Rube Burrow Alabama Desperado
Legends of Rube Burrow & Gang
Introduction
One Sunday afternoon, my granddaughter, Annia Belle, asked me this question. “Meme, why do you want to write about an outlaw?” For a minute, I had no answer. Had I forgotten what was important? Was I spending too much time on this research? Annia Belle was concerned because the “book” had taken away from our Sunday afternoon play time for way too long. I talked to a friend about Annia Belle’s question, she said “Tell her it’s history, Barbara.”
Lamar County, Alabama is a wonderful place to live. It is quiet here, you know your neighbor and they know you; we live the good life. In Rube Burrow’s time, that quiet wonderful life was interrupted by “outsiders”, or “intruders”, coming into the county for various reasons and so carelessly judging our people.
Legends of Rube Burrow have been told for over one hundred years. I never tire of hearing another Rube Burrow story. As you read this collection of ten years of research, you are entitled to your own opinion. I am printing the highlights of my findings; what I think is most interesting. To print all I have found is not affordable. This is not a literary work. I do not pretend to be a writer. I am a collector of historical information.
I have used parts of Rube Burrow King of Outlaws written by G. W. Agee printed 1890 soon after Rube’s death. Mr. Agee was a Southern Express Superintendent and played a major role in pursuing Rube Burrow & Gang. Excerpts from the book and newspaper articles are printed as found. I have not corrected any errors. You will notice you can not always believe what you read. Names and places were printed wrong and never corrected.
It is not my intent to open old family wounds. I know the persons mentioned in this book are someone’s father, mother, grandfather, grandmother or other relative. As I have told my boys, “I don’t always love what you do, but I always love you.” I am sure that the parents and other family members of Rube Burrow and Gang felt the same. I hope this research is accepted in the spirit it is written.
Barbara Woolbright Carruth
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© Copyright 2006 Barbara Woolbright Carruth