DeAutremont Brothers
Encyclopedia
The DeAutremont Brothers, Hugh DeAutremont (1905-1959), Roy (1900-June 1983) and Ray DeAutremont
(1900-December 22, 1984), were a criminal gang based in Pacific Northwest
during the 1920s. Their unsuccessful robbery of Southern Pacific Railroad
express train and the murder of all three crew members, known as the Siskiyou massacre, was subject to one of the largest and most extensive investigations in the region. The brothers were eventually identified with the assistance of Dr. Edward Heinrich and were captured after a nationwide manhunt which lasted four years.
and all three brothers worked as lumberjacks. Ray was involved in the emerging labor union movement and the Industrial Workers of the World
during his youth. He was sent to a reformatory in Monroe, Washington
in 1919 for his affiliation with the notorious Wobblies organization and spent nearly a year there.
When Hugh graduated from high school in New Mexico
in June 1923, he joined his brothers in a logging camp near Silverton, Oregon
. The three brothers worked in Silverton for four months until October 11 when they attempted to rob Southern Pacific Railroad Train No. 13 then traveling south through the Siskiyou Mountains
. The express train was only a few miles from the Siskyou station when they boarded the train, waiting for the locomotive and first three cars to pass before jumping onto the car, and forced the engineer Arnold Bates to stop the train while most of the train was still inside the 3,000 fl. tunnel. The brothers were armed with sawed-off shotguns and while Roy watched the engineer, Ray and Hugh went ahead to the mail coach which was carrying an estimated $40,000. When postal clerk Elvyn Dougherty saw the two approach the mail car, he closed the door and Hugh fired his shotgun twice. Ray then attached a dynamite charge to the mail car's door and ran for cover with his brothers. Roy DeAutremont described what happened in a sworn statement years later,
The brothers were then forced to flee empty handed while a second conductor ran to a nearby emergency phone and reported the robbery to authorities in Ashland
. Police investigators later found a detonator and a discarded .45 caliber pistol at the scene along with three gunny sacks which had been soaked in creosote and dragged along the ground to throw bloodhounds off their trail. The search party fanned out from Tunnel 13 and discovered a black traveling bag with a railroad shipping tag and a pair of green overalls. Over a dozen suspects were jailed and questioned, but local authorities made little headway in solving the case.
Dr. Edward Heinrich, a chemistry professor at the University of California
, was brought in and was able to use early forensic methods to accurately provide a description of the suspects for police. Upon examining the green overalls found by investigators, Heinrich reported that the suspect was a left-handed lumberjack, approximately 25 years old, with brown hair and fair complexion, was 58 in height and weighed 165 pounds, and was described as a man with fastidious habits. He further explained his findings were based on specific evidence gathered by his investigation of the overalls. Strands of hair had been found as well as the presence of Douglas fir needles and fresh pitch from pine trees. The overalls were worn only on its right side suggesting the same position a southpaw would take as if he were to lean against a tree while swinging an ax. In addition, the receipt for a registered letter was found in the pocket while police later traced to a $50 money order sent by Roy DeAutremont to his brother Hugh in Lakewood, New Mexico on September 14, 1923.
Investigators then questioned Paul d'Autremont who confirmed that all three sons were lumberjacks and that Roy was left-handed. The .45 Colt found at the crime scene was traced to a one William Elliott, whose handwriting matched also matched Roy DeAutremont, and the railroad express tags found on the suitcase revealed that Roy had mailed it to himself from Eugene to Portland on January 21 of that year. Although there was enough evidence to identify the DeAutremont brothers as the most likely suspects, apprehending them was another matter as all three had disappeared since the incident. The federal government offered a $6,000 reward for their capture with an additional $7,000 added by Southern Pacific and $900 from the Railway Express Company. News of the Siskiyou massacre had attracted national attention by this time and investigators received reports of numerous sightings, following every one of these new leads, but none of these panned out. The U.S. government eventually issued 2,265,000 wanted posters printed in English and five other languages which were then distributed internationally.
After several months with no new leads, investigators were on the verge of giving up. However, a Corporal Thomas Reynolds came forward in June 1923 and identified Hugh d'Autremont as James Price who had been an acquaintance of his while serving with the United States Army
in the Philippines
. He had only recently been stationed on Alcatraz Island
in San Francisco, California
when he recognized d'Autremont from a wanted poster and reported this to his superior officers. Hugh d'Autremont was arrested within six hours and, while admitting his true identity in custody, he was able to stall his extradition to the United States until March 1927. Once back in the United States, Hugh d'Autremont was tried and convicted of first degree murder.
