The DeAutremont Brothers Page 3
Many members of the community joined forces with law enforcement in a determined effort to find whoever was responsible and bring them to justice.
Chapter IV On October 13 th Sheriff Terrill turned the investigation over to Southern Pacific Railroad Chief Special Agent Dan O"Connell who was well known for capturing train robber Roy Gardner the year before. Within 24 hours Southern Pacific Railroad posted a $2500 reward and the United States Postal Department (known today as the United States Post Office) posted a $5000 reward. Posters were put up in northern California and Southern Oregon and also sent to the surrounding states. The posses continued to comb the hills without any luck. Tips poured in from neighboring communities and as word got out, the tips began coming in from nearby states from people who were sure they had seen the train robbers.
One of the first things O"Connell did was to examine what little evidence w as left behind. Not able to ascertain anything himself, he decided he needed the help of Professor Edward Oscar Heinrich, a chemistry professor at the University of California at Berkeley. Known as the “Edison of Crime Detection” and the “Wizard of Berkeley” he was given the tall task of uncovering who had committed this atrocious crime. O"Connell sent the overalls, the footpads that had been soaked in creosote, the knapsacks and the gun to the Professor. When the items arrived at the Professor"s lab, he immediately went to work. A mere five days after the robbery, Professor Heinrich informed O"Connell that the suspect was a left handed lumberjack who had worked around fir trees. He further stated that the suspect was a white male, 23-25 years old, no taller than 5"10 and weighed about 165 pounds. Professor Heinrich believed the suspect had medium brown hair, a fair complexion, small hands and feet and was fastidious in his personal habits (based on nail filings he found in a pocket.) He went on to say that he believed the suspect lived and worked in the Pacific Northwest. In examining the overalls, Professor Heinrich noticed a grease mark on the material and determined it was fir pitch. He also found a few grains of dust in a pocket and a stray hair or two. He deducted that since the right side of the overalls showed signs of having rubbed against a tree trunk, the person wearing the overalls had swung an ax from the left side and thus was left handed (that and the height of the owner of the overalls were the only two things Professor Heinrich was incorrect about.) The ultimate piece of evidence was found deep inside the pencil pocket of the overalls. It was a registered mail receipt for $50 dated September 14, 1923 and sent to someone in Lakewood, New Mexico from someone in Eugene, Oregon. The authorities quickly traced that receipt and discovered that Roy DeAutremont had sent a registered letter to his brother Verne in Lakewood, New Mexico (the letter was the life insurance policy Roy took out shortly before the train robbery.)
It did not take the authorities long to discover that Roy had a twin brother named Ray and another brother named Hugh. On October 9, 1923, just nine days after the crime, newspaper headlines announced who was responsible for this hideous crime.
When O"Connell got word of this, he immediately sent detectives to Paul"s house. The detectives gathered up everything that Roy had left behind. A sweater of Roy"s was sent to the Professor who was able to determine the hair on the sweater was similar to the hair found on the overalls. O"Connell and his team were shocked to discover that Roy DeAutremont was a 23 year old, brown haired, lumberjack who had worked at the Silver Falls Lumber Company in Silverton, Oregon. It came as no surprise to Professor Heinrich that Roy had been a barber and was known for being fastidious about his appearance to the point of continually filing his fingernails.
The gun found at the crime scene was sent to the manufacturer and although the serial number had been filed off, a second set of numbers was found on the inside of the pistol. Additionally, the barrel also had a number. The workers at the Colt Manufacturing Company were able to trace where the weapon had been sent once it left their manufacturing plant. It turned out this particular gun had been shipped to a store in Albany, Oregon and sold to William Elliott. Detectives were able to compare the signature of William Elliott from the sales receipt to that of Ray DeAutremont from his employment papers at the Silver Falls Lumber Company. The detectives came to the conclusion that William Elliott and Ray DeAutremont were one in the same.
