← National Park After Dark
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- [00:00]
A
How do you make an Airbnb a vrbo Picture a vacation rental with a host. The host is dragging your family on a tour of the kitchen, the bathroom, the upstairs bathroom, the downstairs bedroom, and the TV room, which, surprise, is where you can watch tv. Now imagine there's no host giving you a tour because there's never any hosts at all, ever. Voila. You've got yourself a vrbo. Want a vacation that's completely and totally host free? Make it a vrbox.
- [00:29]
B
Foreign.
- [00:35]
C
Movies Robbing a train seems easy. Glorious, rewarding, brave even. For over a hundred years, captivated audiences have watched from their living rooms or local theaters as robbers on screen climb onto the roofs of trains, run across their tops, their cowboy hats perfectly in place, eyes gleaming through the black and white film before dropping into the locomotive cabin, brandishing their guns and getting away with bags of money. The robbers grin smugly and tip their hats. They've just made millions in these movies. The line between villain and hero becomes blurred. The wild west of train robberies looks like a world where riches and revenge are just sitting around for those brave enough to come and take them. But there is one glaringly obvious thing that allows these stories to be so gleaming, so. So shiny and so simple. They are movies, works of fiction. The characters have been designed to be the perfect amount of charming and defiant, their backstories explained to us so that we can empathize with their character and understand why they would commit a crime like this in their world. We forgive them. We root for them. In movies, the crimes are penciled into the script and rehearsed, every detail planned out and practiced. A satisfying ending to the story is perfectly engineered before the movie movie is ever shot. The danger and thrill is artificial, but real crime is far more precarious. Real humans are much messier, and real life is not rehearsed. The choices we make, be they right, wrong or devastating, are permanent. And they stay with us forever. Welcome to National Park After Dark.
- [02:42]
B
Welcome everybody to another episode of National Park After Dark. I'm Cassie.
- [02:46]
C
And I'm Danielle. And I'm not trying to copy you from last week, but we're doing another train story and it sounds like a train robbery story in the Pacific Northwest.
- [02:56]
B
In the same story.
- [02:58]
C
It's not the same story, I swear to God.
- [03:01]
B
Well, mine wasn't a. Mine wasn't a robbery. I don't know. We do this kind of a lot though. I feel like we get on the same theme sometimes and we'll have like back to back episodes that aren't the Same, but they're kind of related in some way.
- [03:13]
C
It's like never on purpose. Same, same, but different. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, another train story. But before we get into that, we just got back from Joshua Tree, so thank you everyone who came. It was so fun. Such a fun weekend.
- [03:28]
B
It was the first time we've ever done a campout live show in a national park. Joshua Tree National park association helped put all of this on. They really did the legwork for this to happen. They're a nonprofit organization that works in conjunction with Joshua Tree national park to help fundraise and do a lot of really good things for the Park Service themselves. So we were really, really excited to be able to be a part of. And it was great to camp with so many people for the weekend. We had beautiful weather. The show went well. Our merch sold out. Al was flooded with. With a lot of.
- [04:04]
C
How is he doing today?
- [04:06]
B
He's back at work today.
- [04:08]
C
Wow. I had to take yesterday off, so we got in like super late on.
- [04:13]
B
Yeah, our flight was delayed.
- [04:14]
C
Yeah, our flight was delayed. By the time I actually stepped foot in my house, it was like almost one o' clock in the morning.
- [04:20]
B
Yeah, I didn't get home home. I got to my mom's house around, I think 11:30ish. But I didn't get home until yesterday around 4:00'.
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C
Clock.
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B
So it took me.
- [04:33]
C
And we were supposed to record this last night, too.
- [04:35]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [04:36]
C
I was a crazy person scheduling that before, so we took some time. But anyways, yeah, no, the weekend was really fun. And it's so funny because we had a very special guest that I didn't know I was in the presence of greatness until.
- [04:51]
B
Or fame.
- [04:52]
C
Or fame. Until I posted a picture with. So there was this dog that we saw across the campfire like, that. We didn't meet them beforehand. We had settled into our campsite. There's about 60 people or so. And we're all gathered around watching Ranger Mark from Joshua Tree do a talk. And it was great. And I just, like, my eyes gaze across the campfire and I see this dog in a stroller. This old man, like, you know, Cassie correctly, 15 years old. Oh, my God, who is that? Went over just thinking, it's like this really cute dog. And like, he has a great setup. His mom is cool. And I posted a picture on my story of us three together. Me, Ewan. His name is Grandpa Larry. And I shit you not, I got like almost hundreds of people be like, grandpa Larry, I love that dog. I'm like, how do you know who this person, this dog is? And yeah, I guess he's really, really.
- [05:48]
B
Famous, as he should be. He's so cute, deserving, so sweet.
- [05:53]
C
Yeah, he really took the pressure off because everyone loved him. And, yeah, it was like everyone came.
- [05:59]
B
To see us, but they stayed for Grandpa Larry.
- [06:01]
C
That's true. Okay. All right. So, yeah, anyway, long story short, Joshua Tree was awesome, and we hope we can do something like that again in the future, and we'll work on it. But, yeah, again, we got another train story in the Pacific Northwest, and I'm all for.
- [06:18]
B
We haven't done a robbery story in a while, and I actually really like these stories, so I'm excited.
- [06:22]
C
All right, we'll see if you enjoy this one.
- [06:25]
B
Oh, well, now I'm a little concerned just by how you said that, but.
- [06:30]
C
Okay, you're allowed to change your mind, but, yeah, instead of. Your story was in Washington last week, and mine is just to the south in Oregon, and specifically within the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument area at a little place called Tunnel 13, which is. Is just south of Ashland, Oregon. And for full disclosure, the tunnel, where our story is unfolding is literally just outside of this national monument. Like, I did some map overlaying things. Like, I felt like I was, like, hunting a national treasure or something. I'm like, okay, where is this in relation to this? And, yeah, it's, like, less than two miles outside of the boundaries of this national monument, but throw it away, but.
- [07:10]
B
Don'T want to hear it.
- [07:12]
C
I. It's so funny you say that, because I'm like, I have to list the reason why. List the reasons why I can tell the story. Okay. Number one, it's outside.
- [07:20]
B
That is a really good argument.
- [07:23]
C
Number two, the tunnel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- [07:27]
B
Okay.
- [07:28]
C
And number three, parts of this story will unfold within the national monument land.
- [07:34]
B
Okay, never mind. I take back what I say. I'd like to hear the story now.
- [07:38]
C
So it's not my freebie, is what I'm trying to say. Don't make me make this my freebie, because I have other plans for that. But. Okay, a moment for the monument, because it is so beautiful. It spans more than 170,000 acres in Southern Oregon and into Northern California. It connects the Cascade, Klamath and Siskiyou mountain ranges, and it contains an array of forests, woodlands, grasslands, wet meadows, and interior desert. It was the first national monument to be established specifically with the goal of preserving the area's unique biodiversity back in the year 2000. But it's the traditional home of indigenous groups like the Telgema, the Shasta and the Klamath people. There are over 200 types of birds that circle the mountain's jagged peaks, while bears and mountain lions prowl in the forests below. And fun fact, there are actually more unique butterfly species here than almost any other place in the entire United States.
- [08:33]
B
Interesting.
- [08:34]
C
Yeah.
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B
Are there monarch butterflies there?
- [08:37]
C
I'm going to say yes, because it's a wild gas and it feels like the answer should be yes, but I don't know.
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B
I believe you.
- [08:44]
C
Okay, great. You shouldn't, I guess. But the PCT intersects the monument as well. And because of that, a lot of hikers find themselves within this national monument for part of their trek. And it winds through breathtaking wilderness. But high up in these very Mountains on October 11, 1923, three brothers, Ray Roy and Hugh D', Atremont, made a series of choices that would haunt them forever. But as with every bad choice, a lifetime of other choices and circumstances led up to that moment. So let's rewind a little bit before that October day so we can better understand it.
