The Morphine-Addicted Train Thief
A train robbery gone wrong leads to a high-speed chase and a bizarre search for a missing ticket.
Frank Darlington was brought before Justice Kenton on Saturday, charged with stealing a hand-bag belonging to Mrs. Fife of St. Joe, Missouri, from the eastbound Northern Pacific train. Darlington, who is an opium addict and carries his hypodermic syringe with him, jumped onto the train as it was pulling out, grabbed Mrs. Fife’s satchel, and ran. The train was stopped and the crew gave chase but failed to find the thief. Later, Sheriff Simmons captured him, and a diligent search revealed the satchel hidden behind Carpenter Bros.’ store, but the overland railroad ticket which it is said to have contained was missing. Had the ticket been found, Darlington would have faced a felony charge, but as it was, only a case of petit larceny could be made out. He was fined $50 plus costs and sentenced to sixty days in jail.
“Darlington, who is an opium fiend and carries his hypodermic syringe with him, jumped on to the train as it was pulling out, grabbed Mrs. Fife’s satchel and ran.”
This account captures the era's brutal intersection of addiction and criminal law. While the 'opium fiend' trope was used to pathologize the suspect, the story highlights the vulnerability of travelers on the Northern Pacific line, a central artery that fueled Yakima's early growth.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.