Train Robbery

A daring and deadly train robbery took place near Belsano, PA. Sadly, it has almost been forgotten. The robbery took place in 1924 along the Cambria and Indiana Railroad.

Early Days

The Cambria and Indiana Railroad (C&I) was incorporated in 1904 by the Vinton Lumber Company. It was created to haul lumber. However, soon after construction of the line finished in 1910, coal was discovered in the area. It was then sold to John Heisley Weaver and B. Dawson Coleman to serve the areas coal interests.

In 1914 the line added scheduled passenger services. The line was very successful up into the 1940’s. Eventually the use of coal began to decline. As a result, in 1962 there were only four of the twenty four mines left open.

The last mine closed in 1994. The next year, C&I was sold and scrapped. Much of the right-of-way was donated to the Cambria County Conservation and Recreation Authority. Eventually, this land would become part of the Ghost Town Trail.

Gunshots and Train Robbery

October 11, 1924 started out like many other days. Warren “Bucky” Mentch was an engineer for the small combination freight-passenger train that was running along the C&I that day. An L. A. Duman, a Ray Holmes and a Walter Cameron were also part of the crew. It is unclear what their jobs were during the trip.

There was a box car and a passenger coach. There were some passengers in the the passenger car. Two American Express Company Guards and a safe were on the freight car.

The train was running a little late that day, and Bucky was doing his best to make up a little time. The train was moving along when the brakeman, S. M. Rice, saw a passenger waiting at the Concrete Bridge Crossing Station.

Bucky hit the emergency brake and was able to stop in time to meet the station. As he stuck his head out of the window a gunshot rang out. Confused and concerned he turned and found one of the masked burglars behind one of his crewmen. The burglar was holding a revolver. They were ordered to “Get’em up” and then get off the train.

While the five crewmen were held at gunpoint near the engine, death was visiting the freight car. As the brakes were being applied, two of the passengers made their was to the freight car. As the train came to a stop, the men threw open the door and one of them opened fire. He shot James Garman twice. Garman, 65 of Ebensburg, was killed. Joseph Davis, the other guard, was disarmed.

Train Robbery: Stolen Safe

The thieves were after the safe, which contained a payroll of $33,054 for the Ebensburg Coal Company. The two robbers were joined by a couple more of their nefarious cohorts. They removed the safe and carried it back to their waiting maroon colored roadster.

The car is believed to have been stolen in downtown Johnstown a day or two before the train heist. The crew got back on and continued to their destination at Colver. The body of Garman was taken to the hospital and the authorities were alerted.

Hide and Seek

A posse of about 100 men from Ebensburg and elsewhere started a search. The State Constabulary from Greensburg and Hollidaysburg were called in to search. A reward of $1000 was offered. Descriptions were sent off to the local states.

A few weeks later, two men were apprehended in Terre Haute, Indiana. Michelo Bassi and Anthony Pezzi were tried in the Cambria County Courthouse. They were found guily of first degree murder and robbery. They were both executed by electric chair in SCI Rockview the following year.

When the two men were arrested they each had a gun and $3000. The remaining thieves, the safe and the rest of the $33,054 were never found.

Discrepancies

I read many accounts of this story. Some accounts have two burglars others have four or six. In Warren Mentch’s account, he states that five or six burglars got off the train. Most of the stories indicate at least four and at most six burglars were involved.

Some stories mention two thieves being on the train and some don’t. I did not find any interviews done with any of the passengers.

In my reading, I found that one of the thieves had multiple spellings for his name. Michelo Bassi was also spelled Mechleo Bassi and Michele Bassi.

Exploring

The remains of the Concrete Bridge Crossing and site of the train heist can easily be found along one of the newer portions of the Ghost Town Trail.

You can access the site from two trail heads. The trail head along Vic Miller Road has a nice paved parking area. The trail head along Rt. 271 is closer, but doesn’t have a great parking area.

If you park and walk in from the Vic Miller trail head, you will cross a wonderful bridge. If you’re careful, you can see the old iron work underneath.

This stretch of the trail is surrounded by trees and runs along side Elk Creek. There are many beautiful and historic branches of the Ghost Town Trail. If you are interested in reading another article on the history of the trail, check out my post from last week: Ghost Town: Wehrum.