July 3, 1901 - Great Northern No. 3 Robbery

By the early 1990’s, the Union Pacific railroad implemented steps to counter the constant assaults on their trains by outlaws. By introducing the posse car, the railroad giant were able to transport their agents to the scene of a robbery quickly and efficiently, drastically cutting down on the lead-time outlaws relied upon for their escape. Unfortunately for the Great Northern Railroad, they did not adapt to the changing West as quickly, and as a result the Coast Flyer #3 was ripe for the taking.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are often considered to have taken part in the Coast Flyer robbery-certainly by the railroads, who by that time associated the two bandits with virtually every train robbery in the West. However the two outlaws, along with Etta Place, had already left the states for South America by the time of the robbery. Although some believe that only Sundance and Etta left, while Butch stayed behind to participate in the robbery, the most likely suspects are Harvey Logan, Ben Kilpatrick and O.C. Hanks.

On the afternoon of July 3, 1901, the Coast Flyer #3 made a stop in Malta, Montana; the location of an earlier Great Northern train robbery in November 1892 by The Sundance Kid, Bill Madden and Harry Bass. It is likely one of the outlaws boarded the train with the other passengers in Malta. As soon as the train moved out of the station, the bandit made his way to the front of the train, ordering engineer Tom Jones to stop the train. The engineer complied and once stopped, where the remaining outlaws were waiting. The outlaws ordered the passenger cars disconnected from the engine and express cars. The train was then pulled ahead away from the passenger cars. Worried about a possible collision, two brakemen ran from the train to set warning flares to alert any oncoming trains. Thinking they were trying to escape to alert authorities, the outlaws fired at the two men, hitting both. One of the brakemen later died.

The outlaws raided the express cars and, several explosion later, were busy gathering their money before escaping on horseback towards the Milk River-firing several shots towards the passenger cars to ensure no one got any ideas of heroics.

A local rancher was later apprehended passing off notes from the robbery, but it was determined he had nothing to do with the crime. During their escape, the outlaws stopped by his ranch and traded their horses, plus a hundred dollars, for fresh stock from his ranch.

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