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Roy Gardner is a game theorist. You could check on the internet!
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Roy Gardner ([[January 5]] [[1884]] - [[January 22]] [[1940]]) was an infamous American criminal and notorious train robber, and the most celebrated outlaw and escape artist of his day, he could perform mircales in escapes, and one is impressed with his life as an outlaw. Twice during his criminal career, he escaped the shrewdest men the government could set to guard him. Twice during his criminal career, he joked with the Federal Marshals whom he turned the tables on and made the prisoners, in his place. Twice during his criminal career, he laughed as he was recaptured by lawmen. Gardner was the most hunted man in Pacific Coast history, perhaps the first man to escape the "Impregnable" escape - proof McNeil Island Federal Prison, which led the U. S. Government to build another "escape - proof" federal prison on Alcatraz Island, and Gardner was the "Most Wanted" gangster of 1921. Roy Gardner stole over a quarter of a million dollars in cash and securities, he also had a $5,000 reward on his head three times in less than a year during his sensational career, he was the most dangerous inmate in the history of Atlanta Prison, and he was dubbed by the newspapers across the West Coast as the "Smiling Bandit", the "Mail Train Bandit", and the "King of the Escape Artists". He was one of the most notorious offenders of the Bureau of Prisons, one of the most notorious inmates at Alcatraz, and one of the most ruthless criminals of all time, now forgotten for his daring acts, and no longer the household name that he was in 1921, because he never lived as an outlaw on the Western frontier, he was never a Depression Era gangster, and he was never in a gang, he was a lone bandit, but his reputation and notoriety made him a touchstone of his time. Roy Gardner was quick with a gun, controversial, and no prison could hold him.

He was born during the 1880s on a farm in Trenton, Missouri. Roy stood just under six feet tall, he had short, curly black hair, gimlet blue eyes, he was attractive, cocky, charming, and he acted tough, and that he was. He worked in a mine in Colorado Springs, had agricultural pursuits in Oklahoma City, attended mechanical school in Davenport, Iowa along with Dion O'Bannion, and he claimed he had enlisted in the U. S. Army at Fort Worth, Texas, and deserted. His legend would begin.

Gardner claimed he was the professional boxer, "Young Fitzsimmons", who had knocked out "Young Jack" Redmond at Milwalkee, Wisconsin around 1906, and around 1907, he ended his boxing career for a while, after he was knocked out by Ed Hagen in Yakima, Washington. Gardner had began his crime career in the early 1900s as a gunrunner in Mexico. He was captured, sentenced to death, but he escaped from a Mexican dungeon. Gardner arrived back in the United States, where he was a prizefighter in the Southwest. He was good enough that he became a sparring partner for Heavyweight Champion J. J. Jeffries at Ben Lemond and then at Reno, Nevada in the summer of 1910. Roy ended up in San Francisco, where he gambled all of his boxing money away, and he robbed a jewelry store on Market Street. He was arrested, and spent some time in San Quentin, but he was paroled after he saved a prison guard's life during a violent riot. Gardner landed a job as a horseshoe welder at the Mare Island Navy Yard, married a waitress, and fathered a child. Gardner said he got into the train robbing business, when he sent a letter to his finacially depressed sister in the mail, along with $200. She got the letter, but not the money, and Gardner had gambled all of his money away on a business trip in Tijauna. On the night of [[April 16]] [[1920]], outside of San Diego, Gardner robbed a U. S. Mail truck of about $80,000 in cash and securities. A smooth job, but the outlaw was arrested three days later burying his loot. His name would become just as familiar to the lawmen of California as Jesse James.

Roy Gardner was sentenced to 25 years at McNeil's Island Federal Prison for armed robbery of the U. S. Mails, and he vowed he would never serve the sentence. On [[June 5]] [[1920]], he was transported on a train with Deputy U. S. Marshals Cavanaugh and Haig, and outside of Portland, Oregon, Gardner peered out of the window of the train and gasped, "My God - Look at that ten - point buck!". The lawmen looked, and Gardner grabbed U. S. Marshal Haig's gun from his holster, and barked, "Hands Up", and then he disarmed U. S. Marshal Cavanaugh. The daring outlaw then handcuffed the two humiliated lawmen together and stole $200. He hopped off the train, and made his way to Canada. He slipped back into the United States the next year, and started robbing banks and mail trains across the country as a lone bandit. Gardner came back to California, where he tied up the mail clerk to Train No. 10 eastbound from Sacramento, and robbed the express car of $187,000 on [[May 19]] [[1921]]. The next morning, Gardner told the mail clerk to Train No. 20, to throw up his hands, or he would blow his head off! When the train reached the Overland Limited, the elusive bandit darted down the tracks with an armful of mail. The home office regonized the gunman as Roy Gardner, the notorious train robber with a $5,000 reward on his head.

