most prominent people in Seymour, among others a number of
railroad and express employees. It was found that at the time of the
lynching all the telegraph wires leading from New Albany had been cut,
so that it was noon of the following day before the country learned of
it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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