New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-10-29
Red Rube,s Career

was captured in Alabama Il few DAYS
ago, and was shot while attempting
to escape from custody, had career
rlvaling that Of Jesse James.
Altogether Burrows had robbed
nine trains in three states, had killed
several and wounded many men with
his deadly Winchester, and had whip
eel 100 armed men in open fight. I'm
like most train robbers, Burrows had
no gang. He usually worked with
only the one confederate, Joe Jack
son. Indeed, he had often said
contemptuously cts as easy to
hold up and go through a train as it
is to rob a hens nest.'' :sRed Rube,'
as he was called in the terrorized re-
gion he lived in, was physically a
splendid specimen of manhood. He
was about 35 years ofage, andstood
6 feet 1 inch in his stocking feet,
weighing 175 pounds. ...
Burrows was born in Lamar coun
ty, Alaba ma, in 1856, where his IA
ther Allan Burrows still lives. The ell
der Burrows wanted his son to study
for the bar When Rube left the dis
trict school his father proposed the
subject, but he did not fall in with it
readily. Shortly after he went to
Texas, where he subsequently mar
ried and settled down on a small
farm. In 1886 his wife died, and
S hortly after he launched on his wild
career. He began by Il chivalrous
attempt to rob an Indian woman.
With his younger brother "Jim,'
and a man named Thornton, and an
other named Bromly, he went up in
to the ''Nation" to rob the dusky
daughter Of an oppressed race. But
the woman was something ola des-
perado herself, and from her entrench-
ed position in her house opened such
a lively fire that they concluded to
retreat, On the way back they met
Il train stopping to take water at q
little station, and, after shooting o.
few times at the conductor, they rob-
bed the passengers. Unfortunately
the colored porter had anticipated
them. Sc they got but 5000.
With the same party before men
toned he 81 few days later robbed a
train on the Texas Pacific road, and
got q fairly good sum from the ex-
press car. Rube and his brother then
went to Arkansas. and in Decem Der,
1897, robbed train near Texarka-
ia, ge ting a large sum. Then they
went back to the old homestead in
Alabama to enjoy Il short rest.
While on this vacation they one day
went to Montgomery to attend cir
Gus. When they got off the train 0 fl
GERS attempted to arrest them. The
brothers ran, but Jim was captured
and subsequently sent to Little Rock
for trial, but died in jail. Rube, how
ever, kept on running and shooting
back Every time he shot one or
more policemen bit the dust, and he
easily made his escape. Rube next
turned his attention to Mississippi
trains, and last December robbed
one on the Illinois Central road at
Duck Hill, getting nearly $4,000.
He was assisted this time by one
Joseph jackson. In July last Jack
son was captured, and is now in the
Mississippi penjtentiary.
His next exploit was the murder Of
Postmaster Gray at Jewell, Ala, and
his last the robbery of the Mobile &
Ohio train near Buchatana.
Even in his death Burrows was an
exponent OF the desperate policy that
made him Infamous. Tied fast, hand
and foot, in Jail, his cruel but active
brain suggested a last superhuman
effort for liberty. "Im hungry" he
said
"We have nothing for you, replied
his jaiers.
'There are some crackers in my
saddlebags, if you will give them to
me-"
The saldlebags were carelessly
tossed to the prisoner, and in a mo-
ment the iailers were staring into the
ominOus muzzles Of brace Of heavy
fevOlverS.
Unite my hands and feet" com
manded Burrows, and the command
was obeyed with alacrity if not with
cheerfulness, and in moment m ore
the robber was in the open air and
rushing toward the neighboring no.
tel to recover the money taken from
his person when he was captured.
But here was fatal error for Bur-
rows. The man in charge ofthe mon
ey was as cool as a robber, and be-
tore Burrows could drop him ball
had fonnd the heart Of the william of
"A hundred dastardlv exploits. And
Sin an hour the telegraph had inform
ed the whole country that Red Rube
Burrows was dead.