- [09:26]
A
How do you make an Airbnb a vrbo. Picture a vacation rental with a host. The host is dragging your family on a tour of the kitchen, the bathroom, the upstairs bathroom, the downstairs bedroom, and the TV room, which is surprise, is where you can watch tv. Now imagine there's no host giving you a tour because there's never any hosts at all, ever. Voila. You've got yourself a vrbo. Want a vacation that's completely and totally host free? Make it a VRBO.
- [09:56]
D
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- [10:27]
C
The boys were three of five siblings. Their parents, Paul and Belle D', Atramont, had five sons. They their eldest, Vern twins, Ray and Roy, then Hugh, and finally their youngest, Lee. The family didn't have a lot of money and a lot of the boy's childhood was spent moving from place to place in hopes of finding stability and work chasing the next promising destination. Paul, the father, moved the family to Lakewood, New Mexico. But when they arrived after a very tumultuous journey, they Found that the town they were told by promoters would be this lush, beautiful town full of opportunities and resources, Was in reality a pretty vacant desert town with not much money to be made. Nevertheless, the family tried to stick it out in Lakewood the best they could, all working hard to start up a farm. However, they ran into challenges nearly right off the bat, including the neighbor's cattle eating all of their grass and crops as soon as it was popping up. And with the farm plan kind of out crumbling in front of them, they opened up a grocery store in town. But with Lakewood's failing economy, that, too seemed to be doomed, Largely due to this seemingly never ending struggle to make ends meet. The boy's childhood was unstable and challenging, and they watched on as a string of bad luck and failed dreams plagued their parents as they struggled to make ends meet and provide for their family. Rey, one of the twins, was particularly upset as he watched his family's hardworking efforts be met with disappointment over and over again. And as he grew up, he started getting increasingly more and more angry about this, as not only about their circumstances, but at everyone he felt that had wronged them and, like, put them in this type of situation. Their father, Paul, left New Mexico with the idea that he would go find work elsewhere and send money back to the family, since it wasn't working out in New Mexico. And instead of schlepping the entire family somewhere else again, he was just going to go out, make money and support them from afar. When the twins, Ray and Roy, were 16 years old, they took a page out of their dad's playbook and also left home, Riding freight trains across the country, taking up jobs where they could find them. And When I was 16, I was working part time at a local pizza shop to pay for gas money, to probably, like, I don't know, spend it at Gloria jeans for frappuccinos that were just like, way too much. Do you remember Gloria jeans?
- [12:46]
B
I do remember Gloria jeans. I didn't have one near me, but there was one, I think it was in Bedford, New Hampshire that I used to go to, and I loved it. It was like a treat when I would go by.
- [13:00]
C
Yeah, it was like my mall thing. Like, I would go and get one of those giant.
- [13:04]
B
There was one at the mall.
- [13:05]
C
Yeah, that's the only one I knew of. Oh, I think it was in either Manchester or Nashua mall. Must have been. Anyway, I remember it there. But yeah, Ray and Roy were trying to provide for their family, not just getting expensive frappuccinos for no reason. So they too, they left home trying to find money to support their, their mom and their additional siblings. The twins made their way to Oregon and found that their father Paul was living with a new woman and in fact had never sent any money back for them or the rest of their family back in New Mexico. How dare he. First of all, the audacity. And the boys were crushed. They felt abandoned and cast aside by their dad. And this also fueled Ray's anger about their circumstances, that he was the one that was getting really upset with things as he grew older.
- [13:58]
B
Cuz they're only 16 at this point, right?
- [14:01]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [14:01]
B
So their dad is essentially has a new life, is supporting his life there, has abandoned them and now they're kind of on their own.
- [14:08]
C
Yep. Needless to say, life had not been easy for the brothers. And Ray grew more and more bitter and resentful of the unfortunate hand that they were dealt with. When he was 18, he joined the radical international labor union called the Industrial Workers of the World. And the group's ideology centered on getting justice for low paid members of the workforce who were wronged by the class system in America. So these what that group stood for. Ray really felt like community, found community in and really felt like, yeah, that's me and I want to be a part of this. He felt inspired. He felt like he had finally somewhere to channel his anger at his family's fate. And he became a card carrying member of the union, which was also known as the Wobblies. But after a violent altercation in of all places, Centralia, Washington, where I lived so close to when Ian and I lived in Rainier, like it's this tiny little dot on the map, like I can't. When I saw that, I was like, no shit. But anyway. And back in 1919, there was this altercation there between the Wobblies and the American Legion and it turned violent and several members of the American Legion ended up being killed. So long story short, it eventually became illegal to be a member of the Wobblies. And Ray was eventually arrested for his involvement with a group during another incident in Vancouver. And he was sentenced to a year in jail for that and emerged from his imprisonment even more angry at life. As his brother Hugh later said about his brother in 1927, quote, Ray came out bittered against the world. His mind was saturated with hate. He just couldn't shake the feeling that his family was cheated of a good and comfortable life and was enraged that despite all of their most valiant efforts to work hard and make a fair, honest living life, was just unfair to them. As Noreen Salvat McGraw, who would later serve as an attorney for the brothers, described, quote, he felt that the world owed them a living.
- [16:07]
B
Okay. I mean, I can kind of. He seems a lot angrier, and I can't relate to that as much. But I think the sentiment behind hard work should give you a good life. I think that's something that we can all relate to, you know, especially with the economy and stuff. Just right now, you think that if you're working full time, if you're working really hard, you deserve a good life. You deserve to have. You deserve to be able to pay for what you need. And I can definitely resonate with that.
- [16:35]
C
Yeah. So he was taking it very personally. Like, not only was he upset by it, he was enraged by it.
- [16:40]
B
Yeah. The anger I can't relate to. But the feeling of thinking that you should have a good life because you work hard, I think you can all kind of relate to.
- [16:48]
C
It's very fair.
- [16:49]
B
Yeah.
- [16:50]
C
Eventually, Ray reached a breaking point. He was willing to do whatever it took to get his family money. Why should he have to play fair when the world had been anything but fair to his family?
- [17:01]
B
So he feels like the. Very much like the villain story. You know, how a villain is born.
- [17:06]
C
Yeah. This is his origin. Like the backstory. Like, you know, when they do us a movie and then like, five years later, they'll do a prequel to that movie. Yes. This is the prequel.
- [17:16]
B
Like Cruella de Vil.
- [17:17]
C
How they did that one, I've never seen it. Really?
- [17:19]
B
It's so good.
- [17:21]
C
The one with Emma Stone, is that. Yes. Okay.
- [17:23]
B
I loved it. I thought it was great. And it makes you love Cruella de Vil, too.
- [17:28]
C
Really? Okay.
- [17:30]
B
I feel like you would like it.
- [17:32]
C
I feel like I would. Maybe I'll watch it this weekend.
- [17:34]
B
You should. I feel like you would like that movie.
- [17:37]
C
All right, I'll add it to the list. Once that breaking point came, it was pretty clear in Rey's mind that there was a path out. And that path was a life of crime, of course. And at the time, in the early 1910s and early 1920s, there was one particular crime that was very prevalent, and that was train robberies.
- [17:57]
B
I feel like I was a train robber in a past life.
- [17:59]
C
Do you?
- [18:00]
B
Yeah. Like, train robber. I don't know. I just feel like I gravitate to the life of freight trains going across the country and. But I feel like I would have been, like. I don't know. It was a different life. So I feel like I pretended I Was violent, but I wasn't actually violent. And I went off, went on the lamb and had a ton of money.
- [18:24]
C
Okay.
- [18:25]
B
Stored away.
