This Nevada town has Old West swagger and a $4,000 treasure hunt

Ben Kuhl’s Palm Print in America’s Last Stagecoach Robbery

The last stagecoach robbery in America changed crime-solving forever.

On a cold December day in 1916, Fred Searcy was shot dead in Nevada’s Jarbidge Canyon, with $4,000 stolen from his mail wagon.

A search party found tracks in snow and a bloody shirt by the river.

Then came the big break – a bloody palm print on an envelope matched to Ben Kuhl. His 1917 trial made history as the first time palm print evidence was used in a U.S. court.

The jury took just two hours to find him guilty. Even now, the stolen money still lies hidden somewhere in the canyon.

The tiny town of Jarbidge stands as the birthplace of palm print evidence in American justice, with its historic jail still telling this groundbreaking story.

Gold Rush Town Sat Hidden in a Remote Nevada Canyon

Jarbidge, Nevada sits 2,000 feet deep in a rugged canyon. The town popped up during a 1909 gold rush, quickly growing to about 1,500 people.

Folks could only reach Jarbidge on one dirt road that often got buried under huge snowdrifts up to 30 feet high.

These snowdrifts cut the town off from the outside world for weeks during tough winters. Cars hadn’t even reached town by 1916, so everyone used horse-drawn wagons.

Fred Searcy had the job of bringing mail and mining payrolls from Rogerson, Idaho, a train town 65 miles away.

Mail Carrier Fred Searcy Gets Attacked On the Way

On December 5, 1916, Fred Searcy loaded his wagon with mail and about $4,000 in mining payroll money, worth around $90,000 today.

He started his regular route as a heavy snowstorm dropped four feet of fresh snow along his path to Jarbidge.

The townspeople waited at the post office, knowing the weather would likely delay him. As hours passed, postmaster Scott Fleming grew worried when Searcy didn’t show up.

Killer Hid in Sagebrush Before Fatal Ambush

Around 6:30 PM, someone hiding in the sagebrush jumped onto Searcy’s mail wagon as it neared town. The attacker shot Searcy in the head with a .44 bullet at close range, giving him no chance to fight back.

After killing Searcy, the murderer ripped through the mail bags while taking the $4,000 payroll money meant for local miners.

Search party members later found Searcy’s body slumped on the wagon seat, covered with fresh snow, his horses still in harness waiting in the cold.

Bloody Palm Print Became the Case’s Smoking Gun

The search party found the wagon hidden among trees around 11 PM after a local saw it pass by earlier.

The next morning, searchers followed footprints in the snow, finding a bloody shirt tossed near the river. Mail bags lay scattered with contents spread across the crime scene.

Among the mess of papers and envelopes, investigators spotted something key: a bloody palm print clearly visible on one of the envelopes from the mail sacks.

Recent Parolee Ben Kuhl Quickly Became the Prime Suspect

Ben Kuhl had a record of small thefts and horse stealing when he became the main suspect in Searcy’s murder.

Several people told police they saw Kuhl wearing a heavy black coat that matched one found at the crime scene.

Police arrested Kuhl with his friends Ed Beck and William McGraw on December 6, just a day after the murder.

A background check showed Kuhl had done time in California and Oregon prisons.

California Experts Matched the Bloody Print to Kuhl’s Hand

Two crime experts came from California to check the bloody palm print found on the envelope. The print came from the area right below the base of the pinky finger on a left hand.

While Kuhl sat in jail in Elko, officers took a print of his left palm to compare. The experts studied both prints and found multiple matching points between the bloody print and Kuhl’s palm.

Courtroom Technology Showed Jurors the Damning Evidence

The trial started in September 1917 at the Elko County Courthouse with Judge Errol J. L. Taber in charge.

District Attorney Edward P. Carville built his case mostly on indirect evidence, with the palm print as his strongest proof. The defense team tried hard to keep the palm print evidence out, claiming it wasn’t reliable.

Kuhl claimed he was in a Jarbidge saloon when the murder happened, but no one could confirm where he was at the critical time.

First Palm Print Evidence in American Courts Made History

Crime experts C.H. Stone and Botorff brought blown-up photos to court and used a special projector to show the evidence.

The jury saw side-by-side views of the bloody palm print from the crime scene next to the print taken from Kuhl’s hand. The experts talked about their years studying fingerprint matching since 1908-1909.

No American court had ever seen palm print evidence shown this way before, making the Kuhl trial a first in crime solving.

Jury Needed Just Two Hours to Find Kuhl Guilty

After an 18-day trial filled with technical talk and indirect evidence, the jury took only two hours to reach their verdict: guilty of first-degree murder.

The judge gave Kuhl a death sentence and let him choose between hanging or facing a firing squad. Kuhl picked the firing squad, with his killing set for January 1918.

His friend Beck got life in prison, while McGraw spoke against the others and served just 10 months before going free.

Nevada Supreme Court Created a Lasting Legal Precedent

Kuhl’s lawyers took the case to the Nevada Supreme Court, listing more than 60 claimed mistakes during his trial.

In July 1918, the Supreme Court kept the guilty verdict and ruled that palm prints were just as valid as fingerprints for catching criminals.

Their detailed opinion mentioned the history of fingerprinting back to ancient China.

This ruling allowed palm print evidence in courts across the country, changing how crime evidence could be used in trials.

Stolen Gold Rush Money Remains Hidden Somewhere in Jarbidge Canyon

The governor changed Kuhl’s death sentence to life in prison at Nevada State Prison in Carson City.

Kuhl spent nearly 28 years raising chickens at the prison before getting out on May 7, 1945. He lived his last years in San Francisco until he died in 1958, likely from TB or pneumonia.

The $4,000 he stole from the mail wagon was never found and probably remains buried somewhere in Jarbidge Canyon today.

Visiting Jarbidge, Nevada

Jarbidge is a remote Nevada town with no paved roads within 20 miles – you’ll reach it via Three Creek Road from Idaho or dirt roads from Elko.

The Community Hall displays the original 1909 stage curtain and town history.

Check out the historic jail with decorative skeletons in preserved cells and Pioneer Park’s mining equipment displays.

The Outdoor Inn on Main Street serves food and drinks, while the Trading Post has camping supplies and souvenirs.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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