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Train Commits Robbery What happens in a train robbery when the train is the robber? According to the old East St. Louis Journal (1940), something like that happened in 1855. Daniel R. Garrison, contractor for the Ohio & Mississippi R.R., was confronted with a dilemma. He only had seven miles left to lay but he had run out of rails. A shipment was on its way from England but that could be months away. Coincidentally, the Terre Haute, Alton and St. Louis R.R. had just received a large supply of newly shipped rails lying on the St. Louis levee. Unfortunately, the bank account of the 0. & M. was too low to pay for any rails. When the Terre Haute’s rails were ferried over to Illinoistown (E. St. Louis), enough rails to lay seven miles of track inexplicably became separated from the rest and ended up at the 0. & M. camp where they were promptly used. The Terre Haute soon missed their rails and sent the St. Clair County sheriff after them with a posse and a writ of replevin. The sheriff found Garrison on his private car and demanded the rails. Garrison assured him that it was just a mistake and that he’d send them back. But the wily contractor first offered him a ride on the railroad. Having never ridden on one before, the sheriff accepted.
Garrison ordered the train eastward and gave the sheriff a fascinating explanation of the workings of the railroad. Perhaps he even pointed out the newly built O’Fallon Station on the way. After about 45 minutes, the sheriff got back to business and said he’d have to take the rails. Garrison replied, “I’m sorry, sheriff, but we’re in Clinton County now and I have to go East on business but I’ll see that you get home safely.” By the time the sheriff reached home, the last seven miles of track had been laid with the “borrowed” rails.
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