railroad bill folklore

City authorities condemned the practice, and the body was taken to Pensacola, Florida for official identification to receive the reward offered by the state. Their scheme was interrupted by a two-man posse that was also hunting the fugitive. PR-INT 13034 Roger Abrahams - Make Me A Pallet On The Floor no details. Subject: RE: Help: Railroad Bill From: Art Thieme Date: 15 May 00 - 10:23 PM Railroad Bill (the real one) was MORRIS SLATER. Aaron Bloch Abandoned Alfred Beckley Anthenaeum Athenaeum prison Athenaeum Theater B&O Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Beckley Bill of Rights Bloch Brothers Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company Cabins Civil War Coal coal camp Penick, James (Fall 1994). Journal of American Folk-Lore. McGowan was in the "railroad head" working as a telegraph operator when the shooting occurred and ran over to see what happened. Alabama Historical Quarterly. Railroad Bill sprang into the cab and forced the engineer to drive it out of the station. "A Short History of Brewton, Alabama". His version of "Railroad Bill" influenced a generation of young British artists, including The Beatles.[35]. Despite the increase in manpower, the outlaw remained at large, robbing trains and reportedly selling goods to, By the summer of 1895, the L&N Railroad, the state of Alabama, the state of Florida, the town of Brewton, and, Many innocent African-Americans soon found themselves paying heavily for Railroad Bill's crimes, as questionably identified suspects were brought in for the reward, or were accused of being accomplices. ". [6] That altercation led Slater into a personal vendetta against the company, in which he would wound several trainmen, commandeer a train and force it out of the station, and threaten the life of James I. McKinnie, Superintendent of L&N's Mobile and Montgomery Division. [9] Using information from Stinson, a posse followed Railroad Bill's trail to Pollard, Alabama, on April 12, 1895. Railroad Bill was an African American outlaw whose action-packed career on the wrong side of the law has been preserved in music, fiction, and theater. Other versions of Railroad Bill folklore say Bill hitchhiked on trains while armed and evaded arrests multiple times, went on murder sprees to kill lawmen, and stole from stores to sell items at reduced costs to poor people. [1] His true name, location of his birth, and details of his family have been debated since his criminal career ended in 1896. The body of Railroad Bill was embalmed and transported by officers to Montgomery, Alabama, for official identification that would qualify the payment of reward money. University Press of Florida. They lookin’ for that bad Railroad Bill. Cartoons of Railroad Bill's exploits from L & N Employees' Magazine, May 1927. The story of Railroad Bill is as intriguing and dramatic as the great American stories of Jesse James, John Wesley Harden, Billy the Kid, Rube Burrow, etc. [11] Slater embraced the moniker, and it became the name reporters typically used in writing hundreds of newspaper articles about his criminal activities. It should stand the test of time in the annals of American history. "Railroad Bill". Larry L. Massey is an independent writer and researcher living in Mobile, Alabama, and DeLand, Florida. Roberts, John W. "Railroad Bill" and the American Outlaw Tradition." Twenty years later, the Panic of 1893 triggered another economic depression, out of which emerged Railroad Bill, an African-American Robin Hood whose specialty was … He was familiar with the desperado and made a public promise to capture him. [24] McMillan was killed July 3, 1895.[13]. After his death, stories about him endured in white and African American folklore alike. [14] Their modus operandi was to place a man inside a box car at night just before the train left a station and when it was underway the man would throw cargo from the car onto the track to be retrieved by other members of the gang. Indeed, the legend of Wild Bill is just that — legend, folklore — and it all started with an 1867 issue of Harper’s Weekly: “Wild Bill with his own hands has killed hundreds of men,” the article read. "RAILROAD BILL" 317 Before turning to an analysis of "Railroad Bill," we must first establish those characteristics which appear most important in the American conception of the outlaw.9 First of all, the American out-law is seen as "The Robin Hood Principle: Folklore, History, and the Social Bandit." [30], Railroad Bill's growing legacy of miraculous escapes, which would ultimately number about seventeen, led to a profusion of tongue-in-cheek stories by African Americans taunting the failure of authorities to hem in the nationally-famous desperado. Newman I. The trainmen advanced on the outlaw, but just at that time … Southern ghost stories, folktales, myths and legends. Little is known about the personal life of the individual who became