Was 'Railroad Bill' spotted by children outside of Monroeville, Alabama in August 1895?

Railroad Bill's grave in Pensacola, Fla.

My son James and I drove down to Pensacola on Friday afternoon for a little last-minute Christmas shopping. On the way down, we passed through Atmore and got to talking about “Railroad Bill,” the infamous outlaw who was gunned down in Atmore in March 1896.

For those of you unfamiliar with “Railroad Bill,” whose real name was Morris Slater, his story begins on March 6, 1895 when Louisville & Nashville Railroad detectives attempted to restrain him when they found him sleeping on a water tank along the tracks. Bill fired shots at detectives and hijacked a train car before jumping from a boxcar and disappearing into the woods. A manhunt ensued and a posse of about 20 men tracked Bill to Bay Minette, where a gunfight resulted in the death of Baldwin County deputy sheriff James Stewart. Bill, who some say was a shapeshifter, escaped.

On July 3, 1895, Escambia County Sheriff E.S. McMillan formed another posse to capture Railroad Bill and later the following night at Bluff Springs an immense gun battle ensued. McMillan was shot in the chest and died while Bill escaped once again. Railroad Bill’s story came to an end on March 7, 1896 when he was shot to death by Constable J.L. McGowin near the Tidmore & Ward Store on Ashley Street in Atmore.

On Friday, after James and I got through with our running around, we took a short little side trip over to St. John’s Cemetery, which is off North G Street in Pensacola. This large cemetery contains over 13,000 graves, and when we arrived, I thought we were going to have a hard time finding Railroad Bill’s grave. However, thanks to information posted at the main gate, and James’ sharp eyes, we found Bill’s grave within about 10 minutes.

According to a historical marker at his grave, Bill was originally buried in an unmarked pauper’s grave in the St. John’s Cemetery. His burial site was largely forgotten for many years until Larry L. Massey, the author of “The Life and Crimes of Railroad Bill,” designed and purchased a headstone for Bill. (By the way, if you’re interested in reading more about Railroad Bill, I highly recommend that you read Massey’s book, which was published in 2015.)

During the time that he was on the loose, sightings of Bill were reported all over the Southeast. In August 1895, The Monroe Journal reported that a “ripple of excitement was created in (Monroeville) by the rumor that the desperado Railroad Bill had been seen a mile or two south of this place. Two children of Mr. Chas. Busey were returning home from the performance of some errand, when they came upon a man lying under the shade of a tree near the pathway leading through a dense wood, with his rifle beside him. On seeing the children, he bounded to his feet and took precipitate flight, leaving a piece of his clothing on the ground.

“The children hurried home and reported to their father what they had seen, who from their description of his arms and personal appearance, suspected that it might be the notorious outlaw. He came at once to town and gave the alarm. An armed posse was quickly raised and set out on the hunt. After thoroughly scouring the woods without discovering any trace of Railroad, the posse returned to town.”

In the end, it will likely never be known if Railroad Bill ever passed through Monroeville, but it was certainly possible. With that said, if you ever get the itch to visit his grave, it’s not hard to find if you happen to have a few extra minutes while visiting Pensacola. His grave is nothing fancy, but it is an interesting reminder of the bygone days of one of Alabama’s most infamous outlaws.