Hugh d'Autremont denied knowledge of his brothers whereabouts but his capture encouraged federal authorities to redistribute new wanted posters. Within two months, a report was received that Ray and Roy DeAutremont had been seen in Portsmouth, Ohio
and were discovered to living in nearby Steubenville under the assumed names of Clarence and Elmer Goodwin. They were arrested by FBI agents on June 8, 1927, and offered no resistance.
The twin brothers later claimed they had fled to Detroit after the robbery. Ray had married while in Detroit and moved to Hanging Rock
with his brother following him several months later. They kept on the move, living in both Portsmouth and Steubenville, before they were recognized when the new wanted posters were issued. Ray's had previously bleached his hair but this failed to disguise him.
The two were quickly extradited to Jackson, Oregon where they stood trial for their role in the Siskiyou massacre. Their arrival coincided with Hugh's murder trial although this fact was withheld from the defendant. Hugh was convicted of first degree murder, although jurors recommended leniency, and Roy and Ray DeAutremont both pled guilty to the same charges. All three were sentenced to life imprisonment at the Oregon state prison in Salem, Oregon
.
Hugh was paroled on November 24, 1958, prison authorities describing the convict as a testament of reformation, but died of cancer in February 1959. Roy DeAutremont was declared insane in 1960 and was transferred to the Oregon State Hospital where he eventually died. Ray was the last to be released when he was paroled on October 11, 1961, on the 38th anniversary of the Siskiyou massacre. He was questioned by reporters while leaving the prison, and when asked how it felt to be released, he replied "I'm trying to think of something to say. Well you can imagine how it feels, can't you? But one thing is for sure: For the rest of my life I will struggle with the question of whatever possessed us to do such a thing?"
Ray DeAutremont
Ray Charles DeAutremont , also known as Ray d'Autremont, R.C. Burton, William Elliot, Elmer Goodwin, and Charles R. Joseph, was a member of the DeAutremont Brothers, who were the sole members and accomplices to perform the Last Great Train Robbery...
(1900-December 22, 1984), were a criminal gang based in Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
during the 1920s. Their unsuccessful robbery of Southern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
express train and the murder of all three crew members, known as the Siskiyou massacre, was subject to one of the largest and most extensive investigations in the region. The brothers were eventually identified with the assistance of Dr. Edward Heinrich and were captured after a nationwide manhunt which lasted four years.
Biography
Twin brothers Ray and Roy d'Autremont were born 30 Mar 1900 in Iowa and their younger brother Hugh was born 21 Feb 1904 in Arkansas. They were the sons of Paul P. d'Autremont and Isabella Bertha Wombacher. Their father ran a barber shop in Eugene, OregonEugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
and all three brothers worked as lumberjacks. Ray was involved in the emerging labor union movement and the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
during his youth. He was sent to a reformatory in Monroe, Washington
Monroe, Washington
Monroe is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population as of 17,304 at the 2010 census.-History:The history of Monroe is intertwined with that of the Great Northern Railway which pushed over the Cascade Range at Stevens Pass and worked its way down the Skykomish River...
in 1919 for his affiliation with the notorious Wobblies organization and spent nearly a year there.
When Hugh graduated from high school in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in June 1923, he joined his brothers in a logging camp near Silverton, Oregon
Silverton, Oregon
Silverton is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States, along the 45th parallel. The population was 7,414 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. The three brothers worked in Silverton for four months until October 11 when they attempted to rob Southern Pacific Railroad Train No. 13 then traveling south through the Siskiyou Mountains
Siskiyou Mountains
The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal mountain range in the northern Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, California northeast along the north side of the Klamath River into...
. The express train was only a few miles from the Siskyou station when they boarded the train, waiting for the locomotive and first three cars to pass before jumping onto the car, and forced the engineer Arnold Bates to stop the train while most of the train was still inside the 3,000 fl. tunnel. The brothers were armed with sawed-off shotguns and while Roy watched the engineer, Ray and Hugh went ahead to the mail coach which was carrying an estimated $40,000. When postal clerk Elvyn Dougherty saw the two approach the mail car, he closed the door and Hugh fired his shotgun twice. Ray then attached a dynamite charge to the mail car's door and ran for cover with his brothers. Roy DeAutremont described what happened in a sworn statement years later,
The brothers were then forced to flee empty handed while a second conductor ran to a nearby emergency phone and reported the robbery to authorities in Ashland
Ashland, Oregon
Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
. Police investigators later found a detonator and a discarded .45 caliber pistol at the scene along with three gunny sacks which had been soaked in creosote and dragged along the ground to throw bloodhounds off their trail. The search party fanned out from Tunnel 13 and discovered a black traveling bag with a railroad shipping tag and a pair of green overalls. Over a dozen suspects were jailed and questioned, but local authorities made little headway in solving the case.
