1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: I'm editor Candice Gibson. Joint today as always by none 4 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 1: other than Josh Clark. Hey, Candice, how are you? I'm 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: doing fabulous? How are you doing, Josh? I'm doing pretty good. 6 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: I'm doing good. I feel very connected to India right now. 7 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: I've been perusing the Times of India lately. You ever 8 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:32,880 Speaker 1: read that news agency's website. I stick to the Times 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: in New York. Thank you. This is it's pretty good stuff. 10 00:00:35,159 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: It's like a whole different worldview, you know. But um, 11 00:00:38,200 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: apparently what I found out is that there's been a 12 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,120 Speaker 1: rash of um daring and kind of ham fisted train 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: robberies over there lately. Have you heard anything about this? 14 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:48,680 Speaker 1: Now you're gonna have to fill me in. Okay, So 15 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: the most recent one was on the pears Nath Express. 16 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:55,279 Speaker 1: And basically this gang of miscreants that's the Times of 17 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: India's word for them, uh. And they're in there like 18 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: mid twenties, and they come board these passenger compartments of 19 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: these trains brandishing guns and lathis, which are like these 20 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: cane poles, used for beating um in the Indian martial 21 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: art of Lathey. Right, it looks like a sheep kind 22 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 1: of except without the hook. Imagine just the cane part 23 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: the pole. Yeah, and you would not want to be 24 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: beaten about the head or neck with one of these things. So, 25 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: which is why the people have been handing over their 26 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: cash and jewelry to these thugs um and so far 27 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: on the on the Parasnath Express, they made off with 28 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,320 Speaker 1: about a hundred thousand rupees worth of stuff, which is 29 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,759 Speaker 1: actually like forty dollars in America, which is pretty significant. 30 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,360 Speaker 1: Hall and this isn't the only time that has happened. 31 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 1: This is the third one since may Um and they're 32 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,800 Speaker 1: similar ms. They think it's the same people, but actually 33 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:48,280 Speaker 1: one person died from it. But they weren't beat with 34 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: the Lathey. They were actually drugged. Uh And once they 35 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: started to go unconscious, um, they they were relieved of 36 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: their valuables. The problem is that the kid who was 37 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: drugged ended up lying. So if this gang of miscreants 38 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: gets found, they're going to be in a lot of trouble. 39 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 1: It sounds like it. It actually sounds pretty reminiscent of 40 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:09,679 Speaker 1: one of my favorite crime stories of all time. The 41 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:12,839 Speaker 1: Great Train Robber, that's one of my favorite too. That's 42 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: a that was a good hoist, wasn't it It was? 43 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: It was. That's a pretty memorable cast of characters there, 44 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: and the very famous mustachioed Scotland Yard detective Jack Slipper 45 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: forgive him, I know. Now, the guys in the Great 46 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 1: Train Robber used a tremendous amount of finesse, especially compared 47 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: to these Indian miscreants, would you agree? I agree? And 48 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: you know, an antique stealer and a hairdresser. Essentially, they 49 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: got their two gangs together, the Southwest Gang in the 50 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: Southeast Gang, and they they ended up making off with 51 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,680 Speaker 1: about oh gosh, it was like two point six million 52 00:02:46,760 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: pounds sterling. Yeah. Today actually translates into like fifty million dollars, Yeah, 53 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: fifty million US dollars. It's the most significant train heist 54 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: since eighteen fifty five, when a training route from Harris 55 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 1: to London was was relieved of its gold bullion. Well, 56 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: it took a lot of work, like you said, to 57 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: pull this off, and it was worth it in the end, 58 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,600 Speaker 1: and originally they thought that they could do it was 59 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: just a handful of men and no way. It took 60 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: a whole lot more fifteen total. And there were a 61 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:19,959 Speaker 1: couple of accomplices to a man whose alias was Peter, 62 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: who was supposed to be the train driver. And then 63 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: there was a Mr One, Mr Two and a Mr three. 64 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:27,119 Speaker 1: And I'm not going to bore you guys with all 65 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:31,119 Speaker 1: the names because we would be here all day. Yeah, fifteen. 66 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: But the big mastermind, we think, was a man named 67 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: Bruce Reynolds, who was an antique stealer. I mean, these 68 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: are like the most interesting gang of bandits I've ever 69 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 1: heard of, Like you said, a hairdresser. One of them 70 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: was a club owner who used to be a boxer. 