Bungled robbery-murder was solved ‘CSI’-style

Bungled robbery-murder was solved ‘CSI’-style

Author: www.offbeatoregon.com (finn @ offbeatoregon.com) September 16, 2025 Duration: 8:52
College professor's forensic investigation fingered the DeAutremont Brothers in the brutal robbery; after a years-long manhunt, and more than 2 million “wanted” posters, they were caught. But we still don't know the full story. (Siskiyou Pass, Jackson County; 1920s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1701b.part2-deautremont-train-rob-manhunt-425.html)

The Offbeat Oregon History Podcast is a daily service from the Offbeat Oregon History newspaper column. Each weekday morning, a strange-but-true story from Oregon's history from the archives of the column is uploaded. An exploding whale, a few shockingly scary cults, a 19th-century serial killer, several very naughty ladies, a handful of solid-brass con artists and some of the dumbest bad guys in the history of the universe. Source citations are included with the text version on the Web site at https://offbeatoregon.com.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 184

Offbeat Oregon History podcast
Podcast Episodes
‘12 Angry Men’ couldn’t have happened in Oregon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:08
At Jake Silverman's trial, 11 jurors wanted him to hang, but couldn't convince the lone holdout to change his vote. So voters changed the law and made Oregon the only state in the country where you could be convicted on…
The life and death of a 
P-town gangster and moll [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:59
It had been an accident, but small-time Portland crook Jimmy Walker had shot Rose City crime boss “Shy Frank” Kodat. Unfortunately for Jimmy, he picked the wrong friend to run to for help. (Portland, Scappoose; Multnomah…
Hank Vaughan, Oregon’s legendary outlaw: Part 3 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:12
The Outlaw as Elder Statesman: In 1883, Eastern Oregon's wildest horse-rustling gunfighter gave up his stock-thieving ways (mostly) and became a wheat farmer. But to say he'd settled down wouldn't quite be accurate. (Par…
Hank Vaughan, Oregon’s legendary outlaw: Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:56
The Oregon frontier's most colorful almost-outlaw spent a dozen years dodging posses and slipping in and out of the Indian reservation with stolen horses and cattle. Some of his exploits are still being talked about toda…
Hank Vaughan, Oregon’s legendary outlaw: Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:10
Quick to make both friends and enemies, Oregon's most famous frontier cowboy and almost-outlaw was a gifted horseman and rustler. But his hard-drinking, quick-shooting ways nearly got him lynched as a teen. This is part…
Machine-made ice cream cones invented in P-town [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:41
THIS TIME OF year, the burden of all the serious arguments and disagreements left over from Thanksgiving dinner melt deliciously into a far more congenial controversy, which plays out at every ice-cream shop in the land:…
‘Bucket of Blood’ saloon a relic of the shanghaing era [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:59
East Portland's White Eagle Saloon has a colorful past. Over the years, it's been local headquarters for the Polish Resistance, a rough watering hole for sailors and dock workers, and Portland's hottest blues and rock-an…
Dynamite used to be a regular part of Oregon life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:06
Just a few dozen years ago, nearly anyone in Oregon could easily get all the high explosives he or she might want — if not by buying it, then by mixing a few common ingredients together with some old sawdust. (Statewide;…
Did Sir Francis Drake visit Oregon in 1579? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:17
Let's face it: No one actually knows where the famous English privateer and explorer spent the summer, and his notes, upon his return, were deliberately opaque. But it's possible that his “Nova Albion” was on the Oregon…
Quest for legendary mine actually led to real riches [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:43
As a historical account, the Lost Blue Bucket Mine story is, to put it mildly, questionable. But there can be no denying the impact it has had as a legend, repeated and believed by generations of Oregonians. (Auburn, Bak…