The detectives fanned out and began checking hotel registers throughout Oregon. They already knew that Hugh liked to go by the name of J. James (for Jesse James.) They also knew he signed his name with a distinctive flourish. In Portland they learned that Hugh had registered at a hotel under the alias of J. James. Roy and Ray had also registered under aliases and the detectives were able to match the signatures to their true identities. Across the street from the hotel was a store which the detectives ventured into. There they discovered some knives, forks and spoons that matched some found near thecrime scene. A quick check of the store"s records revealed that a J. James had ordered a set and asked that it be delivered to the hotel across the street. The detectives were now able to tie all three brothers to the crime scene.
The Nash automobile was seized and held for evidence. Once the evidence search was completed the Jackson County Sheriff purchased the vehicle for $600. They used the vehicle for a Sheriff"s car and for prohibition enforcement.
On October 29, 1923 Paul made a plea that ran in newspapers across the Pacific Northwest. He stated that he believed implicitly in the innocence of his sons and stressed that he was anxious to hear from them and establish an alibi for them. He asked that they come home and tell where they were at the time of the murders and what they had been doing since. Paul asked that they contact him or Percy Varney, D.L. Lewis or Fred E. Smith (Paul had retained Smith as an attorney to defend the boys if they were arrested and indicted of the crimes they were accused of.) Paul also asked that if anyone knew of his sons" whereabouts they come forward with that information.
The Grand Jury of Jackson County indicted all three boys on six counts. They were charged with murder in the first degree, train robbery, robbing of the United States mail, attempted hold-up of Southern Pacific passenger train no. 13, stopping a railroad train for the purpose of committing robbery and attempting to commit burglary in a railroad coach containing United States mail. The local Medford newspaper summed it up well by stating, “The murders and ruthless brutality are unparalleled in the crime history of the Northwest and the hold-up was the most sensational criminal adventure in the records of Oregon.” Bench warrants were issued for Roy, Ray and Hugh. It was ordered that they be held without bail as provided by the Oregon statutes for murder in the first degree.
Tips began to come in and it"s been said that anyone with an ax to grind called the authorities to report their enemies. Employees of Southern Pacific Railroad who were not well liked by their co-workers found themselves in front of the authorities being questioned about their possible involvement after being turned in by their fellow workers.
The Postal Service carefully scrutinized all mail belonging to Paul, Belle and Verne in the hopes that the boys would try and make contact with their relatives. The United States Postal authorities printed thousands of wanted flyers that were distributed across the United States. The poster had a picture of each of the brothers. They used Hugh"s high school photo, the photo of Roy taken at a photography studio for his girlfriend and Ray"s booking photo from his time at the Monroe Reformatory. Not long after, posters were printed in Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and Dutch and distributed the world over.
Armed with the knowledge of who had committed this heinous crime and with posters plastered the world over, one would expect the authorities to make a quick arrest. Why then did it take the government almost four years and a half million dollars to locate the DeAutremont brothers in what was called at the time, “The world"s greatest manhunt?”
Chapter V
It wasn"t long after the boys arri ved back at the cabin that they heard planes overhead and they knew the aircraft was looking for them. They had stocked the cabin with ammunition, first aid supplies and food. Water wa
s available from a stream nearby.
The days dragged on but they didn" t dare leave the cabin. Finally when their supply of food was dwindling they decided that Ray would leave the cabin and try to make it to Eugene to pick up the Nash. He bid farewell to Roy and Hugh not sure if he would ever see them again. He rode the rails to Medford where he immediately noticed the wanted posters. Everywhere he looked he saw his picture looking back at him from the wanted posters. Headlines of the local newspaper gave details of the ongoing search for the DeAutremonts. Ray concluded that he could never make it to Eugene undetected. In need of money for food, he headed to the outskirts of town and brazenly took a job picking fruit at a local farm. He received room and board at the farm. Ironically the owner of the farm was part of the posse that was looking for the boys and Ray found himself wishing the man good luck as he headed out in search of the boys. Ray worked there for about five days before he had enough money to buy some food and head back to the hideout in the Siskiyou Mountains. He managed to get through Medford and Ashland without being spotted despite the deluge of wanted posters.
