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On the evening of October 25, 1917, the northbound Chicago, Memphis & Gulf Railroad passenger train No. 104 made a routine stop for water in the small community of Miston. This railroad, a subsidiary of the Illinois Central, was a vital artery for the region. Onboard was an American Express car managed by messenger C.G. Stovall, and inside it, a safe containing a
substantial payroll. The shipment held over $12,000 in cash—worth nearly $300,000 in today's money—and a heavy load of silver coins valued between $4,000 and $10,000. The
money was from the First National Bank and the Bank of Commerce in Memphis, destined for banks in Tiptonville and Ridgely.
Under the cover of darkness, two masked men seized their opportunity. They forced their way into the express car and quickly overpowered Stovall. While sensational early reports claimed the bandits used dynamite to blast open the safe, the truth was far more cunning. The robbers simply searched the messenger's pockets, found the keys, and unlocked the safe.
They took the $12,000 in cash, but apparently decided the thousands of dollars in heavy silver coins would be too cumbersome to carry and left it all behind.
After chaining and gagging Mr. Stovall, the robbers vanished into the night. The train chugged along its route, and the crime went undiscovered until it reached the station in Tiptonville.
There, a railway agent, likely noting the lack of activity from the express car, investigated and found Stovall bound but otherwise unharmed.
The news sparked immediate action. Dyer County Sheriff T.E. "Tom" Bryant formed a posse and launched an extensive manhunt. The investigation soon zeroed in on a Tiptonville man
named Will Buntyn as a primary suspect. He was captured in Caruthersville, Missouri, and brought back to Dyersburg to face justice. A jury tried and found Buntyn guilty. However, in the final twist to this story, he appealed the conviction to the Tennessee Supreme Court. While out on bond awaiting the high court's decision, Will Buntyn died. With his death, the appeal could not proceed, his conviction was never legally finalized, and the stolen money was never recovered. Over a century later, the daring and deceptively simple Great Miston Train Robbery remains a cold case in the annals of local history.