Luckily, photographers were present to capture the entire crime. And the only loot the outlaws got was wooden nickels which could be spent only in Ambridge during the Golden Jubilee celebration.
Newspapers later reporting on the event made clear the "robbery" was staged, as was the "kidnapping." The June 14, 1955, Daily Citizen assured readers that the railroad had approved the stunt, and the appropriate government agencies had been notified in advance.
The train's crew and passengers had also been forewarned, and the June 15, 1955, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the stunt "threw passengers into a state of shock manifested by uncontrollable laughter."
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| Big Train Robbery Daily Citizen June 14, 1955 |
Original text:
TRAIN ROBBERY -- Two pistol packing gunmen boarded the Pittsburgh Steeler passenger train at French Point this morning and staged a "hoax" robbery in conjunction with the Ambridge Golden Jubilee celebration. Holding the train engineer at gun point are Bob Gaona, Pittsburgh Steeler tackle, and George Kisiday, former Buffalo Bills lineman.
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| "Gladys Zallenich is kidnaped by robbers Kisiday, Deiter and Szafaryn" Pittsburgh Post-Gazette June 15, 1955 |
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| Armed bandits holding up train Pittsburgh Post-Gazette June 15, 1955 |
Original text:
Bandits Sam Gaona, Chester Starr, Len Szafaryn, Bob Gaona, Sam Gagliardi, Charles Deiter and Joe Rodio are shown in the act of forcing Janice Hatt and Gladys Zallenick from train at Economy. They escaped in a buckboard toward Ambridge after the "robbery."
Given that the bandits were identified as men well-known in the Ambridge area, including Borough Council member Charles Deiter, Borough Secretary Joe Rodio, and Ambridge policeman Ed Gagliardi, their arrest by the Ambridge police was swift--even though the desperados had switched their choice of get-away vehicle from the original buckboard to a Jaguar.
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| Arrest of the train robbers Beaver Valley Times June 15, 1955 |
Original text:
ARRESTS MADE -- Ambridge Policeman Charles Bruich catches two culprits, Len Szafaryn, Green Bay Packer football player, and Bob Gaona, a lineman of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both footballers played on the same "team" yesterday in the "robbery" of the Pennsylvania Railroad train "Morning Steeler." Gaona has the loot--wooden nickels--Ambridge Golden Jubilee money which will go on sale at the end of this week. The "robbery" was staged as part of the jubilee celebration.
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| Train robbers nabbed Daily Citizen June 15, 1955 |
Original text:
ROBBERS NABBED -- Three bearded men who took part in the big train robbery early Tuesday morning were apprehended by Ambridge police a short time later as they attempted to get away in a Jaguar auto. Pictured left to right are: Sam Gaona, George Kisiday, Charles Deiter and arresting officer Walter Knafelc.
What do cowboys and a train robbery have to do with Ambridge or its history? I have no idea. I suspect the men just wanted to play Western bandits. And they did show off their mandated Brothers of the Brush beards and highlighted the wooden nickels.
I will grant that coming up with a fun, more-representative-of-Ambridge event is hard. The best I could come up with is a "throw pierogies at duckpins while an accordion band plays polkas tournament." Not real pierogies of course! Actual pierogies should always be eaten, never tossed. So beanbag "pierogies" would be used for the event.
More on the Golden Jubilee celebration, including the huge parade, will be posted soon.
I remember that the men weren't supposed to shave, my dad couldn't stand not being clean shaven so he shaved, he was arrested by the police, and made to put on a dress, it was all in fun and he went along with it. My mom still has a photo of him wearing the dress and being held by two men dressed as Keystone Cops.
ReplyDeleteDid your dad work at Wyckoff? If so, I have a copy of the photo, although not a good one. I'll see if it's good enough to post, and if so, I'll include it in a future article.
DeleteYes he did, and that's him in your Thursday posting.
Deletejd aka john domansky
ReplyDeletethere was a john kisiday grad 1950 AHS, could be a bro of george, was sam gagliradi not an ambridge cop in the 1950s, (there were a lot of gagliardis around, if sam was the cop he let me go for runnung a lite at 4th & ohio river blvd, after a late night out w/friend eugene ondrako also 1 1950 AHS grad, i told gags gene tried to get me loaded, & i quit early, he knew me pretty good & said next time its a trip, illinois plate goes to jail, no ticket at that time, thanks a lot gags.
i just missed the golden jubulee thing by a few months or so. sounded like fun, stopping a train on the prr main line to rob & kidnap, wow, thats guts.