The brothers were elated to see one another but the joy was short lived when Ray related the news that the authorities had identified them and there were wanted posters everywhere. He informed them that the posters were offering a reward of $14,400 for their arrest and conviction.
The brothers decided it was time to leave their hideout. On October 29, 1923 they set out for parts unknown. The followed their compass hoping they were headed for the coast. The trio saw tracks from the posse and could hear airplanes overhead. At night they could see campfires in the distance and knew the men sitting around those fires were determined to find them dead or alive. During their time in the hideout, autumn had turned to winter and the snow was beginning to fall. They found shelter in abandoned shacks along the way. They weren"t dressed for the cold weather and had no provisions for it. The boys gave up their quest to reach the coast and instead headed towards California.
In the tiny hamlet of Hilt, California, just over the California border they were sure that they had been spotted by law enforcement. It was nightfall and the weather had turned to snow and sleet when they found themselves suddenly caught in an automobile"s headlights near the train depot. A voice called out for them to stop but they just kept on walking. They heard the man call out a few more times but they ignored his request for them to stop. Possibly it was a local law enforcement officer but one who wasn"t sure he wanted to risk his life to bring in the DeAutremont brothers. Based on the crime they were accused of, any police officer alone at night out in the middle of no where, might think twice about trying to capture three boys who were thought to have murdered four men in cold blood.
The boys frequently discussed taking their own lives during this time. They still had guns and ammunition and the thought seemed more and more appealing as hunger set in and the snow continued to fall.
At about midnight they reached the Klamath River near Hornbrook, California. They built a fire and huddled around it. They tried to sleep but were unable to get much rest due to the bitter cold. At daybreak they came to the conclusion they would be better off if they separated. They chose what aliases they would go by, Hugh chose the name James C. Price, Roy chose Johnny Johnson and Ray took on the alias of William B. Elliott. Hugh stated he was going to try and make it to Santa Ana, California and they agreed to write to him there care of general delivery. In a tearful goodbye the brothers whose loyalty had gotten them into this situation, made plans to meet in five years on New Years Day at the largest YMCA in New York. With that, Ray headed south for Marysville, California.
Hugh and Roy stayed together for two more days. They were still near the river when in desperation for food they asked a fisherman if they could have one of the salmon he"d caught. The fishermen looked at these two men whose clothes were torn, whose shoes were falling apart and who had not had the benefit of a shower in quite some time and handed over a large fish. Hugh and Roy walked down the road lugging the fish between them. That night they built a campfire and had their first taste of real food in nearly a month. When dawn arrived they headed for the Pacific Highway and caught a ride as far as Yreka, California. They actually walked through the town in broad daylight without any problems. Everywhere they looked, they saw wanted posters with their photos. They kept on walking and came to the farming community of Grenada. In desperate need of food and money, they approached a farmer and inquired if he would consider hiring them. The farmer said he could hire one of them but not both. The brothers decided Roy would stay and work at the farm and Hugh would continue his journey. Not wanting the farmer to know they were brothers, they bid each other a quick farewell. Roy fought back tears as he watched his younger brother walk off in the distance. They would never again see one another as free men. Chapter VI
Perhaps it was a twisted sort of fate that the only success the DeAutremont brothers everrealized from their criminal “careers” was their ability to live life on the lam for nearly four years. During that time they each had a chance to experience life in a way they might have lived had they not set their sights on a life of crime. But as the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end.” It was 1927 and the clock was ticking on their freedom.
