Picture Truckee with gangs, criminals, and sheriffs roaming the streets. The years 1867 through 1887 had all of that. Who were the criminals of Truckee’s past? Some include Tarantula Bill, Baby Face, Machine Gun Kelly, and the Dutchess.
The gang 601, wanted anyone they thought to be undesirable out of the town. Many gangs would target certain races. The Chinese people who helped build the railroad were one of the races. Those people called themselves the Caucasian League.
Truckee was so new, it didn’t have a jail. The first sheriff, Steve Venard, would sometimes bring prisoners to his house until he could send them away to Nevada. The first jail wasn’t built until 1875.
Truckee was deemed a haven for runways and outcasts, making it a prime place for crime. Tarantula Bill committed the first-ever murder on record in Truckee. Tarantula Bill and his gang would go around the streets of Truckee and terrorize the citizens. One of his victims was former gang member, Charles Hamilton. Tarantula Bill turned himself in after the death of Hamilton. There are no found records of what his real name was.
Sheriff Jacob Teeter who would patrol the streets of Truckee got into a brawl with his deputy, James Reed. Reed and Teeter would often run against each other for higher town roles but Teeter normally won. This created a rivalry between the two.
Reed was part of both 601 and the Caucasian League, making Teeter feel Reed shouldn’t be allowed to be a lawman, especially after his arrest. Teeter found Reed at the bar and after a few drinks shot him. Teeter missed and then Reed shot him four times.
Another Criminal is Baby Face Nelson was in his mid to late 20s but he looked like a teenage boy. He was known for being a bootlegger. He and his family came to Truckee to find a haven and they found themselves in need of somewhere to stay.
Everything was booked so the local sheriff at the time, not knowing who Nelson was, said they could spend the night in the sheriff’s office. The sheriff soon finds out who Nelson is and an agent comes in and shoots Baby Face.
The famous Machine Gun Kelly had his fair share of run-ins with the Truckee law enforcement. Kelly is known for kidnapping. Kelly would kidnap for money he would have the victims call their families and tell them they can only be released when they give Kelly the amount of money he wants. If they call the police, consequences are made.
Kelly never did much in Truckee but some people believed that he might have been running low on bullets because officials caught him in the variety store stealing bullets. It is believed that Kelly spent one night in the Truckee jail.
Lastly, maybe one of Truckee’s worst, Ma Spinelli, known as “the Dutchess” was wanted by many for murdering and stealing. Spinelli and her gang would find homeless men and bring them into the homes of the gang members, giving them food and shelter so they could later train them in robbing and killing.
Spinelli was a more recent criminal than the others; she was arrested in 1940. Spinelli and her daughter found themselves stranded in Truckee. At the time, The local sheriff did not know who they were and took them to a hotel in Reno since all the ones in Truckee were full. Soon after, the sheriff got a message telling him who they were.
He headed back to the hotel and tricked Spinelli into thinking she had some car documents to deal with. Once they got back to Truckee he put her in the local jail and from there she got sent to San Quentin’s Gas Chamber. She was the first woman ever to be executed there.
Truckee had an assortment of criminals during its beginning phase of becoming a town. You can check the Truckee Donner Historical Society for more information on these crimes and to learn more about Truckee’s past.
