Belle returned home to Lakewood, New Mexico crushed from the reality of what her sons had done. Just prior to Hugh"s arrest, her youngest son Lee had been killed in a brawl at a pool hall. Belle continued to operate the store for awhile but realizing there was nothing for her in New Mexico, she packed up and moved to Salem. She was at least close to her sons whom she visited every Thursday. Belle ran a boarding house in Salem for many years.
Paul was devastated when the boys confessed. He was so sure of their innocence that the knowledge of what they had done nearly destroyed him. Paul continued to operate his barber shop but he told a reporter that having the name DeAutremont had hurt his business. Not long after his sons confessed, Paul addressed a father-son banquet at the First Baptist Church in Eugene. He spoke of the love he had for his sons. He then said, “With this in mind I reach into the closet of my home and bring forth the skeleton that it may serve as a warning and a lesson and for the purpose and thinking only of your betterment, I now admit being a prodigal father, a failure and a fool.” He went on to say, “They were good boys and I loved them dearly. I can see them leaving home for the last time. Roy, Ray and Hugh good industrious boys, just as you are today. But they listened to the tempter. They were tempted and they fell. From home, happiness, honor, respect and a long useful life. One moment they were in the bloom of young manhood with all its joys and hopes, the next they were bandits, murderers, despised and hunted by all.” In closing Paul begged the boys in the audience to never bring dishonor or disgrace to their families.
Roy remained in the State Mental Institution living with a childlike mentality after the prefrontal lobotomy. Fifteen days before Roy"s 82 nd birthday he was paroled at last. This was done just for the sake of paperwork as he had been living in a nursing home for the past four years. Roy died in June 1983 at the age of 83. .
Hugh and Ray always dreamed of being paroled but it seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. Although they plead guilty at their sentencing, there were still federal indictments pending against them that would come into play should they ever be considered for parole. The prison psychiatrists recommended Hugh for parole throughout the 1940"s but the parole board blocked their every move. The years went by and although there was some public support for Ray and Hugh"s release, there was just as much resistance to such from the railroad and postal service officials. The prosecuting attorneys were extremely outspoken against parole and vowed to fight until the end to prevent the brothers from going free. Southern Pacific Railroad Chief Special Agent Dan O"Connell was equally outspoken regarding their possible parole. During the early 1950"s the brothers were turned down for parole. Then in February 1958 Hugh entered a plea of guilty on a charge of second degree murder and a charge of stopping a mailcar with the intent to rob it. In doing so, three other pending first degree murder indictments against him were dropped. Hugh received a life sentence for the 1 st degree murder charge and 20 years for stopping a mailcar. The sentences were to run consecutively with the term he was already serving. In May of that year Hugh appeared before the U.S. District Court in Portland to plead guilty to a federal charge of assaulting Elvyn Doughtery, the mail clerk. Hugh"s plea of guilty paved the way for an eventual parole. The two trips to court were the first time Hugh had seen the outside world since 1927. Hugh remarked that he was impressed with the new automobiles and the smooth roads. On November 25, 1958 the Oregon Parole Board voted unanimously to parole Hugh much to the aggravation of those opposed to such a move. He was ordered to complete a 60 day pre-release training session that would accustom him to life on the outside. Arrangements were made for him to live in California after the training was completed. When interviewed after learning he was going to be leaving prison, Hugh was quoted as saying, “I haven"t had time for this to sink in. Perhaps it will begin to percolate after awhile.” When asked if he was familiar with the latest invention, that being television, Hugh simply said he had never watched television but had read about it and it “didn"t seem too good.” He even said he wasn"t anxious to see it. Hugh was asked about his future and he said he just wanted to find a job in a printing shop and live in obscurity. In an obvious understatement, he added, “I"ve had all the publicity I need.” The day came for Hugh to leave the home he had known for 31 years. Perhaps it was only fitting that the day dawned under gray skies and as Hugh took his first steps outside of the prison walls, the sky opened up and the rain came down in torrents. Hugh was wearing a prison issue suit with a white shirt and brown tie and carrying a hat. Tucked away in his pocket was the $200 he had saved from his earnings over the course of the last 31 years. News reporters waited outside in the pouring rain chomping at the bit to catch a photo and perhaps a story. The prison warden had ordered that there were to be no photos inside the lobby of the prison. Hugh was met by parole officer W.L. O"Neill who whisked him away by automobile to the state parole office in Salem. Upon reaching the office, one reporter was allowed to ride the elevator with O"Neill and Hugh. The only quote the reporter received was, “I feel pretty good, but I feel like I"m in someone else"s clothes.” H.M. Randall, state parole director met with Hugh to go over the conditions of his parole which included finding suitable employment and housing and not to return to Oregon without the permission of the parole board. Hugh left the state of Oregon for the last time on that rainy November day and never returned. Hugh arrived in San Francisco and found work as a printer. Hugh died of stomach cancer on March 30, 1959, just a few months after being paroled. One has to wonder howHugh"s life would have turned out had he never followed his older brothers to Oregon. By all accounts Hugh had a promising future ahead of him upon graduating from high school.