Dr. Edward Heinrich, a chemistry professor at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, was brought in and was able to use early forensic methods to accurately provide a description of the suspects for police. Upon examining the green overalls found by investigators, Heinrich reported that the suspect was a left-handed lumberjack, approximately 25 years old, with brown hair and fair complexion, was 58 in height and weighed 165 pounds, and was described as a man with fastidious habits. He further explained his findings were based on specific evidence gathered by his investigation of the overalls. Strands of hair had been found as well as the presence of Douglas fir needles and fresh pitch from pine trees. The overalls were worn only on its right side suggesting the same position a southpaw would take as if he were to lean against a tree while swinging an ax. In addition, the receipt for a registered letter was found in the pocket while police later traced to a $50 money order sent by Roy DeAutremont to his brother Hugh in Lakewood, New Mexico on September 14, 1923.
Investigators then questioned Paul d'Autremont who confirmed that all three sons were lumberjacks and that Roy was left-handed. The .45 Colt found at the crime scene was traced to a one William Elliott, whose handwriting matched also matched Roy DeAutremont, and the railroad express tags found on the suitcase revealed that Roy had mailed it to himself from Eugene to Portland on January 21 of that year. Although there was enough evidence to identify the DeAutremont brothers as the most likely suspects, apprehending them was another matter as all three had disappeared since the incident. The federal government offered a $6,000 reward for their capture with an additional $7,000 added by Southern Pacific and $900 from the Railway Express Company. News of the Siskiyou massacre had attracted national attention by this time and investigators received reports of numerous sightings, following every one of these new leads, but none of these panned out. The U.S. government eventually issued 2,265,000 wanted posters printed in English and five other languages which were then distributed internationally.
After several months with no new leads, investigators were on the verge of giving up. However, a Corporal Thomas Reynolds came forward in June 1923 and identified Hugh d'Autremont as James Price who had been an acquaintance of his while serving with the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. He had only recently been stationed on Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is an island located in the San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. Often referred to as "The Rock" or simply "Traz", the small island was developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, a military prison, and a Federal...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
when he recognized d'Autremont from a wanted poster and reported this to his superior officers. Hugh d'Autremont was arrested within six hours and, while admitting his true identity in custody, he was able to stall his extradition to the United States until March 1927. Once back in the United States, Hugh d'Autremont was tried and convicted of first degree murder.
Hugh d'Autremont denied knowledge of his brothers whereabouts but his capture encouraged federal authorities to redistribute new wanted posters. Within two months, a report was received that Ray and Roy DeAutremont had been seen in Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth, Ohio
Portsmouth is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Scioto County. The municipality is located on the northern banks of the Ohio River and east of the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. The population was 20,226 at the 2010 census.-Foundation:...
and were discovered to living in nearby Steubenville under the assumed names of Clarence and Elmer Goodwin. They were arrested by FBI agents on June 8, 1927, and offered no resistance.
The twin brothers later claimed they had fled to Detroit after the robbery. Ray had married while in Detroit and moved to Hanging Rock
Hanging Rock
- Australia :* Hanging Rock, New South Wales, a mining village on the Northern Tablelands* Hanging Rock, Victoria, a rock formation**Picnic at Hanging Rock , a 1967 novel by Australian author Joan Lindsay...
with his brother following him several months later. They kept on the move, living in both Portsmouth and Steubenville, before they were recognized when the new wanted posters were issued. Ray's had previously bleached his hair but this failed to disguise him.
The two were quickly extradited to Jackson, Oregon where they stood trial for their role in the Siskiyou massacre. Their arrival coincided with Hugh's murder trial although this fact was withheld from the defendant. Hugh was convicted of first degree murder, although jurors recommended leniency, and Roy and Ray DeAutremont both pled guilty to the same charges. All three were sentenced to life imprisonment at the Oregon state prison in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
.
Hugh was paroled on November 24, 1958, prison authorities describing the convict as a testament of reformation, but died of cancer in February 1959. Roy DeAutremont was declared insane in 1960 and was transferred to the Oregon State Hospital where he eventually died. Ray was the last to be released when he was paroled on October 11, 1961, on the 38th anniversary of the Siskiyou massacre. He was questioned by reporters while leaving the prison, and when asked how it felt to be released, he replied "I'm trying to think of something to say. Well you can imagine how it feels, can't you? But one thing is for sure: For the rest of my life I will struggle with the question of whatever possessed us to do such a thing?"