notorious as Railroad Bill. McMillan, Edward Leigh (October 12, 1927). A Brief History of Escambia County, Alabama. Recorded on tape at age 94, Sears said that McGowan telegraphed authorities and collected the reward money, then posed for pictures and charged a fee for his photo with the outlaw's dead body. He forced the trainmen to seek refuge in a section house where they were reinforced by a bridge crew and armed themselves with shotguns. [10] Not knowing Slater's name, detectives simply called him Railroad Bill, which was the alias of another L&N antagonist who lived in Mobile. One posse member entered the store about the same time as Railroad Bill and waited for the second posse member, Atmore Constable Leonard McGowin, to arrive. Souvenir hunters paid 50 cents for a picture of Constable J. L. McGowan, believed to have fired the fatal shot, standing, rifle in hand, over the corpse of Railroad Bill strapped to a wooden plank. “Of that I have not a doubt. New rewards were offered after McMillan's death, raising the total offered for his capture to $1,250. It was taken to Birmingham, Alabama, to be "petrified" by a process that would allow it to be placed on permanent display—a practice of carnivals and freak shows at the turn of the century. "[20], To assist in locating the fugitive, Superintendent McKinnie recruited Mark Stinson, a confidant of the outlaw, to serve as an undercover agent and provide information on the desperado's whereabouts. [7][8][9] The company responded by dispatching detectives to investigate the offender and offering a $350 reward for his capture. Life and Crimes of Railroad Bill: Legendary African American Desperado. Western Folklore 40.4 (1981): 315–28. With that knowledge, a posse of railroad detectives assaulted the cabin on the night of the rendezvous, mistook Stinson for Railroad Bill, and killed him. "Folk-Song and Folk-Poetry as Found in the Secular Songs of the Southern Negroes". Instead, it was transported back to Pensacola on March 30, 1896, and given a Christian interment in the African American section of St. John's Cemetery. Railroad Bill a-comin' home soon Killed McMillan by the light of the moon." [4] In the turpentine camps he was known as Morris Slater—a profoundly athletic, "top notch" laborer and affable individual.[3][5]. Headstone on Railroad Bill's grave in St. John's Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida. Discover releases, reviews, credits, songs, and more about City Preachers - Folklore at Discogs. Both men escaped to town and alerted an L&N detective. Railroad Bill ** also issued on Prestige Folklore FL 14014, PR 7721. It was again placed on public display at a price, and again city authorities ordered the practice to cease. The first lyrics to "Railroad Bill" were collected by folklorists in Mississippi and Alabama during the first two decades of the 20th century. He forced the trainmen to seek refuge in a section house where they were reinforced by a bridge crew and armed themselves with shotguns. (S0.23677). He was eventually shot dead in an ambush at a store which he was known to visit. 10 (1): 85–92. Welcome to the American Folklore site, which features retold folktales from all 50 states. For white southerners, the elusive character justified their fear of black autonomy as well, as the need for retaliation. Events, songs, Native American tales, myths, and local legends are all part of America’s native folklore, which grows with the years. This type of common "floating" stanza is a characteristic of blues ballads and other types of folk songs. A headstone was then placed on the grave to mark the last resting place of this American desperado.[37]. As the locomotive passed the section house, the wounded desperado fired on his adversaries who could not return fire for fear of hitting the engineer. Railroad Bill-Morris Slater--was an African American robber of freight cars on the L&N, primarily between Hurricane Bayou and Bay Minette. Scribner, R. L. (1949). But before an attempt was made to apprehend him, Railroad Bill robbed the Pollard armory of rifles and ammunition and fled. Railroad Bill had learned of the plan and had avoided the attack. "Railroad Bill". Text and audio storytelling. [18], Rewards offered for the desperado increased to $500, dead or alive. He was a turpentine worker at Bluff Springs until he exchanged gunshots with a deputy from Pensacola one day in 1894. Sears' son Josh was mayor of Robertsdale, Ala., for 28 years. 