Wells, Fargo & Co. Stagecoach and Train Robberies, 1870–1884

In January 1, 1885, Wells, Fargo & Company’s chief detective James B. Hume and special agent John N. Thacker published a report summarizing the company’s losses during the previous 14 years. It listed 313 stagecoach robberies, 23 burglaries, and four train robberies but included little or no details of the events themselves, focusing instead on physical descriptions of the robbers. Widely circulated, the report was intended to assist law enforcement in identifying and apprehending the criminals believed still to present a danger to the company. The present volume revisits each crime, updating Hume and Thacker’s original report with rich new details culled from local newspapers, personal diary entries, and court records.

R. Michael Wilson has been researching and writing about the history of the American West for more than a decade. A retired law enforcement officer, he is the author of numerous books on crime and capital punishment. He is a member of the Wild West History Association, and Western Writers of America.

James B. Hume and John N. Thacker. Edited and expanded by R. Michael Wilson
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 281
Bibliographic Info: 5 photos, appendix, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4855-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-5624-6
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1
Introduction      3
Stagecoaching      6
Report Summary      9

THE ROBBERS’ RECORD      13

Appendix: Additional Robbers and Their Crimes      241
Bibliography      265
Index      267

“Detailed”—Roundup Magazine.