- [18:26]
C
Well, maybe I can see, I can see the, the fakeness of it. Like you're, like you have a. Something in your holster that's a gun, but it's actually like a carved piece of soap.
- [18:35]
B
No, you're like, it's not loaded. I was thinking it was just not loaded, but you're really, really making me even less intimidating.
- [18:47]
C
I mean, it would be a good replica. I'm not saying it would be a.
- [18:51]
B
Bar of soap would be a good.
- [18:52]
C
Replica to a good, I don't know, whatever. Okay, well, Ray, I could do crime. Danielle, in a past life, not this one. Look at you.
- [19:03]
B
It's true. Thank you.
- [19:05]
C
Okay. Where am I in this life? Where am I in this life? Okay. Yeah. So of all things, train robberies, that was definitely the, the crime of the time. But in particular, criminals were going after mail cars of trains because they were quite literally good as gold. They were known to carry valuables and were prime targets for would be robbers as they often carried payrolls, large amounts of cash, gold, bonds, jewelry, etc, like the mail was everything. And in the newspapers, the brothers read about various successful train robberies. Article after article spelling out the riches that were looted. For example, criminal Roy Gardner was frequently getting away with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth from trains. And then the brothers also read that another group of boys, not much unlike them, got away with a whopping $5 million. So this is in the headlines. It's something that they're like, this is doable. We can do this. Other people are doing it. Now's the time. And with money like that, that's money they could not even fathom. But it wasn't just in the newspapers. In movies and books, the brothers saw characters who came from nothing and through a train robbery or bank heist, managed to steal their own golden ticket to the good life. Stories like Jesse James, who tore through the mountains and towns of America with a cowboy hat atop his head and a gun in his hand, robbing banks and trains, taking his fate into his own hands and seeking revenge for how poorly his family was treated, was of course, very inspiring to the brothers because they saw themselves within him. And the twins eyes grew wider and wider with each and every story that they read. They didn't need to become career criminals. This wasn't something that they're like, okay, we need to just reformulate our entire life.
- [20:51]
B
They just need their one shot.
- [20:53]
C
I just need one we just need one big hit and we're. We're good.
- [20:57]
B
I feel like I could do it once.
- [20:58]
C
A train robbery or a robbery of any kind?
- [21:01]
B
Of any kind.
- [21:02]
C
Of any. Like a bit.
- [21:03]
B
I'm. I'm picturing a bank robbery in this day and age.
- [21:07]
C
There's no way. There's no way. With cameras on every friggin. In everybody's hand, in every corner, in every building. There's no way.
- [21:16]
B
You know what I would be if I robbed a bank? I would be the person who slid. Have you seen someone did this? And they slid a sticky note underneath and it just said, I have a gun, give me your money. And then.
- [21:30]
C
Are you talking about one time they did this or like all the time?
- [21:33]
B
Yeah, it was one time. I think they got caught. But. Okay, maybe I.
- [21:37]
C
Wait, then what they said.
- [21:39]
B
I think that they gave them the money, but they pressed their little alarm silently and then they got picked up after. But the sticky note worked. The person gave them money.
- [21:49]
C
Yeah, but then it didn't work in the long run. Right?
- [21:52]
B
No.
- [21:52]
C
Yeah. I think you have to switch tactics. I really feel like it's just kind of impossible to rob a bank. At least in the US or like.
- [22:01]
B
There was someone who robbed a bank near us, like in, I think in my town or something. They robbed it on a bicycle and they got away and no one ever caught them.
- [22:10]
C
Oh my God.
- [22:10]
B
Actually, this is bringing up so much memories. When I was in high school, one of my teachers robbed a bank and got caught and went to jail.
- [22:17]
C
What?
- [22:18]
B
Yeah.
- [22:19]
C
One of your high school teachers?
- [22:20]
B
Yeah. Yes. It wasn't my teacher, but it was in my class and it was the math teacher.
- [22:27]
C
It just goes to show teachers don't get paid enough.
- [22:30]
B
Yeah. They worked full time and they had to rob a bank.
- [22:32]
C
Yeah. So. And they're in jail?
- [22:35]
B
No, they're out now.
- [22:36]
C
Oh. So was it worth it?
- [22:38]
B
I don't, I don't think they kept the money. And they're probably not a teacher.
- [22:41]
C
They definitely didn't keep the money. They're like, you can keep it if you just do stuff.
- [22:46]
B
Go to jail.
- [22:47]
C
Okay.
- [22:47]
B
Yeah.
- [22:48]
C
I didn't know this was so near and dear to your heart. Robbing banks.
- [22:52]
B
I just think, I mean, robbing, robbing. Yeah.
- [22:55]
C
You just think it's what I. I.
- [22:58]
B
Just think like this era Train robbery time era. I think it's really interesting.
- [23:04]
C
Yeah. Well, you did the two parter in Capri, in Capitol Reef.
- [23:08]
B
Yeah. With the Sundance Kid.
- [23:09]
C
Yeah, yeah, all about it.
- [23:11]
B
And I always, growing up, I always thought Bonnie and Clyde's story was not. Like, I never romanticized it like other people did. I didn't think that their story was like this romantic robbery story. I thought it was actually pretty horrific because they were killing people, but I just thought it was interesting.
- [23:28]
C
Yeah, I think I romanticized it.
- [23:31]
B
Did you?
- [23:32]
C
I think, yeah.
- [23:33]
B
Yeah. I never thought, like, I didn't think like, oh, I want this life. It sounds so cool. I mean, they were killing very innocent people for no reason besides to rob, but even in circumstances where they didn't need to kill people, they did, and I just didn't.
- [23:49]
C
Oh, no. You know who I'm thinking of?
- [23:51]
B
Who?
- [23:52]
C
Do you remember that? I'm thinking of John Dillinger.
- [23:56]
B
Yeah.
- [23:56]
C
What was that movie with? Oh, my. Do you hear that? It's a train. It's a train.
- [24:00]
B
It knows. Get out there. It's your time to shine.
- [24:04]
C
It picked up on the mic, and if it did, we should keep it in. Oh, okay. Anyway, that's nothing new. This train goes by all the time, but it's just pertinent now. Yeah. No, I don't know. The movie with Johnny Depp about John Dillinger.
- [24:20]
B
Now I hear the truth.
- [24:21]
C
Did you hear it? Yeah. Let's go rob it. Let's pause this.
- [24:24]
B
It's. You're. You're closest, so let me know.
- [24:27]
C
I didn't live a path. It's not my lane. Okay. Anyways, we are. So we're not off topic, but we're off topic. So anyway, the twins in particular are hearing all of these stories. They're infatuated. They're like, we just need this one hit. If we pull off this one robbery, we could be set for life and not have to worry about any of this ever again. Finally give our family the life they deserve. Let our parents or their mom, their dad, they're like, whatever, we hate that guy now. But at least Belle, their mom, they were wanting to give a comfortable life to. So this high stakes robbery gleamed with intrigue and hope and offered a complete departure from the thankless slog of labor for the lumber companies and shipyards that they had been working at for years. So now they're in their early 20s, and the twins decide to rope in their brother Hugh into their plan. Because for up until now, it was just the twins. And they're like, we. We need a third here. So they target Hugh, their younger brother. He had just graduated from high school. He got good grades. He was the quarterback on the football team, and he was doing really good. He traveled to Oregon to work with the twins at a lumber company near Silverton. After Hugh got settled, Ray and Roy pitched them their grand idea. They were planning to stage a big heist and rob a train known to be carrying large amounts of money and possibly even some gold. And I can just imagine them painting this grand picture of like ease and luxury. No more hard labor. It was just one, one crime away. Like Hugh, you know, he just goes to move in with his older brothers, just got out of high school and they're like, okay, you're sett now hear us out. Like, this is a big deal.