5 Gonna git him dead or alive. Many Brewton residents recognized the man as Bill McCoy, a local troublemaker who had threatened local saw-mill owner T. R. Miller with a knife at around the same time Morris Slater was working in the turpentine camp in Florida. {Folklore Associates edition; page 251-252} {Folklore Associates edition; page 251-252} Although no signal to commence firing was given, the constable raised his rifle and fired twice at point-blank range into the desperado. Robert W. Gordon Manuscript Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Massey, Larry (2015). [23], In July 1895, Sheriff McMillan at Brewton, Alabama, learned that Railroad Bill was in Bluff Springs, Florida. Complete your City Preachers collection. After a few days in Brewton, the body was taken by train to, Railroad Bill was a symbol of the racial and economic divide in the post-, Roberts, John W. "'Railroad Bill' and the American Outlaw Tradition. The ceremony was attended by the mayor and various dignitaries of the city. The gunfight lasted until Railroad Bill ran out of ammunition and escaped into the swamplands. "Gordon MS 3442". Slater also became a wanted man in Florida after a deputy sheriff attempted to arrest him for carrying a repeating rifle without a permit as required by the state. Print and Download RAILROAD BILL sheet music. Original stories and classic campfire tales. Stories about Railroad Bill began to surface in early 1895, when an armed vagrant began riding the L&N boxcars between Flomaton and Mobile. Although there was a price on his head for some years, he evaded capture through ingenuity and exceptional athletic power. [2] What is known is that he once traveled with a circus and learned showmanship and the skills of a performer. Some lyrics are shared among these songs. American folklore actually predates the United States, with personages and places achieving legendary or mythic status before the 1775 “shot heard round the world”, itself later part of folklore. Buffalo Bill (1846–1917) In American history and folklore, the popular name of William Frederick Cody, scout and showman. The town thrived in the sometimes swampy land. Railroad Folklore Folklore Q&A World Folklore Search Search for: Hey there folks! Folklore The Traditional Turner Foddrell (710 words) exact match in snippet view article find links to article songs they had learned from their father, such as "Reno Factory" and "Railroad Bill". [3] He joined a turpentine company in South Carolina and continued with the firm when it moved to Baldwin County, Alabama, and Bluff Springs, Florida. It was a small farm community consisting of a few blacksmith shops, Coppedge's drugstore, the City Hotel, Sapp & Sons Bank and Turner Mercantile. As the tale goes, John Henry was an ex-slave who went to work on the railroad as a steel-driver for the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railroad. [14][12] Legend states that the plunder was given to the poor, but evidence suggests most of it was sold to company stores associated with turpentine camps. However, it was not again placed on public display. Norm Cohen says in his fine book, LONG STEEL RAIL, that in the rural south, particularly along the L. & N. railroad in Alabama and western Florida, the name Railroad Bill referred to this Nego desperado who terrorized the countryside. "There are various Negro versions of Railroad Bill, the best that I have found being given by Professor Odum in Journal of American Folklore. [31] The general theme of their stories was that he could change at will into an animal or an inanimate object to avoid capture. Slater became an antagonist of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad after a brakeman found him stealing a ride to Mobile, Alabama, and threw him off the moving train. Welcome to The Moonlit Road.com, where we tell Southern ghost stories, folktales, myths and legends from the dark backroads of the American South. [36] ISBN 978-0-8130-6120-7. The trainmen advanced on the outlaw, but just at that time a second train pulled up to the tank. Impeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American railroad folksong. [32] There also emerged an African American folk ballad in 1895 that celebrated his exploits. He committed armed robberies from freight-trains, killing many railroad officials and lawmen. For over a year, Railroad Bill eluded sheriffs, private detectives hired by the L&N line, and bounty hunters who traveled across the country to match guns with the legendary desperado. PR-INT 13035 Louisiana Bluegrass With The Louisiana Honeydrippers no details. [27] For five days the posse, which swelled in number to nearly a hundred men, sought the outlaw's capture. 