Reno Gang Miffed by Train Takeover
Two thieves learn the outlaw code—the hard way.
By: Mark Boardman 07/01/2006
They say there’s honor among thieves. That may or not be so.
But Walker Hammond and Michael Colleran learned the hard way that there are outlaw rules one just doesn’t break.
Let’s go back to the mid-19th century in southern Indiana. A family named Reno lived on a medium-sized farm in northern Jackson County—but they were looking to move up in the world. They started off by torching the nearby town of Rockford twice in the 1850s. And when the townsfolk all moved out, the Renos bought the property for next to nothing.
There were five Reno boys: Frank, John and Simeon were hardcore criminals; baby brother William may or may not have taken the outlaw trail; and Clint, sometimes called “Honest Reno,” stayed away from his brothers’ activities. The bad ’uns built up a pretty sophisticated crime operation that delved into burglary, robbery, extortion, bribery, arson, illegal gambling, liquor manufacturing and distribution, counterfeiting and murder. They linked up with hardcases throughout the Midwest to extend the gang’s reach into several states. And from their farm outside Rockford, as well as from their hangouts in the new town of Seymour, the Renos ran the county.
In October 1866, the gang made national news when it robbed an Adams Express money shipment on the Ohio & Mississippi train just east of Seymour. They came away with about $10,000 in one of the first train stickups in U.S. history. And they set an example for dozens of other outlaws throughout the country.
Including some locals.
Enter Michael Colleran and Walker Hammond. Colleran was a teenager from Seymour who apparently sold newspapers on the train. Hammond was described as a middle-aged recluse from Rockford.
Just how they were associated with the Reno Gang isn’t clear. But it’s generally believed that they were at least hangers-on, guys who liked to be seen with the infamous Renos. Another thing that’s not clear—just what the real gang members thought of Colleran and Hammond.
But the two apparently were impressed with that first train robbery—so impressed that they decided to try it themselves. On the exact same train, at the exact same site, in the exact same way that the first holdup went down.
Copycats Beware
As the O&M train left Seymour in the early evening of September 28, 1867, the two jumped on board and made their way to the Adams Express car. They knocked out the express messenger, who had about $8,000 on him. The bandits planned to throw the Adams safe out the door so that they could crack it in the privacy and comfort of their own place—but the company had beaten them to the punch by bolting the safe to the floor. Besides, some passengers had seen them climb aboard and guessed what was afoot; they pulled the emergency cord, and the engineer stopped the train. So Colleran and Hammond jumped off and headed back to Seymour, where they found a place to lay low until the heat was off.
But they’d made another mistake. The boys didn’t wear masks to hide their faces. Some of the passengers recognized them and told local lawmen who to look for. But the sheriff and his men weren’t alone in the search.
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