America's Biggest Train Robbery And The Gang That Stretched The Old West Into The 1920s

 

Forget Old West criminals like Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, and the Sundance Kid—the greatest train robbery in American history didn't happen during the Old West era. This didn't even happen in the wild, wild west. It takes place in a small Illinois town during the 20s and follows four brothers from Texas and some of their friends who earn nearly $3 million.

The Newton Gang

The Newton boys—Willis, Doc, Jess, and Joe—grew up on a sharecropper's farm in Uvalde, Texas. Willis and Doc first try their hand at crime, and when they find success, they recruit Jess and Joe to join them. Between 1919 and 1924, the Newton Gang and their friend Brent Glasscock robbed 87 banks, but escaped capture because they spread their crimes across the country. According to eyewitnesses, they were the epitome of gentleman robbers, who ensured the comfort of their victims and only discharged their weapons a few times, never killing anyone.

The Great Train Robbery

Bank robbery was a lucrative business, but the Newton Gang wanted more. They decided that robbing the train would greatly increase their stake. Willis Newton, a corrupt Chicago postal inspector named William J. Fahy is armed with information about when the train carrying a large amount of money from the Federal Reserve will arrive, which train to target, and which route the train will take. Chosen a rural area of Rondout, Illinois to carry out the robbery.

With Fahey's help, Willis and Jess Newton secretly board a train to Chicago. When the train approached Rondout, they infiltrated the engine car, stopped the train in its tracks, and threw formaldehyde bottles into the passenger cars, with the Doctor, Joe and Glasscock joining them, releasing the noxious fumes. In the chaos that followed, Glasscock mistook Doc for a guard and shot him five times, and other gang members helped him escape with the cash. Overall, the Newton Gang netted $3 million, more than any other train robbery in American history.

Getting Caught

Sadly, they didn't get much time to enjoy it. That same night, someone tipped off Chicago police that an underworld doctor was treating a man with a gunshot wound at a local rental house, where the doctor and Joe were arrested. Unaware of his brothers' arrest, Willis Newton returned to the rented house the next morning, where he too was taken into custody. Jess Newton went back to Texas with $35,000 while Glasscock hid most of the amount, but authorities eventually found him as well. They recovered all but about $100,000 of the stolen money, which Glasscock claimed he buried somewhere north of San Antonio, but never recovered.

Cutting A Deal

Prosecutors offered the Newton Gang an easy ride if they agreed to testify against Fahey, giving them extremely light sentences and most turning their lives around. Willis and Joe Newton lived long enough to participate in the 1976 writing of David Middleton and Claude I. Stanush's book The Newton Boys: Portrait of an Outlaw Gang, which brought them back into the spotlight. Johnny Carson also invited 79-year-old Joe Newton to be a guest on The Tonight Show in 1980. In 1998, his story was adapted into the film The Newton Boys, starring some of the youngest actors at the time, so they got away with it. A court of Hollywood, if not a court of law.