CSI: Southern Pacific

Looks like these criminals used correct postage, 'cause justice is about to be delivered. Okay, there are no snappy one-liners in this crime scene investigation, but there are explosions, collisions, manhunts, and even a cow who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the centennial of the "Last Great Train Robbery," we re-examine the evidence to find out how U.S. Postal Inspectors tracked down a band of old-school outlaws using cutting edge criminal forensics...and postmarked them for prison.

Transcript

Guests:

• Lynn Heidelbaugh, curator at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum
• Chelsea Rose, Director of the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology
• Kate Winkler Dawson, author of American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics and the Birth of American CSI

Smithsonian Links:

• The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum’s online exhibition Tragedy at Tunnel 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the robbery with additional objects and details.
• The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency, tracing its roots back to 1775. Inspect this history for yourself with a timeline and videos—including a tour of USPIS materials on display at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum—on the agency’s website.
• If you want to hear more stories of postal inspectors catching the bad guys, check out our "Ponzi's Scheme" episode from season four. You’ll learn about the international postal loophole that made Charles Ponzi synonymous with scams and the technicality that landed him in jail.