- [26:11]
B
This is what we're gonna do.
- [26:12]
C
Yeah. And Hugh wasn't on board immediately, but their pitch was hard to resist. Plus he loved his brothers and his family and only wanted the best for them. So who was he to say no to, you know, especially as the way that the twins were just so enthusiastically packaging this idea and it feels like.
- [26:32]
B
They have no intention of harming anyone. It's a one time thing. They've worked hard their whole lives. This is just like, well, oh, they.
- [26:41]
C
Don'T have intentions of not harming anyone.
- [26:44]
B
Okay.
- [26:44]
C
It's kind of like we're gonna get the money and whoever's in our room.
- [26:48]
B
By any means possible.
- [26:48]
C
Yes.
- [26:49]
B
Okay. I didn't realize that no one is.
- [26:51]
C
To be harmed at all.
- [26:53]
B
Okay.
- [26:54]
C
And people get harmed. So yeah, they were convincing though. And maybe, who knows the way that they were really selling it to Hugh at the, at the beginning, I'm sure that they kind of omitted that part. They were just like, this is what we need to do and this is how we're gonna do it.
- [27:07]
B
We're gonna rob this train. It's gonna be a one time thing and then our lives are gonna be changed forever, which is enticing.
- [27:13]
C
So he was on board. He was eventually on board. And now all three of them start really getting down into the nitty gritty of planning and committing this heist.
- [27:26]
D
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- [28:23]
C
So, guided by a combination of the reality of their world and the fantasy they saw in movies, the d' Atremont brothers planned out their crime. After scouting out tracks up and down the west coast, they eventually found the perfect target. Southern Pacific railroad, San Francisco express train that started in Portland and headed south to California. The Siskiyou line was super popular at the time and known for its stunning mountain views. So going down the coast on this train was a grand adventure. And travelers came from far and wide to see the west coast in this way, through the windows of the southern Pacific as it wound its way through the mountain passes and valleys. But the d' Atremont brothers didn't give a crap about any of that. They cared about that. Train 13, or the gold special, as it was called, carried not only sightseeing passengers, but mail. And they carefully planned to rob the train as it entered tunnel 13 at the Siskiyou summit. So this is train 13 in tunnel 13. Just so they're two separate things, but maybe 13 was their thing, you know?
- [29:23]
B
Yeah, 13's their lucky number. Or not so lucky.
- [29:26]
C
Not so lucky. Yeah. They chose this spot with great intention. Like I said, they had traveled far and wide, looking for just the right location and train. And this was it. The tunnel was located high up in a remote part of the mountain. The half mile long, dark tunnel would offer them even more obscurity. And most importantly, Ray had heard through the grapevine that there was often gold on board this train, train 13, aka the gold special, which would pass right through the tunnel on its route. The brothers knew, after careful observation and study, that the train would crawl up the steep incline leading to the tunnel before slowing down just before entering Tunnel 13 to test its brakes, which was a necessary precaution prior to the sharp descent into northern California on the other side of the tunnel. And it was in this moment that provided the perfect window of opportunity for them to climb aboard safely because it slowed down, did a little test, and then went into the dark tunnel. After they climbed aboard safely, they would then command the engineer to pull the train forward and stop it fully inside the tunnel. Next, they'd enter the mail car and force the mail clerk to hand over cash, gold, and any other valuables held on board. And finally, the brothers would make their escape into the mountains, taking off with their newfound riches. Or at least that was their plan. The trio found a cabin just above the tunnel and used it as a base camp for about a month as they continued to scheme and stockpile supplies like weapons, food and other basics, but also items they needed for their master plan. They stole dynamite and a detonator from a nearby construction site and plan to use said dynamite as plan B. They would blast open the door of the mail car. If the clerk did not cooperate with their initial demands. They also planned for their grand escape. Initially, they purchased a car to use as a getaway vehicle. But just days before their planned robbery date, one of the brothers got into a head on collision with a cow on the highway and it totaled their car. So the brother was fine. He was fine, but the car was, the car was unusable. So as a plan B, they scouted out an area which was basically like this big hollowed out area of earth underneath a fallen tree that was laying over a ravine which is about two to three miles away from the tunnel. It would offer shelter and a hiding spot in case they needed a place to lay low for a while. They stocked it with food, blankets, bandages, backup ammunition, and even some blood stopping powder, like in case they were to get injured and needed to, you know, stop the bleeding. So they were, they were prepping for some to go down, some violence to go down at least. They also did a lot of target practice and got to know the woods and terrain near the tunnel and spent days watching the passing trains and studying the various timetables of not only their target train, but others that would be coming along as well. They came to know that the San Francisco express train would arrive at their pre chosen location at 12:35pm they had done their research at the weeks worth of it and then on the morning of October 11, 1923, it was go time. Rey positioned himself on the south side of this tunnel with dynamite while Roy and Hugh, armed with pistols and a shotgun, hiked over the hill to the north entrance of the tunnel. There they tucked themselves into the brush and waited for the train to arrive. Just before entering the tunnel, train 13 slowed down to conduct a brake test exactly as the brothers knew it would. When the train slowed down, Hugh and Roy emerged from the bushes and hurried towards the train. They waited until the steam engine and first three cars passed by before jumping on undetected. Hugh grabbed a ladder rung and managed to pull himself on board quickly, but Roy was struggling to help. Hugh stuck out one of his legs to help his brother climb aboard and Roy grabbed onto his leg and managed to pull himself up Once. Once on board, Roy and Hugh sprung into action. Holding a sawed off shotgun and a Colt.45. They commanded engineer Sydney Bates and fireman Marvin Sang to pull the train forward through the tunnel. Years later, Roy explained this exact moment saying, quote, I told Hugh to give the engineer his orders and I would give the fireman his. The orders we gave were these. Stop your train with the engine cab just clear of the tunnel. If you fail to do so, the fireman will take your place because you will be dead. And I gave the fireman his instructions. If the engineer fails to stop the train with the cab just clear of the tunnel, you are to take his place because he will be dead. And they agreed to it. The engineer acted like he thought it was a joke. He didn't act like he thought it was anything very serious. He could see we were young, just kids. But he carried out the instructions to the letter. So essentially, they get these men to do as they're told and the train is stopped within the tunnel. And now it was time for the most critical part of their plan. Entering the mail car, the postal clerk, Alvin Daughtry, had noticed that the train came to a stop. Confused, he stuck his head out to see what was going on because, yeah, they tested the brakes, but they never did this exact like. Like full stop, right, exactly. And slowly into the tunnel. Stopping in the tunnel, that was not the norm. So he poked his head out to see what was going on. And Rey, having entered the tunnel, fired his gun in Elvin's direction, narrowly missing him as the bullet ricocheted off the door and side of the train car. So he's coming in guns blazing. He didn't even ask? Ask, yeah.
- [34:43]
B
He didn't even say anything.
- [34:44]
C
Yeah, he just comes in shooting. Stunned, Alvin quickly closed the mail car door and locked himself inside, refusing to comply with the demands of the intruders. It was clear now that the brothers couldn't scare Elvin into cooperating. So it was time for plan B. And that was the dynamite. The plan was to use one or two sticks of the dynamite, enough to blast open the door of the mail car, but not enough to destroy its entire contents. But this is where things took a reckless and devastating turn. In the dark tunnel, Roy used not one, not two sticks of dynamite, but all of it, every stick that they had, and they detonated it. And the mail car exploded into flames. And with it, Alvin Daughtry, a trusted railway employee, father and husband burned inside the car.
- [35:29]
B
Oh, my God. This just turned from a train robbery to horrific.
- [35:34]
C
And it just Gets. It's like, that was like the domino. I feel like that just.
- [35:37]
B
And is Roy the one who's super angry or was it Rhae?
