Henry Loftus and Harry Donaldson
Encyclopedia
Henry Loftus (born 1915) and Harry (Dwyer) Donaldson (born 1910) were two young men who made national headlines for their unsuccessful attempt to rob the Southern Pacific Railroad
's Apache Limited in 1937. The last major train robbery in the United States, the two have been referred to as "the last of America's classic train robbers". Though they were not professional criminals, their unhealthy fixation with the American Wild West prompted them to rob the train which resulted in the intentional wounding of one passenger and the accidental death of another.
to German immigrant Conrad Lorenz. As a bored teenager living in a small town, Loftus developed an interest in dime novels and the American Old West
. This interest eventually evolved into what his family later called a "Wild West complex" though they humored him hoping he would outgrow it. Loftus was still living at home when he committed his first arrest for burglary
. The local town judge sympathized with the young man, suspended his sentence
and released him on probation
.
Shortly afterwards, Loftus' father moved the family to Chicago
where he opened a shoe store in 1936. Loftus stayed for only a few months and, after living in Brooklyn, New York for a time, announced that he was going west "to seek fame and fortune in the wide open spaces". His companion on this journey was Harry Donaldson (or Dwyer), a young Canadian he had recently befriended, who had a similar interest in the Wild West and its outlaws in particular. A year later, they booked a train on the Santa Fe Railroad to El Paso, Texas
. Upon their arrival, they were disappointed to see that El Paso had long since left behind its frontier past and had become a modern city with paved streets and automobiles much like they left behind in Chicago. While in El Paso, they purchased cowboy outfits, including chaps
and Ten-gallon hats, and soon found themselves a source of amusement to the local residents. Loftus and Donaldson eventually decided to leave the city by purchasing two horses and heading westward hoping to find something left of the American frontier.
After two days on the trail, they arrived at Deming, New Mexico
. Confronted with the fact that the frontier no longer existed in the American Southwest, the two formed a plan to rob a train. Selling their horses, they used the money to buy old fashioned six-shooters with hand-tooled holsters and the rest for train tickets back to El Paso.
On November 24, 1937, Loftus and Donaldson were travelling as passengers on the Southern Pacific Railroad
's westbound Apache Limited out of El Paso. About an hour into the trip, Loftus sat up from their seat and drew his pistol on conductor
W.M. Holloway. Holloway later recalled that he "thought [Loftus] was drunk. I didn't think it was a holdup. I was afraid that gun was going off when the amateur's hands started shaking". Regardless, Loftus covered the conductor while Donaldson moved through the passengers collecting several men's watches but no cash. Growing frustrated and nervous, a male passenger made a sudden move causing Donaldson to panic and shot the man in the hip. When Loftus went back to help his partner, he was tackled by an off-duty brakeman
, W.L. Smith, who was travelling as a passenger.
Loftus and Smith began wrestling on the floor when the gun suddenly went off killing Smith. At this point, the 20 passengers attacked both men "punching and kicking them in a frenzy". One witness said "If it hadn't been that we had women passengers on the coach, these robbers would have been beaten to death". Lashing the would-be robbers to the seats, they turned them over to the sheriff in Deming, then transferred to Las Cruces, New Mexico
for trial. Concerns arose that the two were unfit for trial
as then District Attorney Martin Threet had to enter not guilty pleas on their behalf. His father and sister travelled from Chicago to see Loftus, who read passages from the Bible given to him by his father, and his sister Margaret told the press that Loftus "does not seem to grasp the meaning of the charges against him". Neither had funds to help Loftus but said they would return for the trial if they were able. Donaldson's mother, a Mrs. Joseph Thivalt, traveled all the way from Concession, Nova Scotia
after using his last 95 cents to telegraph her. Facing the death penalty, they pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to serve 50–75 years imprisonment in February 1938.
Both men were charged and swiftly convicted of robbery and murder, however the circumstances of the crime received national attention. It was the last major train robbery in the United States, the two being referred to as "the last of America's classic train robbers", and officially ended the Old West-style train robbery
started by the Reno Brothers 70 years before.
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....
's Apache Limited in 1937. The last major train robbery in the United States, the two have been referred to as "the last of America's classic train robbers". Though they were not professional criminals, their unhealthy fixation with the American Wild West prompted them to rob the train which resulted in the intentional wounding of one passenger and the accidental death of another.
History
Henry Loftus (or Lorenz) was born and raised in Manitowoc, WisconsinManitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
to German immigrant Conrad Lorenz. As a bored teenager living in a small town, Loftus developed an interest in dime novels and the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
. This interest eventually evolved into what his family later called a "Wild West complex" though they humored him hoping he would outgrow it. Loftus was still living at home when he committed his first arrest for burglary
Burglary
Burglary is a crime, the essence of which is illicit entry into a building for the purposes of committing an offense. Usually that offense will be theft, but most jurisdictions specify others which fall within the ambit of burglary...