After leaving Roy in Grenada, Hugh kept drifting from one town to the next in California finding work where he could. He did make it to Santa Ana eventually but was disappointed there was no mail waiting for him from his brothers. He left California and went to Mexico briefly before returning to the United States. Hugh rode the rails to Arizona, then to Texas finding work along the way. He drifted over to Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana without being identified. Continually riding the rails was probably not the wisest thing for Hugh to do but his luck held out and no one questioned him. He fit right in with the other hobos who spent their days riding the rails aimlessly from one place to another.
Hugh found himself in Chicago in the spring of 1924. While there Hugh wandered into a bad neighborhood only to be told by a police officer walking the beat that it was no place for a nice young man as he escorted Hugh out of the neighborhood.
No matter how many miles Hugh put between himself and the Siskiyou Summit it was never enough to forget and lest he try, everywhere he looked he saw his picture looking back at him. One day in April 1924 Hugh spotted a different type of poster, this one promoting adventures in far off lands for the U.S. Army. Hugh marched himself in to the recruiting office and although he was apprehensive about completing the paperwork, he simply stated his name was James. C. Price and he had been born in Texas. With that Hugh was in the army! Private Price was soon on his way to Ft. Sheridan, Illinois. From there he went with his unit to Sloam, New York before sailing to The Presido, California. Hugh was only there briefly but it was long enough for a fellow soldier to comment how much Hugh looked like the DeAutremont fellow on the wanted poster that was hanging on a wall. From The Presido the unit left for the Philippine Islands much to the delight of Hugh who wanted to be as far away from Oregon as possible.
Hugh was assigned to Company B, 31 st Infantry. Hugh enjoyed his life as a soldier and as the months turned into years, he became rather complacent which he shouldn"t have, for complacency is not for someone on the run from the law.
Long before the infamous Alcatraz Island became a Federal Prison and home to some of the country"s most notorious criminals such as Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly and Robert Stroud it was a U.S. Army prison. It was there that Corporal Thomas Reynolds of Company B, 31 st Infantry was stationed for a short time. One day in June 1926 he found himself with some time on his hands and he began to study a wanted poster that was hanging on the wall. It only took a couple a few minutes for him to realize that the face staring back at him was that of Private Price. Reynolds reported his suspicions to his supervisor who in turn contacted the U.S. Postal Service.
The tips had never stopped pouring into the authorities from people vying for the reward money. The Post Office Inspector"s
Office sent for more information on Private Price only to learn the U.S. Army had few details. The Postal Service had sent officials around the globe following up on leads and this was no exception. On November 17, 1926 the U.S. Postal Service asked Inspector Fred Smith to go to Manila to determine if Private Price and Hugh DeAutremont were indeed one in the same.
On February 11, 1927 Hugh was out on the firing range when he was ordered to report to his commanding officer, Major Shearer. Once there Hugh was introduced to Inspector Smith who began questioning Hugh as to his background and his whereabouts on October 11, 1923. Smith finally asked him point blank if he was Hugh DeAutremont. Hugh denied his true identity forcefully stating that he was James C. Price of Pecos, Texas. Undeterred, Inspector Smith kept at it even telling Hugh that Corporal Reynolds was the one who had contacted the authorities. Hugh stuck by his story, claiming to be Private Price until finally the questions about his background became too much and he looked at Smith, sighed and said, “I guess you got your man. I"m Hugh but I didn"t kill anyone. Neither did my brothers.” With that he launched into an elaborate story about being with his brothers on a hunting trip near Tunnel 13 when suddenly four men attacked them and took their clothing, their gun and all of their money (this was apparently in an effort to explain why their clothing and gun were found near the scene of the crime.) Hugh went on to say that he and his brothers had been tied up by the bandits but had somehow managed to break free. Once free they fled fearing that no one would believe them. Hugh steadfastly denied knowing the whereabouts of his brothers (years later when there was no reason to lie, Hugh stuck by this story and the twins also denied ever knowing where Hugh was.)
The following morning people living in the Western United States woke to newspapers with headlines screaming that the Southern Pacific Bandit had been caught in Manila.