- [35:41]
C
Rhae is the one that is like.
- [35:43]
B
Who came in guns blazing.
- [35:45]
C
Let me just make sure. It is kind of confusing, huh?
- [35:48]
B
Yeah.
- [35:48]
C
Roy and Rhae Rey is the one that has all this, like, built up angst. And him and Roy are twins and they were kind of the masterminds. And then they brought.
- [35:58]
B
They're feeding off of each other a little bit.
- [36:00]
C
Yeah, I would say so. And now they're panicking because things are going wrong. People are dying.
- [36:05]
B
You just killed someone.
- [36:06]
C
Yeah, like they're. Now they're kind of like their oh shit moment of things are falling apart. This isn't going how we wanted. And they're literally just. They just exploded their target. Everything is burning. There's nothing intact. There's nothing to steal because they just burned it all or exploded.
- [36:22]
B
It's like, okay, you killed someone and now you have nothing to steal.
- [36:26]
C
Shielding their eyes from the unexpected huge explosion, the brothers stood in the tunnel, stunned and watching as any gold, cash, or other tickets to a richer life burned in front of their eyes. At the same time, hearing the explosion, several railway employees began to make their way up to the front of the car, assuming that the train's boiler had exploded, like they didn't know at this time that they were being robbed. Smoke and fumes from the explosion filled the tunnel, and because of this, most of the employees decided to turn back and regroup. But one, Charles Oren Coyle, he went by Coyle Johnson, continued forward in an effort to help the train's engineman. When Roy saw Coyle emerge from the dark haze of the tunnel, he threatened him and demanded that he uncouple the mail car from the train so that they could get it out of the tunnel. Realizing the true nature of what the heck just happened and thinking quickly, Coyle Johnson explained to Roy that the mail car was way too damaged and that the train would need to pull forward while a lever was lifted in order to get it out of this tunnel. With no choice but to believe the brakeman, Roy essentially said, okay, yeah, then that's what we're gonna do. And demanded Coyle go up to the front of the train and tell the engineer, Sidney Bates Gates, to pull the train forward. But when Coyle, complying with Roy's demands, walked out of the south end of the tunnel, Ray and Hugh mistakenly assumed that he had just killed Roy because he was coming from the direction where Roy was. And they immediately shot him.
- [37:53]
B
But Roy's alive.
- [37:55]
C
Yes, but they didn't know that because there's all this confusion, there's smoke, they have no idea what's going on. They're separated right now.
- [38:02]
B
Yeah, but why would you assume that he killed him?
- [38:06]
C
I don't know. Why would you do any of this? I'm not sure. You tell me. You did it in a past life, but I'm your thing.
- [38:12]
B
Mine were successful in a past life, so I can't relate.
- [38:15]
C
You use soap, so yeah, I was.
- [38:18]
B
A nice train robber in a past.
- [38:20]
C
Life, so yeah, they immediately shot him. And just before he died, Coyle Johnson uttered the words, those fellows back there want you to pull the thing up. And that was like his last words. And then he died. Realizing what they had just done, the immense failure of their operation is starting to sink in. Everything was falling apart. Two men at this point were dead and they had a grand total of $0 to show for it. Some time had now passed since the initial explosion and they knew their time was running out to flee the scene because there are still people around on this train. There's passengers on board on other cars. Like this wasn't just a male car, so they know that. But their time is almost up. Panicking, they decide there's no other option but to kill the remaining witnesses.
- [39:08]
B
What? Why?
- [39:10]
C
Roy shot fireman Tseng in the head and Hugh shot and killed engineer Sydney Bates before they fled into the mountains. So they now just killed four people, the only person.
- [39:20]
B
And they still have no money they.
- [39:21]
C
Came in contact with? Yes. No money, nothing.
- [39:28]
D
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- [40:27]
C
The men killed 35 year old Elvin Daughtry, 36 year old Charles Oren Coyle Johnson, 23 year old Marvin Singh and 51 year old Sydney Bates were husbands, fathers and friends. They were experts in their craft and trusted members of the railway community. Their deaths caused deep loss in mourning, most of all to their families, but also throughout the railway community and throughout the region. But their deaths triggered more than just deep sorrow. People were angry and they wanted revenge and most wanted whoever was responsible to not just get caught and justice to be served, but they wanted them to be sentenced to death as well. Like people were pissed. As the community was reeling, the brothers had successfully escaped to their hideout where they managed to stay hidden for almost two weeks, which was no small feat given the massive search operation underway. Planes circled overhead, the National Guard searched houses and barns down the Pacific highway. And armed searchers led by bloodhounds combed the woods and mountain slopes near the train tracks looking for the brothers. It would have been incredibly difficult. Also, just side note, this is October in the mountains of Oregon. Like this is not.
- [41:37]
B
It's turning to winter.
- [41:39]
C
Yeah, it would have been incredibly difficult to survive in the woods like this unnoticed for as long as the d' Atremont brothers did. And some think that it's miraculous that they lasted two weeks there, there. But some think it didn't happen at all because sprinkled throughout the Diotromon's brothers story are mini mysteries. Parts of this story just don't add up. And this is one of those moments. Forensic scientist Ed Espinoza, who was interviewed by Oregon Public Broadcasting for their documentary they made of this called Murder on the Southern Pacific, is doubtful that the brothers could have survived out in the Oregon elements in late October for as long as they claim they did. His response to the brothers version of events, as someone who lives in southern Oregon himself says simply, that's not true. You would freeze to death. And like they did have supplies and stuff, like they did have this, like their holdout did have blankets and other things like that. It wasn't like they just fled and found a random log to sit under for two weeks. But still, so what?
- [42:37]
B
What's the alternative? What do people think they did instead?
- [42:41]
C
I'll tell you, he, he is also not the only one to say that. I just wanted to like point him out because he was part of the documentary. A lot of people are suspicious that, that, that's truly what happened. Most people think that there were other people involved. Multiple people reported seeing a suspicious car leaving the tracks on October 11th. As Ashland Police Chief George McNag remembers it, quote, There were four men, possibly five in this car. I particularly remember that three men in the back seat were slouched down. So he thinks, and other people think because of this and because of other things, that there were other people involved in this, like.
- [43:18]
B
But the brothers get away car.
- [43:19]
C
Yeah, but the brothers were the like on the ground in the train tunnel. And then there was others involved beforehand and after with the planning and getaway.
- [43:29]
B
Gotcha.
- [43:30]
C
But regardless of where they were, in the immediate aftermath, they had left incriminating clues at the crime scene and in the cabin that was eventually located. Because remember, they don't know that the brothers did at this time. They don't know if they're search how many people they're looking for who did it. They just know it. This happened.
- [43:48]
B
It happened. Yeah.
- [43:49]
C
So through their searching and stuff, they find all this evidence. And among the items left behind were overalls, a gun and an. And the detonator that they stole. The evidence was handed over to Edward Heinrich, a pioneering forensic scientist who worked as a chemistry professor at the University of California, Berkeley. At the time, Hinrich didn't know it, but his work analyzing the evidence left behind by the Dant brothers would change the field of forensics physics forever. In the late 1920s, crime labs did not exist in the United States. And examining crime scene evidence through a scientific lens was not common practice yet. But Heinrich was one of the very first to do this kind of work, and he did it on this crime. He had built his own crime lab in the. In his own basement and got to work analyzing and interpreting the evidence. The overalls proved to be the most critical in identifying the brother. There were stains on the overalls that Heinrich examined thoroughly, and the substance that he found in the stains on the overalls was slightly sticky. And he realized it wasn't blood he was looking at or oil or any sort of other like stain, ink, stain maybe. He realized it was pitch, a viscous substance produced by evergreen trees, particularly pines, firs and spruces, and in this case particularly from Douglas fir tree. Inside the pocket of the overalls he found sawdust from Douglas firs. And he had a light bulb moment. Heinrich theorized that the suspect that at least owned these overalls worked as a lumberjack, which, as we know, turned out to be correct because as you may remember, all three brothers were working at a lumber company prior to this crime. So that's check, check, check. Also in the pockets of these overalls, he found a crumpled up sales receipt. Receipt. It was faded and difficult to read, but Heinrich used A technique involving iodine vapor. And was able to make out that the receipt had been signed by Roy d'. Autremont. Like, his name.
