The Hunt for the Copley Train Robbers
Detective agencies converge on Seattle in search of three men accused of a brutal train heist and murder in California.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
SEATTLE, May 9.—Detectives representing the Wells Fargo Express company, the Southern Pacific Railroad company, the Pinkerton Detective agency and deputy sheriffs from California have been in Seattle during the past few days on the trail of three desperate bandits who are believed to have held up a train at Copley, Shasta county, California, on March 31, at which time Express Messenger W. J. O'Neil was murdered. George Gates, Edward Vernon and James Armist are believed to be the men who committed the hold-up. Rewards aggregating $2,500 have been offered for their capture. The age of the three young men is said to have rivaled that of the notorious Younger brothers. The hold-ups of street cars, trains and citizens on the Pacific coast during the past few months are believed to have been the work of the trio. One of the bandits has been seen here, and it is thought that the three are in hiding in some one of the city's resorts.
“One of the bandits has been seen here, and it is thought that the three are in hiding in some one of the city's resorts.”
In the early 20th century, Seattle and Tacoma served as frontier refuges for outlaws fleeing the law, much like how modern regional connectivity complicates fugitive transit. The mention of Pinkerton agents alongside local law enforcement underscores the era's reliance on private detective firms to fill gaps in public policing.
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