Gardner was recognized at the Porter House Hotel and a convoy of police arrived in Roseville while Gardner was playing a game of cards in a pool hall. Under - Sheriff Al Locke slipped up behind the desperado and nudged a 45. Colt in his back and announced, "Stand up Roy, and don't do anything you'll regret". The bandit was arrested, and was sentenced to another 25 years at McNeil Island for armed robbery of the U. S. Mails. Trying to reduce his sentence he told Southern Pacific detectives that he would lead them to the spot where he buried his loot. The officers found nothing, and Gardner announced, "I guess I have forgotten where I buried that money". Roy Gardner was heavily shackled, addition to an "Oregon Boot", and was once again transported on a train to McNeil Island, this time by U. S. Marshals Mulhall and Rinkell, both fast shooting veterans. Gardner asked to used the bathroom, inside the bathroom, a cohort had smuggled a 32. caliber pistol, and Gardner came out of the bathroom, pointed the gun at Mulhall's protruding pouch, and then ordered another prisoner to handcuff the two humiliated lawmen to the seat, and relieved the officers of their weapons and cash. Gardner hopped onto another moving train outside Castle Rock, Washington, and the largest manhunt in Pacific Coast history would begin, he was known all over the country as the boldest hold up man, the cleverest and most slippery prisoner to ever be placed under arrest, and Gardner was described as a dangerous man who would shoot on sight, and must be captured at all costs. Gardner once again had $5,000 reward on his head, and arrived in Centralia, Washington, where he was almost recognized by Jack Scuitto at the Olympic Club Hotel. Roy plastered his face with bandages to hide his identity, leaving one eye slit. Gardner told the Oxford Hotel staff that he had been severly burned in an industrial accident near Tacoma. Propreitor Gertrude Howell and Officer Louis Sonney became suspicious of the bandaged man, and when he saw a firearm in Gardner's hotel room, he accused him of being the "Smiling Bandit". Gardner fought back, but was arrested and a doctor removed the bandages to show that he was indeed the notorious train robber. This time Gardner, who was sentenced to another 25 years, was heavily ironed, and finally brought to the "Impregnable" McNeil Island, that no one had ever managed to escape, but on [[September 5]] [[1921]] during a Labor Day prison baseball game, that would change.

Gardner was the most closely watched prisoner in the most closely guarded prison in the country, and after six weeks, he had convinced two unlikeable prisoners, Lawardus Bogart and Everett Impyn that he had "paid off" the guards in the towers. On Labor Day, at a prison baseball game, Gardner said, "Now" during the fifth inning when someone hit a fly ball into centerfield, as the guards in the towers had there eyes on the ball and the runners, Gardner, Bogart, and Impyn ran 300 yards to the high barbed wire fence where Gardner cut a hole, and the three men made it to the pasture as bullets whirled about there heads. Prisoner Impyn was shot dead, Gardner was wounded in his left leg, but made it behind a herd of cattle near timber, about the same time he saw Bogart fall, badly wounded. Impyn was shot dead, and his dying words were, "Gardner told us those fellows in the towers couldn't hit the broad side of a barn". Bogart later stated that Gardner had decieved them and used his companions as decoys, to better his chances of escape. Guards scoured the beaches and confiscated every boat on the shoreline, but no trace of the dangerous outlaw could be found. Gardner lived in the prison barn, getting nutrition from cow's milk, and then swam the choppy waters to Fox Island where he lived off fruit in the orchards. Warden Maloney claimed Mr. Gardner was still on McNeil Island, but that same day the statement was made, Gardner was already en route to Oregon. Gardner taunted marshals and detectives on McNeil Island when he sent a letter to the Seattle newspaper stating, "Come and get me, you sleepy dicks". Two weeks later, the warden had to admit that Mr. Gardner, the notorious bloodless bandit and badman had probably gotten off the island.

Roy Gardner was the "Most Wanted" gangster, and he committed several crimes in Arizona before he was captured by a mail clerk during a train robbery in Phoenix, Arizona in the fall of 1921. Gardner was sentenced to an additional 25 years, this time at Leavenworth Federal Prison. Headlines screamed, "GANGSTER GARDNER BRAGS, "LEAVENWORTH WILL NEVER HOLD ME". Gardner, now known as the "King of the Escape Artists", raised more hell when he was transferred to Atlanta Federal Prison, the toughest prison in the country in 1925, where in 1926, he tried to tunnel under the wall and saw through the bars in the shoe shop, and then next year in 1927, Gardner led a prison break and attempted an armed escape with two revolvers holding the Captain and two guards hostage, but the escape failed and he was placed in solitary confinement for twenty months for shooting at officers. When he came out of solitary confinement, he was placed in a Mental Hospital in Washington, D. C., and in 1929, the warden described Gardner as the "most dangerous inmate in the history of Atlanta Prison", and that year he began a hunger strike, protesting prison food and threatened suicide. He was then transferred to Leavenworth Annex Prison in 1930, and in 1934 he was transferred to the infamous "escape - proof" Alcatraz Island Federal Prison. Gardner was one of the first hardened criminals at Alcatraz during the hardest years, and he was now (Az - 110) and his crimes were for robbery of the U. S. Mails. While at Alcatraz, his wife divorced him, he worked and supervised at the Mat Shop with Ralph Roe and they planned an escape, but Gardner, one of the notorious inmates at Alcatraz, was paroled and released from Alcatraz in 1938 after he got an appeal for clemency.

Roy Gardner published his autobiography, "Hellcatraz", which the sensantional book contains Gardner's interesting life, and also contains such familiar names as Al Capone, whom while at Alcatraz, Gardner confronted about putting one of his friends, Dion O'Bannion "on the spot" by a "torpedo". Roy attended crime lectures, and he and Louis Sonney made one of the first re-enactments on a short film called, "You Can't Beat the Rap". The ex-convict landed a job as a film salesman and an exposition baker, and a movie in 1939 was based on his life called, "I Stole A Million". The movie somehow bombed, and in 1940, police found the one - time "Most Wanted" gangster and Western badman, Roy Gardner, dead at age fifty-six from cyanide fumes and poisonous gas, a suicide. Out of all the gangsters of his era, Roy Gardner was a touchstone of his time, the last of the great Western train robbers, he belonged to no era of men. Roy Gardner described himself as the "last of the daring Robin Hood type of outlaw, a bloodless desperado".

Revision as of 17:24, 8 February 2006

Roy Gardner is a game theorist. You could check on the internet!