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
The train robber’s pistols, belt and Marlin rifle were taken to
Memphis, Tenn., and the publication of the chase and capture by a
Memphis journal, accompanied by illustrations of the pistols and
cartridge belt, and the announcement that the arms would be on
exhibition at its office that morning, created a remarkable and
unexpected effect. The rush of visitors that ensued was extraordinary,
and is mentioned here merely to show the wonderful interest with which
the career of Rube Burrow imbued all classes of people. Early in
the morning the first callers were the newsboys, porters and clerks.
All wanted to see and handle the weapons of the great outlaw. Later,
merchants, bankers, lawyers, shop-keepers, all alike interested, left
their places of business to view the weapons. It became necessary to
place the pistols and belt in a glass case and hang the rifle beyond
reach, and still the crowd continued to gather.
The weapons were on exhibition for several days, during all of which
time the influx of visitors never ceased. Rich and poor, male and
female, black and white, all were possessed of the same curiosity, and
the deeds of the outlaw were discussed by some with admiration for his
courage, by others with an expression of detestation of his crimes--by
all with a feeling of relief that he was dead.
CHAPTER XXI.
TRAGIC SUICIDE OF L. C. BROCK, ALIAS JOE JACKSON--HE LEAPS FROM THE
FOURTH STORY OF THE PRISON INTO THE OPEN COURT, SIXTY FEET BELOW,
CAUSING INSTANT DEATH--HIS LAST STATEMENT.
L. C. Brock, _alias_ Joe Jackson, was placed in the penitentiary at
Jackson, Miss., for safe keeping, on the twenty-first day of July,
pending his appearance for trial at the November Term of the Federal
Court. He had elected to plead guilty, and receive a sentence of life
imprisonment for the offense of robbing the United States mail at
Buckatunna, Miss., September 25, 1889, rather than be taken to Duck
Hill, because the penalty of death by hanging he knew would be his
fate. Again, he felt that the outraged friends of Chester Hughes, the
heroic passenger who had, in assisting Conductor Wilkinson on that
fateful night, been shot down in cold blood, would probably mob him
if taken there for trial, and fearless and bold as he was, his heart
quaked within him whenever the alternative of being taken to Duck
Hill was presented to him. Again and again he had been told by the
officials of the Southern Express Company that whenever he repented of
the conclusion he had made to plead guilty to the Buckatunna robbery
and testify against Smith, that the confession he had made could be
withdrawn, and he could elect a trial for the murder at Duck Hill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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