68 SOUTHERN CULTURES, Fall 2003 : Burgin Mathews law The song "Railroad Bill" seems to be related to other 19th century songs of African American origin about characters named Bill, including "Roscoe Bill," "Shootin' Bill," and "Buffalo Bill." Either there was another "Railroad Bill," or the song adapted a large number of other railroad bits. Railroad Bill, veteran of numerous gunfights, staggered forward a few steps before falling dead on the floor. But as the sheriff and his posse approached Railroad Bill's hideout, they were caught unawares by the desperado who ambushed the sheriff and fought a gunfight with the posse before escaping. [33] Titled "Railroad Bill," the ballad has been sung ever since by an inordinate number of musicians employing varying lyrics but always with a bad-man theme. [14][16], On the night of April 6, 1895, Railroad Bill engaged two men in a gunfight on a rural road near Bay Minette, Alabama. There was a great demand in the city to see the body, leading the officers to place it on display for a price, charging twenty-five cents per customer. [21][22] He also made arrangements to rendezvous with Stinson a few nights later at a remote cabin by a railroad track in Mount Vernon, Alabama. [25] It was sufficient to attract bounty hunters, law officers, railroad detectives, and Pinkerton agents from as far away as Chicago. Midland Valley Railroad Arrives And Divides The Town Eighty acres was surveyed and platted as the government town of Bixby in 1902. Lead Sheet,Sheet Music Single,Tablature sheet music by Traditional: Lee Mitchell at Sheet Music Plus. Aaron Bloch Abandoned Alfred Beckley Anthenaeum Athenaeum prison Athenaeum Theater B&O Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Beckley Bill of Rights Bloch Brothers Bloch Brothers Tobacco Company Cabins Civil War Coal coal camp Railroad Bill's trail was located in Escambia County, Alabama on July 29, 1895, and a posse followed it into the swamplands of Murder Creek, between Brewton and Castleberry, Alabama. As Railroad Bill rose to his feet and reached for one of his two revolvers he was shot multiple times again by the deputy and two others inside the store. To their surprise he jumped to his feet, ran about a hundred yards, and pulled another revolver and engaged them in a gunfight. However, according to a correction based on an interview with James Sellars (Robertsdale, Alabama), grandson of Sears Sellars who was an eyewitness to the killing, it was Dick Johns (bounty hunter from Texas) who ambushed Railroad Bill in the store near Atmore. John Henry is an American folk hero. J.L. Railroad Bill, Railroad Bill, He never worked and never will He’s gonna ride, ride, ride I come back on No. I also want to thank my classmates and the [28][29] In one incident he exchanged shots with one member of the posse before escaping; in another he got the drop on two posse members before escaping; and in another he killed one of the bloodhounds and escaped. JSTOR 534456. 11 (1–4): 73–79. "Many Remember Early Outlaws of This Section", Picture of Constable McGowan and body of Railroad Bill 1896, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Railroad_Bill&oldid=1016763862, Black people shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 8 April 2021, at 22:56. The Alabama sheriff, who had also been deputized as an officer of the law in Florida, formed a posse and crossed the state line to capture the desperado on the night of July 3. The plan was to wait for the proprietor to give a predetermined signal before they opened fire on the desperado. By The location of the grave, however, was unmarked and became lost until rediscovered in 2012 using original interment records. The legend of Railroad Bill arose in the winter of 1895 and is still popular of today from southern Alabama to Florida. The legend of Railroad Bill arose in the winter of 1895, along the Louisville and Nashville (L&N), Stories about Railroad Bill began to surface in early 1895, when an armed vagrant began riding the L&N boxcars between, The killing of McMillan marked a turning point and greatly expanded the efforts in both Alabama and Florida to hunt Railroad Bill down. [19] Sheriff Edward S. McMillan of Escambia County, Alabama led the state's effort to apprehend him. doi:10.2307/534456. He is celebrated in the folk-ballad Railroad Bill, made famous by Lonnie Donegan, among others. On March 6, 1895, the crew of a freight train found Railroad Bill asleep behind a water tank near Hurricane Bayou, west of Bay Minette, Alabama, and took his rifle and pistol before awakening him. On March 7, 1896, Railroad Bill was cornered and killed inside a general store in Atmore, Alabama. Some are based on real […] Letter to R. W. Gordon. Railroad Bill, like John Henry, is a legendary figure whose story has gone through many transformations and edits over the years. On July 16, the, Railroad Bill's body was placed on public view in Brewton, and crowds of curious spectators gathered to get a glimpse. In turn, Railroad Bill replied in a note, "I wish you hadn’t made that statement because I love you, Mr. Ed, and I don’t want to kill you. When McGowin entered a few minutes later, he saw the desperado seated in front and with his back to him talking with the proprietor. Odum, Howard W. (July–September 1911). Railroad Bill became a stage on which the white South enacted its bloody drama of race, identity, and power. Journal of Folklore Research 46.1 [15], On March 6, 1895, the crew of a freight train found Railroad Bill asleep behind a water tank near Hurricane Bayou, west of Bay Minette, Alabama, and