The county of Jones, Miss., bears to this day the appellation of the “Free State of Jones.” During the late civil war the county seceded from the Confederacy and set up an independent government of its own. Here, in the famous Bogue Homer swamp, which covers one-third of the area of the county, hundreds of Mississippians, and Alabamians from across the border, declared themselves non-combatants, and gathering their families about them, set up a military government of their own. Fortified within this inaccessible wild land, by the aid of their flint locks, they defied Confederate and Federal alike, and in the solitude of a peacefulness disturbed only by an occasional unsuccessful raid upon them, lived on, unmindful of the fate of the Republic. One may ride, at this day, over the public road, so-called, from Ellisville to Buckatunna, sixty miles, and in all that distance he will find no sign of human habitation save at intervals of ten miles or so a rude log hut, and here and there a rosin orchard.
Through this lonely woodland, to the music of the soughing pines, Rube Burrow, Joe Jackson and Rube Smith wended their way from Ellisville to Buckatunna. On Sunday night about dark they reached an abandoned log cabin on the farm of one Neil McAllister, a very intelligent colored man, who lives three miles from Buckatunna station. Neil found the men snugly quartered in this out-house early Monday morning, and had frequent interviews with them during their stay of forty-eight hours on his premises.
The robbers visited a trestle at Buckatunna Creek, two miles south of the station of that name, during Monday, and, after carefully maturing their plans, agreed to rob the south-bound express train, due on Wednesday, September 25th, about 2:30 A. M., at the trestle, one and a half miles south of the station.
Leaving Neil McAllister’s cabin soon after dark the trio passed through Buckatunna and went to the trestle, where they remained until the north-bound train passed at midnight. Rube Burrow and Rube Smith then walked to the station, where, on the arrival of the south-bound train, in charge of Conductor Scholes and Engineer Therrill, the two men quietly boarded the engine as it pulled out from the station.
The cool and determined manner in which the work was done is well described by Zack Therrill, the engineer, in his statement taken by the express officials next day.
STATEMENT OF ENGINEER THERRILL.
Just as I was pulling out of Buckatunna I heard a voice on my engine, and I thought the fireman was speaking to me. I turned to find the fireman and myself covered with pistols by two men. The larger of the two men, who had his pistol presented at me, said, “Pull on out!” After I had run several hundred yards he said, “Don’t be uneasy.” I told him I was not uneasy. He said: “I am going to rob this train or kill every man on it. Stop the train on the trestle beyond the bridge, so the passengers can’t get off. I will kill every one that hits the ground.” I stopped as directed, and was ordered to get down from the engine. When I got down, there was a man standing opposite the gangway on the ground, whom I will designate as number three. He backed towards the express car door. The man number one, who had been on the engine, said, “Call the express messenger.” Just then robber number three, who was in front, covered the messenger, who was sitting on the opposite side of the car, with his back toward us.
The conductor came out at this moment and asked what was the matter. The big man, number one, then fired a shot over my head towards the conductor and said, “Get back or I will kill you!” The messenger had not yet opened the door, but was covered by the pistol of number three. The big man, number one, then covered the messenger as soon as he had shot. The fireman was standing behind me, with a coal pick, covered by number two, who had been on the engine. The messenger shoved the grated door back, the wooden or outside door being already open. The messenger could not have stepped aside, as he was covered by two pistols. Number one then said, “Give me your hand and pull me in the car. Handle my hand carefully, as there are corns on it.” He was in the car five or six minutes. Just after he got in the car the conductor again called to know what was the matter. Number three said, in a low tone of voice, “Look out, I will settle him.” He went forward a few paces, called out “Come and see,” squatted and fired one shot. He then got up, ran forward about ten feet, and laid down flat on his stomach. He laid there until number one, in the car, told the messenger to get out of the car, which he did, in front of the robber, who gave him the bag with its contents to hold, while he himself got out.
Number one then said to me, “Go to the engine with me and pull the mail car off the trestle.” I told him it was off, and told him if it was not off I did not have steam enough to move the train. He then said to number two, “Take the fireman to the engine,” and added, “Wait, I will go with you.” He told the fireman to get on the engine, and told me to stay on the ground. He told the fireman to get his fire started, ordered number two to stay with the fireman, and instructed me to go with him to the mail car. He told the fireman, before he started off, not to move the engine until he came back, and said he would kill me if it started. I went back to the mail car as instructed, and when we got to the express car he instructed number three to bring the messenger up to the mail car. Number three took the bag from the messenger as soon as he struck the ground. I called the mail agent, as instructed, who was inside of the car. As soon as he appeared he was covered by number one, who ordered me to go into the mail car ahead of him, which I did. He ordered the mail agent to get up his registered letters, and said to him, “You have been hiding them.”
The mail agent replied, “No, I have only turned the light down.” The mail agent showed him the registered mail, saying, “There it is,” and added, “You are doing the worst thing you ever did in your life. You will get the U. S. Government after you, and there are not $20,000 in the pile.” “That don’t make any difference,” said the robber; “I will take them anyhow.” He left the car and said to the mail agent, “If you don’t want to get hurt, shut the door and keep it shut until the train leaves here.” He gave the packages he got out of the mail car to number two, who was guarding the fireman, and told me to get up on my engine and pull out. I had started up on the engine when he told me to sit in the gangway between the tender and engine. Number one then said: “Do anything you want to get steam up.”