- [45:44]
B
So his name is literally on it.
- [45:46]
C
Yes. Rookie mistake.
- [45:48]
B
Such a rookie mistake.
- [45:49]
C
And it was a receipt from when he was sending money back. $50 to be exact, back to his family in New Mexico. So it's like he's trying to provide for his family, but, like, don't leave your name in your pants months when you're robbing a train.
- [46:02]
B
I keep forgetting, though, they're also kids, aren't they? 16.
- [46:05]
C
They're in their early 20s now.
- [46:07]
B
Oh, now they're in their early 20s.
- [46:08]
C
Oh, they're young. They're very young.
- [46:10]
B
But that's still really young.
- [46:11]
C
Yeah, but if you're, like, coming up this whole plan, they're studying everything. They're like, getting the train scheduled. That they're doing, like, they're doing a lot of that.
- [46:17]
B
They did months of preparation.
- [46:20]
C
And then he forgot his name was literally.
- [46:22]
B
Then he leaves his pants behind with his name in the pocket.
- [46:26]
C
Yeah. Why?
- [46:28]
B
Why did he leave his pants behind?
- [46:30]
C
That. Those were in the cabin. They're like little, like base camp cabin that was nearby.
- [46:33]
B
Oh, gotcha.
- [46:34]
C
He didn't like to.
- [46:35]
B
He was. He was robbing a. A train and then just took his pants off.
- [46:40]
C
Everyone knows you can't rob a train wearing pants.
- [46:42]
B
Yeah, that's ridiculous.
- [46:49]
D
Say what you want about AI, but it's here and it's helping businesses get more done in a day. Wix's website builder is infused with AI so you can stay ahead. Create a beautiful, functional website just by describing your idea, Track how your site appears in AI search results, create custom images on demand, or launch an entire campaign in a matter of minutes. WIX gives you AI wherever you need it. Try it now for free@wix.com.
- [47:22]
C
Okay, so now Heinrich has a name. Additionally, hair on the overalls linked Roy to the crime scene. And Heinrich was able to connect Ray to the crime through a serial number restoration done on the handgun that was left behind. Oh, and using handwriting analysis on sales receipts, he determined that Hugh had also been at the cabin near the tracks. And of course, his report on this is lengthy and involved and very detailed, but a portion of that report reads, quote, quote, from a microscopic examination of the dust, hair and fibers collected from the pockets, chemical analysis of the stains on the garment, and a study of the set of his garments induced by wear. I am of the opinion that the wearer and owner was a lumberjack employed in a fur or Spruce logging camp. I computed him subject to revision with further data, which may be found to be a white man, not over 5ft 10 inches tall, probably shorter, weighing not over 165 pounds, probably less class, age between 21 and 25. When in city clothes, he is a careful dresser, neat in appearance, has medium light brown hair, complexion fair, has light brown eyes, well developed and small hands and feet. I found the suspenders of the overalls were handled exclusively from the left side and also the pockets on the left side to be those most frequently used. The left suspender I found is also set three fourths of an inch higher over the left shoulder than the right. And then he also found some nail clippings in the pocket pockets of the overalls and deduce that whoever owned them was of fastidious habits, meaning that they were very likely attentive and concerned about accuracy and detail. So he.
- [49:00]
B
That's a very detailed report, like profiling of a person.
- [49:04]
C
Right? And especially this was very new at this time. So law enforcement was completely baffled at this level of accuracy and detail found within Heinrich's report. But they're like, like, all right, like.
- [49:16]
B
If you say so go.
- [49:18]
C
From the tiny details like the sawdust, scraps of paper and the wear and tear on the overalls, he was able to paint a vivid and detailed picture of the wanted criminals at the time of the crime. In the early 1920s, forensic science was in its infancy in Europe and almost non existent in the United States until now. Hinrich went on to be known as the Edison of crime detection and the wizard of Berkeley. His techniques are still used in forensics today. And his work on this case helped establish forensic science as a legitimate discipline and led to the founding of America's first crime lab in Los Angeles that same year.
- [49:55]
B
Wow, very impressive.
- [49:56]
C
So this case is like the start of like a lot in the forensics world, which is really interesting and one of the main reasons I wanted to cover it, because I think it's really interesting. Even though Edward Heinrich managed to identify the d' Attremont brothers within days, they would remain missing for almost four years. Wow. Somehow, the brothers managed to escape from the woods unseen and they made a run for it. They hiked their way south, barely surviving through stretches of extreme hunger and cold. Eventually they decided to split up. Hugh enlisted in the army. And Ray and Roy, after bouncing around and living in a few different places, they both ended up in Ohio.
- [50:33]
B
Wait, he's a wanted man that they're actively searching for and he joins the military yeah.
- [50:37]
C
Yes, under a different name. A nail. Yeah.
- [50:40]
B
I guess things were easier back then when he faces scanned through everything.
- [50:45]
C
It's not me, it's. I don't know. I list his name later where he actually goes. He enlists under another name. But yeah, hiding in plain sight type of thing, I think maybe was his tactic. But the twins, they end up in Ohio. And in an attempt to disguise their identity, the three brothers used a variety of fake names. Many of their aliases included the letter J or had the name James worked into them, maybe as a nod to Jesse James, the notorious outlaw that they clearly idolized. Their aliases included EE James, Johnny Johnson, and James C. Price. And these fake names would become known as the trail of J's that law enforcement followed as they tried to track down the missing brothers throughout the years. The search for the brothers was the biggest manhunt of the time, lasting years and more than $6 million in today's 2.5 million wanted posters translated in five different languages with d' Autramont's brother's names and faces were plastered all over the world, not just throughout the country. And these weren't basic wanted posters either with like a basic police sketch or a handful of vague sentences, because remember, they know who they are and they did their research into them. So these were detailed. They had six photos. So one poster had six photos of the brothers, their full names and descriptions of each brother, some of their known aliases, handwriting specimens from each of the brothers, and a description of their crimes and which clearly was murder. Like they didn't really outline. Like they went into a train car and blew up a mail car. They're like, they. They're wanted for murder. And there was rewards, large Rewards, upwards of $14,000 for information in their capture. The boys were constantly surrounded by people looking for them and talking about them, sometimes right to their faces. One time early on in the search, a man Ray was staying with strapped on a gun and went out to look for the elusive Diatremont brothers every night. Well, the man he was looking for was literally right in his house, was his roommate. Yeah. Yeah.
- [52:53]
B
That's embarrassing.
- [52:53]
C
Ray was like, yeah, go get him. Hope you find him.
- [52:56]
B
Yeah, good luck out there. I bet. I bet you'll get them tonight.
- [52:59]
C
Ray ultimately decided a name change alone wasn't going to cut it because it was clear that people weren't forgetting about this and it was everywhere. So he bleached his hair blonde and convinced a dentist to pull out one of his front teeth, claiming that it was painful and needed to be removed. At the time, Ray was living under the name Elmer Goodwin and Roy was going by Clarence Goodwin. Ray or Elmer met and married a young woman named Hazel in Ohio. They got married and had a son. And this is another one of those moments that just doesn't fully add up to this story because with a massive search operation underway and the brothers names and faces known throughout the country, you just gotta wonder like how Hazel did not see those wanted posters and recognize this person that she's grown to love, her husband. Right. It's like, okay, yeah, your hair is bleach blonde and you are missing a tooth, but you're still that person.