. The local town judge sympathized with the young man, suspended his sentence
Suspended sentence
A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge's delaying of a defendant's serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendant to perform a period of probation...
and released him on probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
.
Shortly afterwards, Loftus' father moved the family to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where he opened a shoe store in 1936. Loftus stayed for only a few months and, after living in Brooklyn, New York for a time, announced that he was going west "to seek fame and fortune in the wide open spaces". His companion on this journey was Harry Donaldson (or Dwyer), a young Canadian he had recently befriended, who had a similar interest in the Wild West and its outlaws in particular. A year later, they booked a train on the Santa Fe Railroad to El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. Upon their arrival, they were disappointed to see that El Paso had long since left behind its frontier past and had become a modern city with paved streets and automobiles much like they left behind in Chicago. While in El Paso, they purchased cowboy outfits, including chaps
Chaps
Chaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather...
and Ten-gallon hats, and soon found themselves a source of amusement to the local residents. Loftus and Donaldson eventually decided to leave the city by purchasing two horses and heading westward hoping to find something left of the American frontier.
After two days on the trail, they arrived at Deming, New Mexico
Deming, New Mexico
Deming is a city in Luna County, New Mexico, United States, located 60 miles west of Las Cruces. The population was 14,116 at the 2000 census. Deming is the county seat and principal town of Luna County.-History:...
. Confronted with the fact that the frontier no longer existed in the American Southwest, the two formed a plan to rob a train. Selling their horses, they used the money to buy old fashioned six-shooters with hand-tooled holsters and the rest for train tickets back to El Paso.
On November 24, 1937, Loftus and Donaldson were travelling as passengers on the 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....
's westbound Apache Limited out of El Paso. About an hour into the trip, Loftus sat up from their seat and drew his pistol on conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
W.M. Holloway. Holloway later recalled that he "thought [Loftus] was drunk. I didn't think it was a holdup. I was afraid that gun was going off when the amateur's hands started shaking". Regardless, Loftus covered the conductor while Donaldson moved through the passengers collecting several men's watches but no cash. Growing frustrated and nervous, a male passenger made a sudden move causing Donaldson to panic and shot the man in the hip. When Loftus went back to help his partner, he was tackled by an off-duty brakeman
Brakeman
A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job it was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The advent of through brakes on trains made this role redundant, although the name lives on in the United States where brakemen carry out a variety of functions...
, W.L. Smith, who was travelling as a passenger.
Loftus and Smith began wrestling on the floor when the gun suddenly went off killing Smith. At this point, the 20 passengers attacked both men "punching and kicking them in a frenzy". One witness said "If it hadn't been that we had women passengers on the coach, these robbers would have been beaten to death". Lashing the would-be robbers to the seats, they turned them over to the sheriff in Deming, then transferred to Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
for trial. Concerns arose that the two were unfit for trial
Mental disorder defence
In the criminal laws of Australia and Canada, the defence of mental disorder is a legal defence by excuse, by which a defendant may argue they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law because they were mentally ill at the time of the alleged criminal actions.These are a statutory...
as then District Attorney Martin Threet had to enter not guilty pleas on their behalf. His father and sister travelled from Chicago to see Loftus, who read passages from the Bible given to him by his father, and his sister Margaret told the press that Loftus "does not seem to grasp the meaning of the charges against him". Neither had funds to help Loftus but said they would return for the trial if they were able. Donaldson's mother, a Mrs. Joseph Thivalt, traveled all the way from Concession, Nova Scotia
Concession, Nova Scotia
Concession is a small rural residential village located in the Clare District of DigbyCounty, Nova Scotia, Canada. It encompasses a sprawling forested area featuring many lakes and streams...
after using his last 95 cents to telegraph her. Facing the death penalty, they pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to serve 50–75 years imprisonment in February 1938.
Both men were charged and swiftly convicted of robbery and murder, however the circumstances of the crime received national attention. It was the last major train robbery in the United States, the two being referred to as "the last of America's classic train robbers", and officially ended the Old West-style train robbery
Train robbery
Train robbery is a type of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables being carried aboard trains.-History:Train robberies were more common in the past than today, and often occurred in the American Old West. Trains carrying payroll shipments were a major target...
started by the Reno Brothers 70 years before.
Further reading
- Long, Haniel, John Kane and Ronald Caplan. If He Can Make Her So. Pittsburgh: Frontier Press, 1968.
- Mottram, Eric. Blood on the Nash Ambassador: Investigations in American Culture. London: Hutchinson Radius, 1989. ISBN 0-09-182354-4
- Simmons, Marc. When Six-Guns Ruled: Outlaw Tales of the Southwest. Santa Fe, New Mexico: Ancient City Press, 1990. ISBN 0-94-1270-63-7