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
We all got together at Amory Junction, about one mile out of Amory,
late in the evening. Burrow said there was no danger of any one knowing
him, and he was not afraid to come into Amory. So we all started in
about one hour before sunset. We came up the track until we got near
the depot. Burrow went over towards the round-house, among the side
tracks, where we went over later and joined him. We all went to a
well near Armstrong’s saloon and got some water. Rube Smith said he
wanted to buy a Winchester rifle. Burrow said, “Go ahead and get a
rifle; but be careful about fooling around, inquiring for guns.” Burrow
said to Smith that he wanted half a pint of whisky. Smith went into a
saloon and got it. Burrow said to Smith, “I will meet you and McClung
at the round-house.” Burrow had hidden the rifle between the Junction
and Amory. Rube Smith and I went into several stores inquiring for
Winchester rifles, but could find none. We went into Snow’s saloon, and
Rube Smith bought one gallon of whisky in a jug, also one-half pint. We
joined Burrow at the back of the round-house. Rube Burrow then ordered
us to meet him at Jim Smith’s, about three and one-half miles from
Crews Station. He said he would go ahead on foot, and would be there
between breakfast and dinner on Sunday, the 15th inst. We went to the
depot to take the train. Burrow told Smith and myself to be careful and
not get arrested. We were told to be sure and meet him, and were to rob
Jonathan Jones on Sunday night. Smith said he had stayed at Winfield,
Ala., where Jones did business, and he knew he had a good deal of
money. He told how he generally came out from supper and stayed at the
store all night, and said we could “hold him up” as he went into the
store and make him open his safe.
McClung gave a faithful account of the Buckatunna train robbery, as
detailed to him by Rube Smith, while they were on their way from
Alabama to the Indian Territory.
Time afterwards proved that McClung spoke the truth, as before told
in his confession at Aberdeen, except as to one particular--he was
mistaken as to the identity of Rube Burrow. Rube Smith had brought
with him from the Indian Territory a boon companion, whom McClung
had not met, and who somewhat resembled Burrow, but who did not care
to reveal his identity to McClung. As the latter had never seen Rube
Burrow, Smith easily passed his comrade off as the famous train robber.
It was afterwards proved beyond a doubt that Rube Burrow, on the day
of the capture of Smith and McClung, drove his ox-cart into the pines
near Flomaton, Ala., and camped there on that eventful night. McClung,
however, was perfectly honest in the belief that the pal to whom Smith
introduced him was no other than his cousin Rube. The man’s name is
well known to the express officials, but as he never committed, but
merely contemplated, a train robbery, he was allowed to go back into
the Indian Territory, and is now listed as a suspect only.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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