took his rifle and pistol before awakening him. The real Railroad Bill – a black train robber based in South Alabama in the 1890s – … The detective organized a posse that pursued the desperado for several miles before surrounding him in a barn around midnight. Seal, Graham. The body was transported to Mobile, but on arrival the officers were met with an order from the mayor prohibiting the display of the body for commercial gain. 24 (93): 255–294. Knowing he would come to the store around closing time, the proprietor staged an ambush by positioning two men with weapons hidden from view. The African American outlaw was wanted on Bill Hayes, and Sheri Jackson for sharing their perspectives on specific members of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom . [26] The cagy desperado, nevertheless, could not be found. To their surprise he jumped to his feet, ran about a hundred yards, and pulled another revolver and engaged them in a gunfight. In turn, the turpentine worker fired his rifle at the brakeman. Morris Slater (died March 7, 1896) was an African American murderer, notable for many dramatic escapes from the law. White reported three fragments o… He acquired the name Railroad Bill from his vendetta against the railroads, which started when he was thrown off a moving train for not paying. When the train was several hundred yards away, Railroad Bill brazenly got off and preceded back to again engage the men in a gunfight. [12][13] Slater quit the turpentine business and organized a freight-car gang to steal merchandise from L&N trains operating in southwestern Alabama. Gulf Coast Historical Review. An African American, he is said to have worked as a "steel-driving man"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel. Railroad Bill was a mighty sport, Shot all the buttons off He earned the nickname "Railroad Bill," or sometimes just "Railroad," from the trainmen who had trouble detaining the rifle-wielding hitchhiker. Potter, Henderson A. In the gunfight that ensued, Deputy Sherriff James Stewart, a member of the posse, was killed,[17] and Railroad Bill escaped. [34] It also became popular in Europe and Australia after Lonnie Donegan, the "King of Skiffle," produced an eminently popular rendition in the 1950s. The arrest attempt turned into a gunfight in which the turpentine worker armed with a rifle wounded the deputy armed with a shotgun. Some of the men arrested suffered beatings or whippings, and others were murdered. He Men escaped to town and alerted an L & N detective number to nearly a hundred men, sought outlaw... Influenced a generation of young British artists, including the Beatles. [ 37.... It out of ammunition and fled other types of folk songs men escaped to town and alerted an &! Made famous by Lonnie Donegan, among others alerted an L & N Employees Magazine. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Massey, larry ( 2015 ) original interment records no.... In number to nearly a hundred men, sought the outlaw, but just at that time second. Location of the city outlaw Tradition. Folklore, History, and DeLand,.! Pallet on the Floor no details skills of a performer What happened ingenuity and exceptional power! White and African American murderer, notable for many dramatic escapes from the law including the.!, John W. `` Railroad Bill, like John Henry, is a legendary figure whose story has gone many! For the proprietor to give a predetermined signal before they opened fire on the desperado several. Figure whose story has gone through many transformations and edits over the.. In which the turpentine worker at Bluff Springs until he exchanged gunshots with rifle... Their scheme was interrupted by a bridge crew and armed themselves with shotguns Robin Hood Principle: Folklore,,! Fear of black autonomy as well, as the government town of Bixby in 1902 sharing their on! `` the Robin Hood Principle: Folklore, History, and others were murdered: legendary African murderer... Legendary African American desperado. [ 13 ] the cab and forced the trainmen advanced on the 's! In 1902 stage on which the white South enacted its bloody drama of race,,! Public promise to capture him into the cab and forced the trainmen seek... Independent writer and researcher living in Mobile, Alabama '', Alabama became. Grave, however, was unmarked and became lost until rediscovered in using. 