Rube Burrow, king of outlaws, and his band of train robbers : $b An accurate and faithful history of their exploits and adventures — John Shaqi
Rube Burrow, king of outlaws, and his band of train robbers : $b An accurate and faithful history of their exploits and adventuresAgee, George W. (George Washington)
History
Rube Burrow, king of outlaws, and his band of train robbers : $b An accurate and faithful history of their exploits and adventures
Agee, George W. (George Washington)
Burrow, Rube, 1854-1890
Thus fed and harbored, the outlaws remained in Lamar County and the
adjacent country all the spring and summer of 1889, without any event
of note occurring until on the 7th of July, when Rube Burrow murdered,
in cold blood, the postmaster of Jewell, Ala.
Rube had concluded that a wig and false whiskers were necessary in his
line of business. His robberies were now of such frequent occurrence
that he sought to disguise himself more closely, and after writing for
a catalogue and selecting what he desired in that line, he wrote the
following letter to a Chicago house:
June 1, 1889.
_Mr. Sthrel_:
I just Received your catalogue of wigs and will order Wig and Bird.
Pleas ship one set of Bird, 4 or 5 inches and one Wig, Cullor of
goods light Red, slieghtley Grey, and croped hair. Ship goods to
Sulligent (express office, ship at once) Lamar county Ala, too
W. W. Cain.
P. S.--Please find Five Dollars inclosed. eye Hav no sample of Hair.
Rube had written for the catalogue and for the wig in the name of W. W.
Cain. The former letter was written from Jewell post-office, and as the
name “Sulligent” was not plainly written, the shipper sent the parcel
containing the wig and beard by mail to Jewell, Ala.
Meantime Jim Cash had made several inquiries for the catalogue to
Cain’s address before it arrived. On the arrival of the parcel
containing the wig and whiskers, the wrapper being torn the contents
were exposed. Naturally great curiosity was excited as to the ownership
of these queer looking articles. The rumor soon gained currency that
Jim Cash had been inquiring for mail for W. W. Cain. The postmaster
recalled having delivered him the catalogue, and this parcel was
supposed to be his property. Cash was told that the contents had been
examined, and that the postmaster declared he intended to arrest the
party who called for the parcel.
When this information was imparted to him by Cash, Rube became
greatly enraged. He swore he would go to the post-office in person,
get the mail, and kill Graves. Accordingly he left the home of his
brother-in-law, Cash, about daylight on the 7th of July for Jewell,
Ala., distant about six miles. Rube was known to Moses Graves, who kept
the post-office in connection with a country store, and who was a quiet
and inoffensive citizen.
Rube arrived at Jewell early, but the full-orbed day was not a fit
time for the execution of the dark deed upon which he was bent. He
lurked about the outskirts of the quiet little village until the shades
of night had begun to fall, and creeping, with the stealthy step of
the assassin, towards the post-office, he entered. Moses Graves, the
postmaster, and Rube, companions and playmates in their boyhood, stood
face to face, and exchanging a silent recognition, Rube said: “Have you
any mail for W. W. Cain?”
“Yes,” answered Graves, “but I can not deliver it to you.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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