Need any info on a Salem Illinois Mail Train Robbery that occurred in 1924.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PNovak,

Have looked through the encylopedia of train robberies and the only 1924 robbery I have found is the one near Rondout, Illinois(30 miles north of Chicago) on June 12 by the Newton gang.It was the largest train robbery in U.S. with a take of 2 to 3 Mill.

You might check for sources dealing with the Shelton gang and the Birger gang both operated in Southern Illinois in the 1920s,perhaps they robbed a train in Salem.

It's getting off-topic slightly but there was a train robbery in Council Bluffs, Iowa in November 1920 which may have topped the Rondout job, at least technically. An estimated $3.5-million dollars, was taken in this robbery by four young local hoods. Most of the loot, however, was in nonnegotiable bonds and the robbers said that the majority of these were either burned or thrown in the Missouri River. One of the gang was apprehended in Oklahoma.

On the Salem robbery, I checked the NYT robbery index and didn't find anything but that doesn't mean anything there and there might even be another index just for train robberies. In addition to the Birger and Shelton gangs, another possibility might be the Egan's Rats gang, who operated out of St. Louis and committed a number of large mail robberies in Missouri and Illinois in the early '20s. There is an excellent new book on the Rats from Cumberland House: "Egan's Rats" by Daniel Waugh.

Found this from the Edwardsville Intelligencer from Novenber 14, 1924

BANDITS ROB STATION AT SALEM,
ILLINOIS.
Forced Workers To Accompany
Them to East St. Louis.
Salem, 111., Nov. 14—Seven bandits
early today swooped down on the B & O. station here, seized four
mail sacks which they cut open and took $14 from a money box. Finding
no registered mail they forced Howard Hudson, the telegraph operator,
and two friends of his, Sherman Webb and William Williams,
to drive back with them toward St.Louis.
The three prisoners were dumped out of the bandit car at the East
St. Louis stockyards, unhurt. The postmaster here has checked
over the mail which was In the sacks ripped open, and reported that
apparently all was intact. The bandits were believed to have been in
search of a payroll which they thought was due to go through here
by registered mail.
This is Hudson's second experience with mail robbers in a month.
He was stationed at the B. & O. depot at Sandoval when It was visited
by a bandit gang about a month ago. Sheriff Ernest Vogt of Marlon
county has gone to St. Louis to help authorities there throw out a dragnet
for the bandits who were believed to be St. Louis gangsters.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for

Ron Rosner

That's it Thanks so much

Patti Novak