Reno Brothers Rob Train: America's First Heist
The Reno brothers boarded an Ohio and Mississippi Railway train near Seymour, Indiana, on October 6, 1866, and robbed the Adams Express Company safe of $13,000. It was the first peacetime train robbery in American history. The four Reno brothers, John, Frank, Simeon, and William, had learned their trade as bounty jumpers during the Civil War, enlisting for bonuses and then deserting repeatedly. Their gang conducted at least three more train robberies before the Pinkerton Detective Agency caught up with them. Three of the brothers were seized from jail by a vigilance committee on December 11, 1868, and hanged without trial. The robberies forced railroad companies to hire armed guards, install stronger safes, and fund the expansion of private detective agencies.
October 6, 1866
160 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 6
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