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Gangs and Outlaws of Western Pennsylvania
Violent bank heists, bold train robberies and hardened gangs all tear across the history of the wild west--western Pennsylvania, that is.
The region played reluctant host to the likes of the infamous Biddle Boys, who escaped Allegheny County Jail by romancing the warden's wife, and the Cooley Gang, which held Fayette County in its violent grip at the close of the nineteenth century. Then there was Pennsylvania's own Bonnie and Clyde--Irene and Glenn--whose murderous misadventures earned the "trigger blonde" and her beau the electric chair in 1931. From the perilous train tracks of Erie to the gritty streets of Pittsburgh, authors Thomas White and Michael Hassett trace the dark history of the crooks, murderers and outlaws who both terrorized and fascinated the citizenry of western Pennsylvania.
The region played reluctant host to the likes of the infamous Biddle Boys, who escaped Allegheny County Jail by romancing the warden's wife, and the Cooley Gang, which held Fayette County in its violent grip at the close of the nineteenth century. Then there was Pennsylvania's own Bonnie and Clyde--Irene and Glenn--whose murderous misadventures earned the "trigger blonde" and her beau the electric chair in 1931. From the perilous train tracks of Erie to the gritty streets of Pittsburgh, authors Thomas White and Michael Hassett trace the dark history of the crooks, murderers and outlaws who both terrorized and fascinated the citizenry of western Pennsylvania.
163 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2012
29 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Thomas White
165 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Others:
Thomas^White: GR author, Applied Ethics
Thomas 2^ White: this page, Various Author
Thomas 3^ White: History
Thomas 4^ White: (d1672) was a Presbyterian divine and Reformed preacher of the Gospel
Thomas 5^ White: Thriller
Thomas 6^ White: How-To, DIY books
Others:
Thomas^White: GR author, Applied Ethics
Thomas 2^ White: this page, Various Author
Thomas 3^ White: History
Thomas 4^ White: (d1672) was a Presbyterian divine and Reformed preacher of the Gospel
Thomas 5^ White: Thriller
Thomas 6^ White: How-To, DIY books
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 6, 2023
With "Gangs and Outlaws of Western Pennsylvania", Thomas White & Michael Hassett tackle 8 different groups of bandits that terrorized various parts of Western PA during the 19th & early 20th century as well as telling the story of the first bank robbery as well. These events pretty much focus on the counties that are within 1 or 2 of the state line w/ PA & WV and while may or may not be of interest to people outside of the area will still be something to enjoy in an attempt to understand more of the history of this particular area.
July 8, 2019
Interesting. Hometown history!
I'm from the Pittsburgh area, and admittedly had never read much about the hometown history. This was an interesting book in that it shed light on just how tough the violence got back in the day, as well as how brave and tough the Police had to be. A quick read that is interesting, and full of factual details. Well researched and we'll written!
I'm from the Pittsburgh area, and admittedly had never read much about the hometown history. This was an interesting book in that it shed light on just how tough the violence got back in the day, as well as how brave and tough the Police had to be. A quick read that is interesting, and full of factual details. Well researched and we'll written!
January 26, 2020
I read this specifically for the chapter about the Biddle Boys.
June 1, 2015
Review title: The real Slim Shady: a slim volume of shady characters in the old wild west of PA
It turns out that though there has never been a shootout at the OK Corral here, there have been some pretty wild shootouts--and holdups, and bank and train robberies, even a desperate pair of mismatched lovers who went Bonnie and Clyde in western Pennsylvania.
This is a slim volume, just over 100 pages, but by being selective and leaving out organized crime and bootlegging operations (worthy of their own volume, they say), White and Hassett are able to focus on the loners and losers who populate our imaginations, the rugged West, and at different times in western Pennsylvania history, the pages of the local papers. In fact the writers note that most of their source materials come from local newspaper accounts which often differ widely in descriptive and factual detail. These local papers were a source of both information and confusion, a piece of the landscape no longer active today as small town newspapers have gone out of business or been syndicated into local advertising supplements to metropolitan dailies. The local history of the next century will be a little duller for it.
One common thread of several of these stories is a jail break, which makes me wonder about the quality of law enforcement and the penal system of the time. The most famous is the breakout of the Biddle Boys, which was made into the major motion picture Mrs. Soffel, inspired by the titillating accounts of the lonely prison warden's wife who befriended the prisoners first to rehabilitate them, then became romantically involved, then helped engineer the escape, then fled with them!
Irene and Glenn, western PA's Bonnie and Clyde, when stripped of the romantic overlay, are actually a desperate and despicable pair deserving of the cross country manhunt and death sentence that awaited them at the end of their short brutal lives. And yet, and yet, we wish for them that their lives were different, or failing that, that those lives meant something more than death and destruction for them and their unfortunate victims.
This is a fun well done local history that gets it right.
It turns out that though there has never been a shootout at the OK Corral here, there have been some pretty wild shootouts--and holdups, and bank and train robberies, even a desperate pair of mismatched lovers who went Bonnie and Clyde in western Pennsylvania.
This is a slim volume, just over 100 pages, but by being selective and leaving out organized crime and bootlegging operations (worthy of their own volume, they say), White and Hassett are able to focus on the loners and losers who populate our imaginations, the rugged West, and at different times in western Pennsylvania history, the pages of the local papers. In fact the writers note that most of their source materials come from local newspaper accounts which often differ widely in descriptive and factual detail. These local papers were a source of both information and confusion, a piece of the landscape no longer active today as small town newspapers have gone out of business or been syndicated into local advertising supplements to metropolitan dailies. The local history of the next century will be a little duller for it.
One common thread of several of these stories is a jail break, which makes me wonder about the quality of law enforcement and the penal system of the time. The most famous is the breakout of the Biddle Boys, which was made into the major motion picture Mrs. Soffel, inspired by the titillating accounts of the lonely prison warden's wife who befriended the prisoners first to rehabilitate them, then became romantically involved, then helped engineer the escape, then fled with them!
Irene and Glenn, western PA's Bonnie and Clyde, when stripped of the romantic overlay, are actually a desperate and despicable pair deserving of the cross country manhunt and death sentence that awaited them at the end of their short brutal lives. And yet, and yet, we wish for them that their lives were different, or failing that, that those lives meant something more than death and destruction for them and their unfortunate victims.
This is a fun well done local history that gets it right.
December 21, 2013
yens know Old Jeb Snyders warshin his Yueng Leung in the crick? he's warshin his Yueng Lueng in the crick, Jeb Snyder. Ol Hexmeister Hunsberger got 10 buggies on the TLC, Amish Mafia television program. Wife don't much care for it--- she's reddin up the table at the Dumplin Haus. Can't much blame her. biggerst thing she sawr's Picksburg--- finest scrapple--- down there in Picksburgh. But old Jeb Snyder warshin his dirty Yueng Lueng in the crick mongst the peepers. can't much blame him, Lost his job as a volunteer fireman- runnin that darned dope down I-80 in a black Lamborghini with no lights at all goin 180 mph. yeah, well. Old Jeb Snyders warshin his dirty YuengLueng in the crick. prolly mongst them peepers an skunk cabbage.
September 16, 2013
I grew up in Western Pa, and the Cooley Gang are my relatives, I donated some family history to the author for the book. Even without growing up in the area, i think most people will find the history and the stories a good read, I recommend the other books he has written if you are interested in more South Western Pa history and lore.
March 25, 2018
It was interesting to read about the exploits of some of the criminals in Western PA. The writing was mediocre but as is typical for this type of book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews