Laura Bullion
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Laura Bullion (October 1876 – December 2, 1961) was an
outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
of the
Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...
. Most sources indicate Bullion was born in Knickerbocker, near Mertzon, in
Irion County, Texas Irion County ( ) is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,513. Its county seat is Mertzon. The county is named for Robert Anderson Irion, a secretary of state of the R ...
; the exact day of her birth is unclear. Data in the 1880 and 1900 federal census suggest a Laura Bullion might have been born on a farm in the township of Palarm near
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
in
Faulkner County, Arkansas Faulkner County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 123,498, making it the fifth most populous of Arkans ...
, and might have grown up in
Tom Green County, Texas Tom Green County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 120,003. Its county seat is San Angelo. The county was created in 1874 and organized the following year. It is ...
. Other sources claim Laura Bullion was born in Kentucky in 1873. In the 1890s, Laura Bullion was a member of
Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train robbery, train and bank robbery, bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, ...
's
Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...
gang; her cohorts were fellow outlaws, including the
Sundance Kid Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (1867 – November 7, 1908), better known as the Sundance Kid, was an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in the American Old West. He likely met Butch Cassidy (real name Robert LeRoy Parker) during a hunti ...
, "Black Jack" Ketchum, and
Kid Curry (Known month and day) (known month) (known year) --> , birth_place = Richland Township, Tama County, Iowa, United States , death_date = , death_place = Parachute, Colorado, United States , re ...
. For several years in the 1890s, she was romantically involved with outlaw Ben Kilpatrick ("The Tall Texan"), a bank and train robber and an acquaintance of her father, who had been an outlaw as well. Bullion was arrested in early November 1901 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was convicted of robbery and sentenced to five years in prison for her role in the Great Northern train robbery. She was released from the Missouri State Penitentiary at Jefferson City, Missouri, on September 19, 1905, after serving three years and 10 months of her punishment. Laura Bullion moved to
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, in 1918, posing as a
war widow War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organize ...
and using assumed names. She supported herself as a householder and seamstress, and later as a drapery maker, dressmaker, and interior designer. Her fortunes declined in the late 1940s, when she was without an occupation. In 1961, she died of heart disease at the Shelby County Hospital in Memphis. Her final resting place is at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis.


Early life

Most sources report Laura Bullion was born in Knickerbocker, Texas, near Mertzon, in Irion County in or around October 1876. Although the actual date of her birth is unknown, Bullion's death record indicates October 4 as her birthday. Bullion's death certificate lists Henry Bullion as her father and Freda Byler as her mother. Bullion's father had been an outlaw and was acquainted with outlaws William "News" Carver and Ben Kilpatrick ("The Tall Texan"), both of whom Bullion met when she was around 13 years of age. Her aunt, Viana Byler, married Carver in 1891, but she died soon after the marriage from fever. At age 15, Bullion began a romance with Carver, who for a time after his wife's death had been involved with female outlaw
Josie Bassett Josie Bassett (January 17, 1874 – May 1, 1964) was a rancher. She and her sister "Queen" Ann Bassett are known for their love affairs and associations with well-known outlaws, particularly Butch Cassidy's "Wild Bunch". Early life Josie Bass ...
, sister to Cassidy's girlfriend
Ann Bassett Ann Bassett (May 12, 1878 – May 8, 1956), also known as Queen Ann Bassett, was a prominent female rancher of the Old West, and with her sister Josie Bassett, was an associate of outlaws, particularly Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. Early life Bas ...
.


Birthday ambiguity

Most sources, as well as Bullion's grave marker, provide 1876 as the year of her birth; 1873 is also mentioned as a possible year of her birth. The exact day is not known. In an arrest report dated November 6, 1901, her age is mentioned as 28 at the time of the arrest. Provided the birth year of 1876 is correct, Bullion would have been 24 or 25 years of age at this time. The death certificate states Bullion's age at death as 74, and her date of birth as October 4, 1887. Provided the birth year of 1876 is correct, Bullion would have been 84 or 85 years of age at her death. The certificate is issued under the name Freda Bullion Lincoln, a false identity she assumed when she moved to Memphis, claiming to be the war widow of Maurice Lincoln and making herself about 10 years younger than she was.


Birthplace ambiguity

Most sources, including Laura Bullion's death certificate, give Texas as her state of birth. Data found in the 1880 and 1900 census suggests Bullion might have been born on a farm in the Palarm Township near
Conway Conway may refer to: Places United States * Conway, Arkansas * Conway County, Arkansas * Lake Conway, Arkansas * Conway, Florida * Conway, Iowa * Conway, Kansas * Conway, Louisiana * Conway, Massachusetts * Conway, Michigan * Conway Townshi ...
in
Faulkner County, Arkansas Faulkner County is a County (United States), county located in the Central Arkansas region of the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 123,498, making it the fifth most populous of Arkans ...
. The 1880 Federal Census of Population for Palarm Township shows the family of a Kentucky-born farmer named Henry Bullion, aged 42, living with his wife Martha, 40 years old, and four children, including a son Lewis, 4 years of age.1880 Federal Census of Population, Enumeration District 52, Page 36, Lines 6-11 The 1900 census documents a 23-year-old Laura Bullion, born October 1876 in Arkansas, who stated her occupation as "housekeeper" and who was living with her grandparents E.R. and Serena Byler, her aunt Mrs. Mary Allen, and her three children at the Byler homestead in the southwest portion of the Commissioner's Precinct Number 4 in
Tom Green County, Texas Tom Green County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 120,003. Its county seat is San Angelo. The county was created in 1874 and organized the following year. It is ...
.1900 Federal Census of Population, Enumeration District 158, Sheet No. 4, Lines 62-68 Tom Green County borders Irion County, Bullion's assumed county of birth, in the north and east. Other material claims Laura Bullion probably was born in Kentucky in 1873 and was raised in Texas.


Outlaw life

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The Sundance Kid Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (1867 – November 7, 1908), better known as the Sundance Kid, was an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in the American Old West. He likely met Butch Cassidy (real name Robert LeRoy Parker) during a hunting ...
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The Tall Texan ''The Tall Texan'' is a 1953 American western film directed by Elmo Williams and starring Lloyd Bridges, Lee J. Cobb, Marie Windsor and Luther Adler.Hoffmann p.14 It was the only film directed by Elmo Williams, who said he had 50% of the pr ...
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Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train robbery, train and bank robbery, bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, ...
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Kid Curry (Known month and day) (known month) (known year) --> , birth_place = Richland Township, Tama County, Iowa, United States , death_date = , death_place = Parachute, Colorado, United States , re ...
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When Bullion first became involved with Carver, the latter was riding with the Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum gang, and Bullion wanted to join him. However, he would not allow it at first, and they only saw one another between robberies. While in Utah and on the run from lawmen, Carver became involved with the Wild Bunch gang, led by
Butch Cassidy Robert LeRoy Parker (April 13, 1866 – November 7, 1908), better known as Butch Cassidy, was an American train robbery, train and bank robbery, bank robber and the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch, ...
and
Elzy Lay William Ellsworth "Elzy" Lay (November 25, 1869 – November 10, 1934) was an outlaw of the Old West in the United States. He was a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang, operating out of the Hole-in-the-Wall Pass in Johnson County, Wyoming. ...
.


Aliases and disguises

Members of the Wild Bunch nicknamed Laura Bullion "Della Rose", a name she came by after meeting Kid Curry's girlfriend Della Moore. Often, Bullion also was referred to as the "Rose of the Wild Bunch". When her boyfriend Ben Kilpatrick and she fled east to evade the law after a train robbery in 1901, the couple traveled under the names "Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Arnold". In an arrest report following the train robbery, dated November 6, 1901, Bullion's name is filed as "Della Rose" and her aliases are stated to be "Clara Hays" and "Laura Casey and
aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a purported field of luminous multi-colored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure * Halo (religious iconography), glory, or aure ...
Bullion". The arrest report lists her profession as prostitute. According to a ''New York Times'' article, she was "masquerading as 'Mrs. Nellie Rose' at the time of her arrest.''Woman Train Robber Held''; Special to The New York Times; New York, NY; Nov. 8, 1901; page 2 The same article also mentions the suspicion that she, "disguised as a boy", might have taken part in a train robbery in Montana. The paper cites Chief of Detectives Desmond: "I would'nt think helping to hold up a train was too much for her. She is cool, shows absolutely no fear, and in male attire would readily pass for a boy. She has a masculine face, and that would give her assurance in her disguise." Instead of "Clara Hays", Bullion also used "Clare Hayes" or "Clara Hayes" as a version of her alias. Other assumed names she used at that time were "Desert Rose", "Wild Bunch Rose", and "Clara Casey". When Bullion turned up in Memphis in 1918, she used the names "Freda Lincoln", "Freda Bullion Lincoln", and "Mrs. Maurice Lincoln", claiming to be a war widow and her late husband had been Maurice Lincoln. She also made herself 10 years younger, claiming to have been born in 1887. On her grave marker at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Bullion's name is inscribed as "Freda Bullion Lincoln" and "Laura Bullion", her birth name. The epitaph "The Thorny Rose" refers to her nickname in the Wild Bunch.


Relationships

In the early 1890s, Bullion became involved romantically with Ben Kilpatrick after Carver began a relationship with a prostitute named Lillie Davis, whom he had met at Fannie Porter's brothel in San Antonio. As the gang robbed trains, Bullion supported them by selling stolen goods and making connections that could give the gang steady supplies and horses. By 1901, Bullion again was involved romantically with Carver and had occasional involvement with other members of the gang. When Carver was killed by lawmen on April 1, 1901, Bullion became involved romantically with Kilpatrick again, and the two fled to
Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
. Della Moore and Kid Curry met with them there, and the four stayed together for a number of months, until October, when Della Moore was arrested for passing money linked to one of the gang's robberies.


Arrest

On about November 1, 1901, Ben Kilpatrick and Laura Bullion arrived in St. Louis by train, and checked into the Laclede Hotel using the aliases Mr. & Mrs. J.W. Rose. At 11:50 pm on Nov.5 (Tuesday ), Ben Kilpatrick was arrested at Josie Blakey's resort at 2005 Chestnut St. In his pocket, the authorities found a key to a room at the Laclede Hotel. On the morning of November 6, they entered the hotel lobby, where Laura Bullion was in the process of checking out with her luggage. In her valise, they discovered $8500 in unsigned banknotes taken in the Great Northern train robbery. Laura was arrested at 9:15 amSt. Louis Post Dispatch Nov. 6, 1901 pg 1. on federal charges for "forgery of signatures to banknotes." Curry escaped capture on December 13, 1901, killing two Knoxville policemen in the process. Both Bullion and Kilpatrick were convicted of robbery, with Bullion being sentenced to five years in prison and Kilpatrick receiving a 20-year sentence. She served three and a half years before being released in 1905. Kilpatrick was not released from prison until 1911.


After the outlaw life

Kilpatrick stayed in contact with Bullion through letters. By the time of his release from prison in 1911, she had become involved with at least four other men, but she and Kilpatrick never reconnected nor did they see one another again. Kilpatrick was killed robbing a train on March 13, 1912. By this time, the Wild Bunch gang had disbanded.


Memphis years

In 1918, Bullion moved to Memphis, where she spent the remainder of her life working as a householder and seamstress, and later as a
drapery Drapery is a general word referring to cloths or textiles (Old French , from Late Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Late Latin ). It ma ...
maker, dressmaker, and interior designer. In 1920, the Memphis City Directory lists Bullion as seamstress for the Jennings Furniture Co., with rooms at 221 Monroe Ave. From 1927 to 1948, she is listed as "householder" at 1374 Madison Ave. This is the only one of the buildings still in existence in 2007. In the 1930s, Bullion was listed as "drapery maker". Her occupation was upgraded to "interior decorator" in 1940. Her fortunes declined in the late 1940s. In 1950, Bullion moved to 1065 Walker Ave, with no profession listed. The following year, she moved to 3691 Southern Ave and in 1952 to 733 Decatur St. From 1953 to 1959, Bullion disappeared from the telephone book and is not listed in the city directory. In 1959, Bullion was listed as living at 278 Cossitt Place. She lived there until her death two years later.


Death

According to her obituary, Bullion died of heart disease at the Shelby County Hospital at 6:45 pm on December 2, 1961. The memorial service was held at 11:30 am on December 4. She is buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery. Bullion was the last surviving member of the Wild Bunch gang. Her grave marker reads: :Freda Bullion Lincoln :Laura Bullion :The Thorny Rose :1876 - 1961 Bullion's bronze grave marker has a decoration of embossed rose vines along the edges. The decoration and her epitaph "The Thorny Rose" refer to Bullion's nickname in the Wild Bunch.


Her cohorts' fate

For a number of years before her death, Bullion was one of only three people who had known the mysterious
Etta Place Etta Place ( , ?) was a companion of the American outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, alias Sundance Kid. The three were members of the outlaw gang known as Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. She was princi ...
, girlfriend to Wild Bunch gang member, the
Sundance Kid Harry Alonzo Longabaugh (1867 – November 7, 1908), better known as the Sundance Kid, was an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in the American Old West. He likely met Butch Cassidy (real name Robert LeRoy Parker) during a hunti ...
. Place simply disappeared in 1909, following the Kid's alleged death in
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
. Only Bullion, Ann Bassett, and Josie Bassett could have shed light on the facts about Etta Place. Ann Bassett died in 1956. In 1964, Josie Bassett died.


Notes

References to the Shelby County Register of Deeds reflect information from the death certificate of Freda Bullion Lincoln, the identity Laura Bullion assumed for 43 years, when she was living in Memphis. Some of the information does not match the real facts, which is not unusual for a false identity. She registered under a false name, made herself 10 years younger, and claimed to be the widow of Maurice Lincoln. The state of her birth is given correctly as Texas. How truthful the information about her parents' names is or about the day of her birth is unclear. The information is not provided to start speculation; it is the data on the record about the assumed identity of Laura Bullion at the time of her death. It is an 'accurate' and 'truthful' reflection of vital records containing potentially 'inaccurate' or 'untruthful' data as provided to the authorities by Laura Bullion herself.


References


External links


Laura Bullion


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullion, Laura 1876 births 1961 deaths 19th-century American criminals 19th-century American women 20th-century American criminals 20th-century American women People from Irion County, Texas Criminals from Memphis, Tennessee Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch Outlaws of the American Old West American female gangsters American people convicted of robbery American prisoners and detainees Train robbers Female bandits Female outlaws Female robbers Female prisoners and detainees People convicted of forgery Prisoners and detainees of Missouri Burials at Memorial Park Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)