71 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: So these are these are your top of the line 72 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: interesting bandits basically right pretty much? Yeah. And so the 73 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: idea was that they were going to take this train 74 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: called the Up Special, which was essentially a mail carrier 75 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: for the most part. It was en route to London 76 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: from Glasgow. Yes, it had been a bank holiday weekend 77 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: in Scotland, and they were going to pretty much empty 78 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,840 Speaker 1: the car of all of its contents, which totaled one 79 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: sacks of cash. It's just like a ton and a 80 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: half of money, yeah, it really is. And Their plan 81 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:21,880 Speaker 1: was pretty ingenious. They decided that they would stop the train, 82 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:25,039 Speaker 1: unlatched the car and the engine, and then drive it off. 83 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: I like the way that they stopped the train. One 84 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,920 Speaker 1: of the guys um, you know, trains follow traffic signals 85 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: like cars do. Uh, So they went to one of 86 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: the signals that sears crossing I think is what it is, um, 87 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: and they actually used like black cloth or something to 88 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: cover up the green signal. Right, Roger Quadrey decided that 89 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: this would be the best way to work this. It 90 00:04:44,279 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: works almost like a stoplight, a regular stoplight at at 91 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: a traffic intersection with a red, green and yellow light. So, 92 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:52,679 Speaker 1: like you said, he covered up the green with black paper, 93 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: and then he waited off in the distance, and when 94 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:57,280 Speaker 1: the train came exactly at the place where they wanted 95 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 1: it to stop, he used a battery in a couple 96 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: of whi ours to rig it up and flash the 97 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: red light, which is just beyond cool. So the train stops, 98 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:09,359 Speaker 1: and uh, these guys board and they're pretty much intent 99 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: on taking the money. So they actually hit the driver 100 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 1: over the head. Poor Jack Mills, yeah, he I saw 101 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 1: a picture of him in this in the article. And 102 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,360 Speaker 1: how the Great train robbery worked and his head is 103 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,720 Speaker 1: all bandaged. He looks a little confused. Yeah, it's it's 104 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: always kind of comical the way it's just wrapped around 105 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:29,080 Speaker 1: his head. And even though it's a pretty significant injury. Yeah, 106 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: he couldn't work again after that. Yeah, but his was 107 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 1: the only injury and the whole robbery. Yeah, it's true. 108 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:38,640 Speaker 1: And the funny thing was Peter uh the the accomplice 109 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: that you mentioned earlier, supposed to drive the train. Apparently 110 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,320 Speaker 1: they found out during the heist that he had no 111 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 1: idea how to drive the train, so they actually tossed 112 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: him off of the train and they get the the 113 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 1: original driver, the guy who's supposed to be driving the 114 00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: train back into the the the the I guess the 115 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: engine to drive it head injury and all, and what 116 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: he drove about a kilometer and a half, Yeah, one 117 00:06:02,600 --> 00:06:05,160 Speaker 1: and a half miles to Bridego Bridge. That was their 118 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: unloading spot and it was pretty close to this old 119 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,479 Speaker 1: farmhouse called leather Slade Farm. And this is where the 120 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: men have been hiding out essentially right waiting for August eighth, 121 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty three. And they had been having a pretty 122 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: good time at their safe house. They had you know, uh, 123 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: some food and some drinks and sleeping bags, and they 124 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: passed the time playing Monopoly. And here's where the story 125 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: gets kind of interesting and sort of goes down into 126 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: a urban legend. So so basically they unload the money 127 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: from the train and they go back to what was 128 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: it called leather Slade farm. The British have the coolest 129 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: names for their farms. But so they go back to 130 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: leather Slade and they divvy up the money and actually 131 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: apparently hung around for a while because they were playing 132 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:54,720 Speaker 1: Monopoly with some of the stolen money, which you know, 133 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: I mean it makes a Monopoly game that much more 134 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: interesting when you're playing for actual cash. And then they 135 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: all go their separate ways, right they do they need 136 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,280 Speaker 1: to take their share, they go their separate ways, and 137 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:10,120 Speaker 1: within a day Scotland Yard is all over that and 138 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: they even appoint a special team called the Flying Squad 139 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,640 Speaker 1: to investigate. It was headed up by Tommy Butler, who 140 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: had a reputations being the sort of this rough and tumble, 141 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 1: tough talking guy, and one of his famous investigators that 142 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier it was Jack Slipper, and Jack Slipper 143 00:07:26,400 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: became a household name over time, because although they caught everybody, right, 144 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: eventually all fifteen guys were caught, is that correct? Not 145 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: all at once? But weren't they all eventually caught? Not 146 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,280 Speaker 1: all of them? Oh? No, okay, which one wasn't? I 147 00:07:40,320 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: can't tell you his exact name. Again, there's so many names, 148 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: but twelve or fifteen. Well, the thing is these guys, 149 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,560 Speaker 1: even though they were hairdressers and antique dealers and club owners, 150 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: they were not content to just sit in prison being caught. 