Today is Tuesday, October 6th, 2020.

On this day in 1866, the notorious Reno brothers and their gang committed the first successful peacetime train robbery in history. Welcome to Today in True Crime, a Parcast Original.

Due to the graphic nature of today's crimes, listener discretion is advised.

Extreme caution is advised for listeners under 13.

Today we're covering the daring daylight holdup of an Ohio and Mississippi railway train. Now let's go back to

October 6th 1866 when the locomotive pulled into the station in Seymour, Indiana.

Night would soon be falling as the 630 O&M locomotive to East St. Louis

made it stop at Seymour. John Reno and his brother Sim were waiting. They made their way

towards the express car, heads down, doing their best to blend in with the crowd of

passengers.

Frank Sparks, an outlaw in their gang, tagged along behind.

The three men took their seats as the train left the station.

John kept his eyes on the scenery outside,

watching for signs they were getting close to their rendezvous point.

Then he gave the boys a nod.

In the Adams'... he gave the boys a nod.

In the Adams Express Company car next door, messenger Eilam Miller was checking that his customers packages were

secure when suddenly the door banged open.

Miller turned and found himself staring down the barrel of a loaded pistol.

He could only see the slits of the gunman's eyes peering down at him. An eerie,

featureless paper mask covered the rest of his face. Two more masked men forced their way inside the car, guns drawn. They told Miller they were the Reno

Brothers gang and this was a holdup.

...