- [53:54]
B
Like you, you still look like that.
- [53:56]
C
Yeah. So that's just kind of like a question mark surrounding that.
- [54:00]
B
But maybe she liked the outlaw life. Maybe.
- [54:04]
C
Or maybe she was just blinded by love like you. You, you're not going to just assume that this person that you love and care about is a wanted criminal, like especially a murderer. I think you would just ignore that maybe subconsciously, like that can't be true. This is Elmer.
- [54:17]
B
It's like the beginning of ignoring red flags.
- [54:19]
C
Yep. Finally, after almost four years of dodging the law, their reality caught up with them. In 1927, Hu stationed in the Philippines with the army. When his sergeant saw a wanted poster for the brothers and recognized Hugh, or James Price as the sergeant knew him to be, he contacted the authorities and he was brought back to Oregon for his trial. Which became quite the spectacle. It had been years, but no one had forgotten or forgiven the brothers and people were desperate to see hughes fate determined. 500 people clamored to be on this jury and reporters from all over flocked to Jacksonville, Oregon to cover the story. Hugh carried himself with confidence, bordering on maybe even some cockiness, sometimes cracking jokes. He was posing for photos and he was often seen with his hat tipped at an angle and a cigarette in his mouth. Like kind of like he just thought.
- [55:11]
B
He was the coolest.
- [55:12]
C
Yeah. There was a mix of sentiments towards this 23 year old criminal that kind of echoes into today with criminals that were we see pass through the justice system and especially highlighted throughout the media. Some people had sympathy for him and found it hard to believe that he was to blame for such this heinous crime. Like they couldn't put the two and two together. Like who they were seeing cocky and like with a hat and being like, you know, full of swag versus like someone who killed four people in cold blood. While others were deeply enraged and wanted him dead and could very clearly See the connection. Part of the former group was a young ambitious reporter named Mary Kelly who was covering Hughes trial. She was eager to prove herself as a reporter and developed a close relationship with Hugh and other members of the d' Autramont family. She would eventually go on to advocate for Hugh for years and tried to tell his story to gain public sympathy and respect for him. Partway through his trial, one of the jurors got sick and died. So the trial had to be put on pause while they attempted to find a new day and start it all over. So as we know, these things can take a really long time. So as all that's going on. Meanwhile, one day Roy was out for a while walk when he saw a wanted poster for him. And clearly this is not uncommon. He's used to seeing them all over the place. But this time something was different about this poster. Hugh was missing from it. So he rushed back to tell ry about this troubling development. And the twins assumed, correctly, that this meant Hugh had been found and apprehended. They knew that their time was once again running out and began discussing a possible escape and this time to Mexico. But they never had the chance. The authorities received a tip from a man who used to work with the twins that he suspected Elmer and Clarence Goodwin. Because now they're. They're still together.
- [56:55]
B
Yeah. And they're like they didn't separate and they're clearly probably twins.
- [57:00]
C
They are twins and they're marketing themselves as brothers. Elmer and Clarence Goodwin. They're still living like, you know, it's.
- [57:05]
B
Just like, you got it, like they haven't veered too far from their actual identities.
- [57:10]
C
So this guy is like, okay, I'm starting to pick up that Elmer and Clarence are really probably Ray and Roy. And not wanting to give the twins another their chance to disappear again, the authorities staged a trap. They posted flyers advertising higher paying jobs in their area, which they thought might catch the twins attention because of course, they're all after money.
- [57:29]
B
Sneaky.
- [57:30]
C
And sure enough, Roy showed up to respond to the ad. But when he got there, he was arrested and his twin was not far behind. Officers showed up to Ray's house while he was asleep and they told his wife Hazel that Clarence, AKA Roy, had been injured while at the job and was in the hospital. So she woke up her husband and said that, you know, your brother just got injured, we need to go to the hospital, like the authority, like, we need to go now. And as they are rushing out the door, they were suddenly surrounded by officers and Ray was arrested. Hazel, of course, was very confused and distraught at the scene. She had fallen in love with a man named Elmer. They had a son, they had a home, and they had another baby on the way. So why now were officers arresting him? And the real question, why were they calling him Rey? Like, imagine, oh, my God.
- [58:19]
B
This person you're married to is someone totally different.
- [58:22]
C
Yep. When she arrived at the jail to say goodbye to the man that she thought she knew through and through, they had a very gut wrenching parting. She held up their son so he could see Rey, but the young boy that they had named Jackie. Hugh started to cry when he realized that the bar separated him from his father. And Ray later described that moment saying, quote, I was choked up with emotion. My soul sank to zero. Ray wrote a love note to her on the back of his mugshot. So cute.
- [58:51]
B
Romantic.
- [58:52]
C
Despite. And despite the snag in this relationship, I don't know how else to describe it. It's a snag.
- [58:57]
B
Snag.
- [58:59]
C
I was waiting. I was, like, hovering over my computer. Like, bump in the road. Like, it's a. It's an obstacle. It's a snag. But despite this, their relationship would stay strong. And they were together for another 25 years. Years.
- [59:15]
B
So maybe she did kind of know.
- [59:17]
C
I don't know if she knew or if she was just like, so in.
- [59:20]
B
Love that when she found out, it didn't matter.
- [59:22]
C
It's like, well, that person. I don't know that person. I know Elmer, and I know this version of you, and I love this version of you. I don't know. I'm not trying to make excuses. I'm just trying to.
- [59:32]
B
Well, and she's pregnant. That makes things so much harder, too.
- [59:35]
C
He's also going to jail. Like, you could be like, all right, bye, bye. Well, you can't. Because the 20s and women were not set up for success us then. Anyway. Either way, it seems like no matter what, he was obviously deceptive. He lied a lot. But it seems like his love for Hazel and the family that he created with her was real. So there's that. On June 21, 1927, Hughes Hugh was found guilty of murder. He was terrified of being sentenced to death for the crime, but when the trial was over, he was spared the gallows and sentenced to life in prison instead. The twins were then offered a deal. If they pled guilty and confessed to their crimes, they too would be sentenced to life instead of hung at the gallows. The twins readily agreed to this, and Hugh also agreed to confess as well. Hoping it might help the twins case, like, so they're all trying to help each other out getting out of the death sentence. An assistant district attorney named Greg Nielsen took down their confessions by hand, which took all night. He started transcribing at 8pm and didn't finish until. Until 6am the next day. So almost 12 hours worth of this story just spilling out of the brothers. The Diatremons cases are long closed, but some, like Ed Espinoza, the forensic scientist I mentioned earlier in the episode, find it really hard to believe that this story is as simple as one huge failed robbery. As he told Oregon Public Broadcasting, quote, if I had to postulate, these three brothers were set up to do this for some reason and something was taken. And what that is is we'll never know. All three brothers were sentenced to life at the Oregon State Penitentiary. Though they received the same sentence, their experiences in prison were very different. Hugh worked hard to be a model prisoner. He handled all the printing for the prison and was the editor of the Shadows, which was the prison's magazine. He stayed friends with Mary Kelly, who was the reporter who was covering his story, and she and her family continued to advocate for his release from prison. In 1958, Mary's daughter Norine, who had just graduated from law school, worked to help Hugh get parole, and she was successful. In 1958, Hugh was released from prison after spending 31 years behind bars, and he began working as a printer in San Francisco. But his freedom didn't last. He died just two months later from stomach cancer in 1959 at the age of 63, Roy did not fare as well in prison. His mental health grew worse and worse, and eventually he grew violent. He was moved to Oregon State Mental Hospital and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. And coincidentally, he had actually worked at that exact mental hospital when he was a young man. And now he found himself as a patient there. In 1950, he received a prefrontal lobotomy, which caused his cognition to decline even further. Yeah, rough, very rough. He was eventually granted parole and was moved into a nursing home, where he died that same year, in 1983 at the age of 83. So he had a very rough go of the it. While Ray was in prison, he spent a lot of time painting, reading, and learning languages. He was released on parole in 1961 and got a job as a custodian at the University of Oregon. After being interviewed for a documentary on the crime and his life, Ray said, quote, after all these years of trying to forget the crimes of the past, those of others as well as those of myself. It seems unreal to me. I find it difficult to believe it was my doing. I'm a man of 73. The man who did this, according to the story, was 23. So they can't have been too much, much alike. He taught classes on painting in Spanish to senior citizens, spent most of his time painting and tried to find ways to make the rest of his years meaningful by giving back to society in some way. Public sentiment towards Ray shifted and in 1972 Governor Tom McCall commuted Rey's sentence and he ended up dying in 1984 at the age of 84. The crime that the D' Altramont brothers committed on October 11, 1923 is often regarded with the name as. As quote, the last great American train robbery. But this name is obviously inaccurate. It wasn't great. They completely failed to steal anything and ended their lives of four innocent people who were just trying to do their job. What it was to them at least was a hold up. And that phrase feels a lot more fitting to the effect this crime had not only on the brothers, but on the victims and their families and the railway community as a whole. The brothers thought that this would be an event where their lives would finally begin, but really the rest of their lives would be held up by that fateful period, period of violence in the Siskiyou Mountains. It also marked the beginning of the end for the era of train robberies, but also is considered to represent the birth of American criminal forensics. Like we talked about, Heinrich's work on the case led to the establishment of the first forensic crime lab in LA in 1923, which was later that same year. And I didn't say it before, but it was actually founded by the director of the LAPD and that person was a former student of Heinrich. Heinrichs. So it's kind of interesting.