151 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: One of them did actually surrender a share and played guilty. 152 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: I think that was Cordrey, the guy who actually did 153 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: the signal um but arrest of them. Actually, when they 154 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: went to prison, a couple of them plotted to escape, 155 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: and one was actually very successful at it. This was 156 00:08:07,080 --> 00:08:09,640 Speaker 1: Ronnie Big. Yeah, he was not going to just roll. 157 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: Ronnie Biggs had his mind made up that he was 158 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: learned behold going to escape, and he sort of roused 159 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: the forces and was going to get his fellow great 160 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: train robber Rebels to go with him, and they backed out, 161 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:23,480 Speaker 1: and so they were being held at this one prison, 162 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: and then they were transferred to Aylesburg, which is sort 163 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: of like the Alcatraz of Britain, and from there he 164 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: made his escape and a feuded a van and he 165 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: was on the land. Yeah, he went and got plastic 166 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: surgery to disguised his face, and he went off to 167 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: Australia first and then Brazil. And then Brazil very settled 168 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: because Brazil isn't big on extradition, no, no, so he 169 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:45,800 Speaker 1: really got away with it for a while. And then 170 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: you know, it's really funny because back in two thousand one, uh, 171 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,719 Speaker 1: he decided, you know what, I'm tired of being on 172 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:54,199 Speaker 1: the run. Well, Jack Slipper actually had shown up at 173 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: his house in Brazil once and there was also a 174 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: kidnapping attempt by some X S A S guys. Uh, 175 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: And apparently he still remained in Brazil. But I guess 176 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,920 Speaker 1: I imagine after those decades of of you know, having 177 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: to look over your shoulder and worry every time somebody 178 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: knocks at the door, that's got to wear you down, 179 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:16,960 Speaker 1: especially considering these guys only made about eighty thousand pounds each, right, right. 180 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: And so he ended up turning himself in and he's 181 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: going to serve out the rest of his days in prison. 182 00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 1: And it's actually a pretty nice little place. It's prison 183 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: for the elderly. So um. Plus he's got a new face. 184 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: He's got a new face. He had a new alias, 185 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: Michael Michael Haynes. Now he can be Ronnie Biggs again 186 00:09:33,880 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 1: and just and he's still around, right, He's still around. 187 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: And two thousand five, Jack Slipper died unfortunately, so he 188 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: outlived his his his his ness. That's a great word 189 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: for Here's the thing I had heard and I know 190 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: a decent amount about the Great Train Robbery. Here's the 191 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: thing I understand that they were actually caught because of 192 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,959 Speaker 1: that Monopoly game. Is that fact or fiction? Is that right? 193 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,080 Speaker 1: That is mostly fat? Oh? Yeah, yeah. The detectors were 194 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: able to lift fingerprints from the Monopoly game and a 195 00:10:04,679 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: couple of bottles of cat shots sloppy, sloppy exactly. They 196 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: should have been playing with those leather gloves that Roger 197 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,199 Speaker 1: Querdry used when he rigged the wires, exactly, But they 198 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: weren't that careful, and so I got a couple of 199 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:18,720 Speaker 1: the guys. It was really strange how it all boiled 200 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: down in the end, because some of them played a 201 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: hand and beating up Jack Mills and others were responsible 202 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 1: for arranging the safe house and others were responsible for 203 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:32,120 Speaker 1: actually stopping the train. They all got approximately at average 204 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:34,559 Speaker 1: outs here about thirty years each, but some of them 205 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,240 Speaker 1: only got a handful of years. Others got even longer. 206 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: So yeah, thanks to good old Monopoly. A note to 207 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: you young miscreants robbing trains in India, do not play 208 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 1: monopoly while you're you know, divving up your money or 209 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 1: at the very least we're gloves if you do right. 210 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: Sounds good to me. And if you want to read 211 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:56,960 Speaker 1: even more about the Great Train Robbery and get all 212 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: the fabulous British names that we glossed over and didn't mention, 213 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: you can read How the Great Train Robbery Worked on 214 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: the how staff works dot com. For more on this 215 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:08,640 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics, VI is at how stuff 216 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: works dot com. Let us know what you think, send 217 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: an email to podcast at how stuff works dot com.