Time marched on and by 1961 many of those who had been the most vocal against allowing Ray to live out his final years in freedom had passed away. At the time there was much political talk regarding rehabilitating prisoners and there were some individuals who felt Ray was a good case in point. For whatever the reason, Ray was granted parole on October 27, 1961 after serving 34 years. He was 61 years old and the world around him had changed in the decades since he had last tasted freedom. Ray settled in Eugene and worked part time as a custodian at the University of Oregon. He led a quiet, simple life attending services at the Faith Baptist Church and teaching Spanish to seniors at the Celeste Campbell Senior Community Center. In November 1972 then-Governor Tom McCall commuted his two consecutive life sentences thus declaring Ray a free man. When reporter Hasso Herrings of the Ashland Daily Tidings interviewed him, Ray said, “When I heard the news I almost couldn"t contain myself.” When asked about his plans for the future, Ray simply said, “I haven"t really had time to settle my mind and consider it.” He did say he would continue living as he had by working as a custodian for the University of Oregon. A reporter for the United Press International quoted Ray as saying, “You can"t imagine how wonderful it feels to be free and not have an invisible chain around you that somebody can pull whenever they want to.” Ray returned to Southern Oregon 50 years after the crime. He actually visited Tunnel 13 as part of a documentary KGWTV of Portland was producing for the 50 th anniversary of the crime that had captivated Americans so many years before. Ray traveled to Southern Oregon with a friend, John Howard, a police officer from Portland. Howard first heard of the crime while working in a pear orchard during a summer break from college. Years later he contacted Ray after Ray had been paroled and they became friends. This would certainly seem an unlikely friendship given their different career paths. Every year for 17 years Howard traveled to Tunnel 13 on the anniversary of the crime and placed a wreath inside the tunnel to honor the men who had lost their lives that fateful day so long ago. Howard did this until his own death in 2003. While the filming was taking place, Ray stood in silence looking at a tunnel that held so many memories for him. The events that transpired in Tunnel 13 completely changed his life and not for the better. Part of the documentary was a re-enactment and when the train neared the tunnel the warning bell sounded sending quivers through Ra
y. The railroad personnel participating in the reenactment had no idea that the infamous Ray DeAutremont was on scene. A radio message was sent to the train engineer asking him to guess who was waiting at the tunnel. When no reply was forthcoming, the radio operator went ahead and told him that Ray DeAutremont was on hand for the filming. The train"s crew was too young to have known first hand about the tragedy but the story of the DeAutremont brothers had been passed down through the generations. When the train came to a stop, many of the crew went over and shook Ray"s hand. Others refused to do so citing loyalty to Southern Pacific Railroad. Those that did approach Ray were later asked, why? The answers were generally that no matter what had happened Ray was a part of railroad history. That he was, from the time he first grabbed a freight train and rode the rails from New Mexico to Oregon and all the time since, the railroad had been a part of Ray"s life. In looking back the question remains, how would his life and the life of his brothers been different if he had never taken to „riding the rails." He may never have become involved with the Wobblies. But life is full of what-ifs. What we do know is that in the end four men were brutally murdered all because the DeAutremont brothers had a dream of striking it rich. In his golden years, Ray frequently lamented that if only he could erase that one day of his life so long ago. But life doesn"t work that way, and what was done, was done. Ray died in December of 1984. He was 84 years old.
In death, just like in life, the DeAutremont brothers remain together. They are buried in the Belcrest Memorial Park in Salem, Oregon along side their mother.
Train 13 or The Gold Special SOHS 6791
Tunnel 13 The crime scene, the vertebrae of mail clerk Evelyn Dougherty can be seen amongst the wreckage. SOHS #14542
Brakeman Coyle Johnson SOHS14545
Fireman Marvin Seng SOHS#14544
Engineer Sidney Bates SOHS #14543
The crime scene SOHS #10935
Evidence left behind including the detonator
More of the evidence left behind SOHS #11106
Hugh DeAutremont with Sheriff Jennings as they arrive at the Jacksonville Jail SOHS #283
Ray DeAutremont upon arriving at the Jacksonville Jail SOHS #311A
Roy DeAutremont upon arriving at the Jacksonville Jail SOHS #2222
Ray and Roy DeAutremont outside of the Jacksonville Jail SOHS#10938
The Jacksonville Courthouse SOHS #4577
Judge Charles M. Thomas SOHS #10948
During a break in the trial SOHS #10943
Ray DeAutremont examining artifacts from the crime scene while visiting the Jacksonville Museum 50 years after the crime. Note: the museum where he is standing was previously the courthouse where he was sentenced in 1927.
Order to any Sheriff to arrest Ray, Roy and Hugh DeAutremont
Shorthand of Ray and Roy DeAutremont"s confession
Fingerprint card for Hugh DeAutremont
Booking Photos
Top: Roy DeAutremont Middle: Ray DeAutremont Bottom: Hugh DeAutremont
Hazel DeAutremont with Jackie Hugh
Paul DeAutremont
Ray DeAutremont
The DeAutremont Brothers Page 9