- [64:28]
B
Yeah, full circle moment.
- [64:30]
C
It was also by far the largest and most expensive criminal investigation in U. S. History at the time and today remains one of Oregon's largest as well. The victims, Charles Orin Coyle Johnson is buried in Medford, Oregon's Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Eastwood Cemetery. Marvin Benjamin Singh is buried in Dunsmere, California. Elvin Daughtry is buried in Reno, Nevada. And Sydney Bates is buried at Sunset View Masonic Cemetery in El Cerrito, California. The Durant brothers are buried side by side by side at Bell Crest Memorial park in Salem, Oregon alongside their mother Belle. For years after the incident, the crime was retold in songs, films and various publications and has been cemented in Pacific Northwest history. Just the same, memorial wreaths have been placed at the tunnel in remembrance of the four victims. And that has been done for decades. Over 50 years after that October morning in 1923, Ray revisited the scene of the crime and reflected back on that day with regret while being filmed for a documentary. Wondering aloud. Quote, it makes you wonder what the hell we were thinking. In 2023, as part of the 100th anniversary of the tragedy, the US Postal Service offered a special postmark cancellation stamp, which are those stamps that are used as marks on letters to indicate that a stamp had been used. You know, like the stamp over a stamp on letters. So they issued this special one in commemoration of this, specifically in Ashland at the Ashland post office. And its image was a train coming out of a tunnel. And it was created by a retired postal inspector named Dan Mahalko. And he was a self proclaimed history buff who had always been enthralled with the d' Autremont story and he was part of the postal service and stuff. So it was really cool. I looked up a picture of it and I'll post it.
- [66:17]
B
Very cool.
- [66:18]
C
And lastly, and most importantly, and this is a little different from all of our other episodes, don't even think of going here. Do not go to tunnel 13.
- [66:28]
B
Okay. Why? Tell us.
- [66:30]
C
Okay, so it's on private property, number one. And number two, it's still an active railroad line, so it's not open to the public.
- [66:37]
B
You're gonna get hit by a train.
- [66:38]
C
Yeah, and as we said, don't fuck with trains. We've said that. Yeah, we have said that multiple times now. So yeah, don't go there. It's not open to the public for general access or hiking. Even though there are several hiking trails around it. The PCT is really close by. There's.
- [66:53]
B
Can you see it from afar?
- [66:54]
C
You can see it from afar. Far. Like there's people that you know go in that area. But it's like the tunnel itself, I just want to make it so clear, like we are not saying go there, but there are. On YouTube, there are so many videos of people being like, if I was to go here, if I knew how to get here, this is how I'd get here. And they do it and they're just like, if I was here, this is what I would do. And like, it's like you're very clearly there and it has your name.
- [67:19]
B
Yeah.
- [67:19]
C
Associated with, I don't know, in your picture.
- [67:21]
B
It's like at least in a video.
- [67:23]
C
Of you wear a ski mask or something. And like, don't post it to your YouTube channel. But anyway, yeah, it's not. It's not a thing you should do, but it is cool. I just think of like that Ted Lasso meme. Do you know the one when the girl. It's like there's. It's Ted Lasso and like another anchor woman at a news desk and she's like, now obviously don't go and do that. And then Ted Lasso comes in. He's like, no, you do whatever you like, live.
- [67:46]
B
Yes.
- [67:47]
C
Don't anything of the sort. But no, seriously, honestly, don't do it.
- [67:51]
B
Don't do it.
- [67:52]
C
But if you do think of the d' Atamont brothers and the victims, more importantly, that lost their lives there. So, yeah, that's the story. That's it.
- [67:59]
B
Cool.
- [68:00]
C
I don't have like a nice little bow ending, but I thought that it was a really cool story and one that everyone in Oregon. It's like everyone knows about it and I didn't know it had that tied to the forensic science. So that's cool too.
- [68:14]
B
Yeah, it's a really interesting story and I think the most interesting part of this story is how badly it went. You know, it was a train robbery, but not really.
- [68:24]
C
They didn't even take anything and I didn't even mention. So it was nicknamed like the gold special and the brother.
- [68:31]
B
Was there no gold on the train?
- [68:32]
C
No, no gold.
- [68:33]
B
So it was just completely pointless.
- [68:36]
C
Well, if they didn't blow up and completely incinerate the mail car, I'm sure there was some value there. Like there was, you know, everything went through the mail. Then, you know, there's money, checks, there's money, there's jewel, there's like bond. There's all these things that they could have probably made do with, but they blew it up.
- [68:54]
B
Yeah. So ultimately it ended up they got nothing. They killed people for no reason. And not that there was a reason before to. In a robbery, but they literally came out with nothing.
- [69:05]
C
Yeah. And then they. The stress of living your life after that and being on the run, even under the radar years or whatever, I could never do it. How do you not slip up or be like. And then you're just surrounded by wanted posts, posters with your.
- [69:17]
B
All the time. Your. Your roommate is looking for you. Yeah.
- [69:20]
C
I don't know.
- [69:21]
B
Yeah, it's a weird. It seemed like a very hard life. And even though justice wasn't served for a while, it seems like they were never living great.
- [69:30]
C
Yeah, I would say I agree with that for sure. They paid the price in other ways. I mean, a lobotomy is rough.
- [69:37]
B
Yeah, lobotomy is pretty rough, but yeah.
- [69:39]
C
So that's the story of the D' Autramont brothers and Tunnel 13. And that's perfect because I gotta go because my camera just died.
- [69:45]
B
Perfect. Well, thank you so much for sharing this story. We will see you all next time. In the meantime, enjoy the view, but watch your back. Bye, everyone.
- [69:53]
C
Bye. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you love National Park After Dark and want to hear exclusive bonus stories, join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Patreon subscribers have access to our National Park After Dark book club, live streams, Discord, and much more. If you prefer to watch our episodes video episodes are now available on YouTube. If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe on your favorite listening platform. And to follow along with all our adventures, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X Athletic.