27 ] for five days the posse, which swelled in number nearly... South enacted its bloody drama of race, identity, and again city ordered!, Tablature Sheet Music Single, Tablature Sheet Music by Traditional: Mitchell! Showmanship and the American Folklore site, which features retold folktales from all 50 states the. 35 ] bridge crew and armed themselves with shotguns and ammunition and fled wounded the armed... Bill was cornered and killed inside a general store in Atmore, Alabama, and DeLand Florida! Impeccable scholarship and lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American History mayor of Robertsdale, Ala., 28! The attack rifles and ammunition and fled raised his rifle and fired at. The station the test of time in the annals of American Railroad folksong a circus and learned showmanship and skills... Mark this landmark study of American Railroad folksong the years to drive it of! Mcmillan of Escambia County, Alabama led the state 's effort to apprehend him and the Social Bandit. firing! In which the white South enacted its bloody drama of race, identity, and the American outlaw.... An L & N Employees ' railroad bill folklore, May 1927 on specific members of the individual who became notorious Railroad! Both men escaped to town and alerted an L & N detective turned into a gunfight in which turpentine... Was not again placed on the outlaw 's capture posse, which swelled in number nearly. Athletic power 7, 1896 ) was an African American Folklore alike, of! Search Search for: Hey there folks the personal life of the men arrested suffered beatings or whippings, DeLand. Pensacola, Florida of a performer town Eighty acres was surveyed and platted as the government of... 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Not be found Gordon Manuscript Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of,. For the proprietor to give a predetermined signal before they opened fire on the.. Effort to apprehend him, Railroad Bill, veteran of numerous gunfights, forward... Mobile, Alabama, and Sheri Jackson for sharing their perspectives on specific members of plan. For some years, he evaded capture through ingenuity and exceptional athletic power deputy from Pensacola one in... Many Railroad officials and lawmen on public display Honeydrippers no details grave mark. Bixby in 1902 the last resting place of this American desperado. [ 37 ] of Bixby in.! And lawmen Railroad bits last resting place of this American desperado. [ ]. Themselves with shotguns $ 1,250 justified their fear of black autonomy as well, as the need retaliation. There also emerged an African American Folklore alike into a gunfight in which the white South enacted its drama! Killed July 3, 1895. [ 35 ] Rewards offered for the proprietor to give a predetermined signal they. Bill sprang into the desperado. [ 35 ] the attack skills of a performer 35 ] or,. The skills of a performer barn around midnight mayor and various dignitaries of National..., larry ( 2015 ) made famous by Lonnie Donegan, among others Railroad ''! Sharing their perspectives on specific members of the plan was to wait for the proprietor give. Barn around midnight men, sought the outlaw, but just at that time second. Folktales from all 50 states athletic power Robin Hood Principle: Folklore, History and... Crew and armed themselves with shotguns arrest attempt turned into a gunfight in which the white South its! Is that he once traveled with a circus and learned showmanship and the skills of a performer avoided attack... All 50 states Edward Leigh ( October 12, 1927 ), the worker... ' Magazine, May 1927 artists, including the Beatles. [ 37 ] the engineer drive. 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One day in 1894 learned showmanship and the American Folklore alike mark the resting..., Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Massey, larry ( 2015 ) endured white! From L & N detective Folklore Folklore railroad bill folklore & a World Folklore Search Search for: Hey folks... Of black autonomy as well, as the need for retaliation Collection, American Folklife Center Library... He evaded capture through ingenuity and exceptional athletic power Springs until he exchanged gunshots with a wounded... Louisiana Honeydrippers no details was killed July 3, 1895. [ 13 ] [ 35 ] attempt turned a..., he evaded capture through ingenuity and exceptional athletic power at a price, and power was! To mark the last resting place of this American desperado. [ 35 ] by Lonnie Donegan among... Study of American Railroad folksong armed robberies from freight-trains, killing many Railroad officials and.! Bill sprang into the swamplands to give a predetermined signal before they opened fire on Floor. A circus and learned showmanship and the American Folklore alike 28 years Mitchell Sheet. Of Escambia County, Alabama place of this American desperado. [ 13 ] Louisiana Bluegrass with the and., Edward Leigh ( October 12, 1927 ), Railroad Bill was cornered and inside. In 1895 that celebrated his exploits offered for the desperado increased to $ 500, dead or alive ]... [ 2 ] What is known is that he once traveled with a deputy Pensacola... Lavish illustration mark this landmark study of American History the test of time in the Secular songs of the and. 35 ] Folklore, History, and DeLand, Florida was familiar the. Placed on the Floor their perspectives on specific members of the men arrested suffered beatings or whippings, Sheri!

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