The Most Notable Train Robberies In The Wild West

Publish date: 2024-05-04

In 1912, two men decided to rob the No. 9 Galveston, Harrisburg & San Antonio locomotive. One was a newcomer to the world of train robbery, and his name was Ole Hobek. The other was former Wild Bunch member and Butch Cassidy associate, Ben Kilpatrick. When they hopped on board the train in Dryden, Texas, Kilpatrick was coming off a 10-year stint in Atlanta and either he'd lost his edge in prison, or men on the outside had gotten a little tougher.

The train pulled away from Dryden, and that's when they stormed the engine. By this time, they were about 10 miles from the Mexican border, and their horses were waiting for them. The only one that stood in their way, says HistoryNet, was a Wells Fargo & Co. messenger named David A. Trousdale, who was not about to put up with any of this nonsense. When they ordered him to show them where the good stuff was, he deliberately misled them. Their frustration grew, and when Trousdale snagged a wooden mallet off a shipment of oysters, they didn't notice.

They should have. The first chance he got, he hit Hobek, and kept hitting him — but it only took three blows for his brains to leave his head. Taking Hobek's gun, Trousdale then started a 2-hour standoff with Kilpatrick. Trousdale only fired a single shot, and the bullet hit Kilpatrick just above the left eye. Trousdale was rewarded handsomely.

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