Bloody Bill Longley
Subtitle: the mythology of a gunfighter
By: Rick Miller ; foreword by David Johnson
Edition: 2nd rev. ed.
Series: No. 10 in the A.C. Greene series; A.C. Greene series -- no. 10.
Publisher: University of North Texas Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Denton, Tex
Language: eng
Number of pages: 371
ISBN-13: 9781574413052
Subjects: Outlaws; Biography; Brigands and robbers
Description: William Preston "Bill" Longley (1851-1878), though born into a strong Christian family, turned bad during Reconstruction in Texas, much like other young boys of that time, including the deadly John Wesley Hardin. He went on a murderous rampage over the last few years of his life, shotgunning Wilson Anderson in retribution for Anderson's killing of a relative; killing George Thomas in McLennan County; and shooting William "Lou" Shroyer in a running gunfight. Longley even killed the Reverend William R. Lay while Lay was milking a cow. Once he was arrested in 1877, and subsequently sentenced to hang, his name became known statewide as an outlaw and a murderer. Through a series of "autobiographical" letters written from jail while awaiting the hangman, Longley created and reveled in his self-centered image as a fearsome, deadly gunfighter--the equal, if not the superior, of the vaunted Hardin. Declaring himself the "worst outlaw" in Texas, the story that he created became the basis for his historical legacy, unfortunately relied on and repeated over and over by previous biographers, but all wrong. In truth, Bill Longley was not the daring figure that he attempted to paint. Rick Miller's thorough research shows that he was, instead, a braggart who exaggerated greatly his feats as a gunman. The murders that could be credited to him were generally nothing more than cowardly assassinations. "Bloody Bill Longley" was first published in a limited edition in 1996. Miller separates fact from fancy, attempting to prove or disprove Longley's many claims of bloodshed. Since the time of the first edition, diligent research has located and identified the outlaw's body, the absence of which was a longstanding myth in itself. This revised edition includes that part of the Longley story, as well as several new items of information that have since come to light.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-349) and index.
Table of contents: title: A good-hearted boy; title: These desperate scoundrels and out laws; title: Murdering, robbing, and ravishing; title: I kept on pumping lead; title: We set out in fine spirit; title: A man of low instinct and habits; title: The worst Indian; title: Who in the hell are you?; title: Desperate looking character; title: Shot him dead; title: Bill was still fighting; title: I will not be captured; title: The last of "pea time"; title: Plenty of ammunition; title: We want him; title: The most successful outlaw; title: I have killed a many man; title: Same old rattling Bill; title: Hanging is my favorite way of dying; title: Not upon his doomed neck.