Archivist Tom White Captures Tales of Area’s Outlaws
The stories of the region’s notorious bandits, robbers and outlaws have been captured in the book, Gangs and Outlaws of Western Pennsylvania, co-authored by Thomas White, University archivist and curator.
White relates stories that detail notable crimes that have occurred throughout the area from 1817 to 1941, including the first-ever armored car heist.
In 1927, Paul Jaworski and The Flathead Gang set up homemade landmines on Brightwood Road in Bethel Park, then rushed to the disabled Brinks armored car to carry away $104,000–today’s equivalent of $1.3 million. They were captured, but involved in a shoot-’em-up jailbreak after their arrest.
White also relates the tales of the Biddle Boys, whose relationship with the warden’s wife aided in their escape and was told in the 1980s movie Mrs. Soffel; the Cooley Gang, who terrorized Fayette County at the turn of the 19th century; and Pennsylvania’s own Bonnie and Clyde—Irene and Glenn, who met the electric chair in 1931.
“The book would interest readers who like crime stories and those who follow local history,” said White, who also is a history lecturer in the McAnulty College of Liberal Arts and former archivist for the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
The 132-page softback, White’s sixth book, was published by The History Press and is available for $19.99.
White is also the author of Forgotten Tales of Philadelphia, Forgotten Tales of Pittsburgh, Ghosts of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Legends and Lore of Western Pennsylvania and Forgotten Tales of Pennsylvania.