Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 237, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 October 1914 — 50 YEARS A BANDIT [ARTICLE]

50 YEARS A BANDIT

HE DIES IN PRISON ’“Old Bill** Mimr, Who Became a Criminal am, Dies While Planning Escape. & HUNTED BY TWO COUNTRIES Train Robbing His Specialty, With Stage Looting to Keep His Hand In. Milledgeville, Ga.—Death has treed Bill Miner, notorious robber and jail breaker, from his last prison term. His picturesque career, which Included clashes with the laws of more than a wore of states, and several Canadian Provinces, ended at the Georgia state prison farm, where he was brought three years ago, His career is a matter on which there is little authentic informatinn. outside of the records of states* prisons, where he has served sentences at different times for enterprises of his which want wrong. Shortly after his arrival at the Georgia penitentiary, he gave the first and only account of his life, which is probably as near accuracy as has been obtained. It was a model of brevity. "Let us begin at the he ginning,” he said. “I was born in the family of a prosperous and law-abiding fanner In Bowling Green, Ky., in the year of 1843. I attended school until I became 16, when, like the majority of boys, I became imbued with the fever to go west In company with two of my boy friends, I made for Texas, going on through to California, where my first robbery was turned. That is enough isn’t itr* Throughout the width and breadth of Kentucky, George Anderson —which was his right name—was known before he was 15 years old. Shortly afterward he started west and four years later was rounded up for robbery, in San Joaquin county. In 1862, when but 19 years old, he was sentenced to San Joaquin prison, whence he was discharged June 9, of the same year, but July 12, he was sent up from Placer county for a few months. He was discharged, only to be sent up from Calvefas County?- June 20, 1871, but a new trial was granted him and he was taken back February 9, 1872, and returned March 30, 1872. He tried to escape May 7, 1874, and had four years added to his time, but on March 5, 1877, his sentence was commuted to 12 years, and he was discharged July 14, 1880. It was at this juncture that Bill Miner began his real activities. Meeting up with Bill Leroy, most noted of the western bandits at that time, he formed a partnership with him, going under the name of W. A. Morgan. A month later they robbed the Del Noy stage coach of $3,500. Posses pursued them and Leroy was captured and lynched, but Bill Miner escaped safely, after shooting up the posse, but only slightly Wounding a few- of the members. A little later he was caught in Tuolumne county for robbery 'and sent up for 25 years, going back to San Quentin. He started work December 21, 1881, and emerged from prison July 17, 1901. Although growing old and having paid a severe penalty, he started out in his career of lawlessness with more force in every way, and two years later he held up a train near Puget Sound on the Canadian side, having two confederates on the job. They robbed all the passengers, looted the express car and made a big haul, but all the robbers were caught except Miner. Resting for a few months, he started again his wild career. With his two aids he held up a train at Mission Junction, B. C., Sept. 10, 1904, and stole SIO,OOO in gold. The government and express authorities became frenzied at his daring robberies and the Dominion government offered $5,000 reward for him, while the express company offered a similar sum and the Province of British Columbia augmented it by $2,000 more, making the total $12,000 to be paid for "Old Bill’’ Miner, alive or dead. But the redoubtable fellow laughed at their attempts to corner him. He roamed the wilds of the country until May 9, 1906, when he associated himself with Louis Colquhon and Tom Dunn and held up an express train at Furrer, British Columbia. They made the engineer uncouple and pull the car a mile away, but, to the disgust pf “Old Bill" he found only registered mall, the express money being left in another car. He abandoned the loot. Dug From a Lifer’s Cell. However, the big rewards still were in effect, and the Canadian constabulary took up the trail and rounded up Bill Miner and his two partners, and they were given life sentences in the New Westminster penitentiary in British Columbia. But “Old Bill” kepi up his spirit and August 9, 1907, he dug his way under the prison walls to liberty and traveled to the middle west unharmed. For a period he was quiet, with plenty to live on, but after his board was used up wintering in the south, he started north, and an opportune time seemed to present Itself on Feb. 27, 1909, when he found two novices at Gainesville, Ga., and robbed the Southern Express train. But he was captured and sent- to the state penitentiary at Mlddledgevllle under a twenty year sentence, drizzled, old and gray, he still’was undaunted and declared he would escape and this he did on two occasions, only to be retaken.