31. From Bad Boys, to Bad Soldiers, to Bandits
To escape the wrath of angry neighbors, Frank and John Reno enlisted in the Union Army when the Civil War broke out. Scamming, not patriotism, was their driving motive: the Reno brothers became serial bounty jumpers. Their modus operandi was to join a regiment to collect enlistment bonuses, which steadily grew as the war progressed, then desert at the earliest opportunity. They would then enlist in another regiment elsewhere, using fake names, collect more enlistment bonuses, then desert, and repeat the cycle.
Frank returned home in 1864, and with his brother John formed the Reno Gang. They were joined by horse thieves, safecrackers, counterfeiters, gamblers and other ne’er do wells, and began robbing Post Offices and stores in southern Indiana. Frank and two gang members were arrested but released on bail. One agreed to testify against Frank, but was murdered before the trial, and Frank was acquitted.
