1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,920 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime is a production of My Heart Radio. What's Up? 2 00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Done? Sara and Burnett? You know I got a 3 00:00:06,280 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: question for you. You're ready, you know what's ridiculous? I 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: had one answer. I want to go. I want to 5 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: go first. Please know what what's ridiculous? Eighteen seventies everything 6 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 1: was ridiculous. In eighteen seventies in Belgium, they tried to 7 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:26,720 Speaker 1: train domestic cats to deliver the mail. That that was 8 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: a frustrating exercise, is ridiculous. They put waterproof bags are 9 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: on their necks. How big were the bags like three? 10 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: And then they took him out to the countryside and 11 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: they let miles away and let them go and they 12 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,880 Speaker 1: came home. All of them made it home within twenty 13 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: four hours. But here's the thing, like, how is that 14 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 1: going to deliver the mail? And if you're like I 15 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: need this letter, let me put it on the cat 16 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: and drop the cat in the woods and then when 17 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: it comes back to me, I have the letter that 18 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: I sent. Were they just like really impressed with St. 19 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: Bernard's and they're like, we got to expand this. Or 20 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: if I want to say to you a letter, I 21 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:02,880 Speaker 1: go to your house, I steal your cat. I bring 22 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: it home, I tie something to its neck. I'm like, 23 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: why why didn't I take it over in the first place? 24 00:01:06,959 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: That's pretty much how carrier pigeons worked. It's ridiculous. It 25 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:11,960 Speaker 1: is straight up ridiculous. The cats part is the part 26 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: that I'm like, out of all the animals you have around, 27 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: here's the least likely. I would rather train goats to 28 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: bring the wild card in this, the ridiculous wild card. 29 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: So you you have something ridiculous? Oh girl, no, that's 30 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: a good the end. Thanks, This is a ridiculous guy. 31 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: It's been a podcast about It's a shorty. It's a 32 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:38,240 Speaker 1: short week, super shorty. Bro. No, actually, I do have 33 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:40,200 Speaker 1: one for you. Are you in the mood for the 34 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: story of a man who began career? Oh? Okay, well 35 00:01:43,640 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: protecting he's not a man, he is a Would you 36 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: like a story of a talking dog who began his 37 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: career in the nineteenth century, which apparently you're so fond of, 38 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: and back then he was robbing stagecoaches. He ended his 39 00:01:56,720 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: criminal career in the twentieth century. By then he had 40 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: moved on to robbing trains. Okay, it's changing. Technology didn't 41 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: really stop him, but he didn't really CanCERN himself with 42 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 1: all that, because his victim stayed the same. He had 43 00:02:09,040 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 1: the exact same person. He was tying the same person 44 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,240 Speaker 1: over and over again. No, he was all about corporations. 45 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 1: He wanted to rob only corporations. He's a folk here 46 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: everyone should know about. I'm going to tell you a 47 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: story today. This is Ridiculous Crime, a podcast about absurd 48 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: and outrageous capers. Heiss and cons. It's always murder free 49 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: and ridiculously calling the game today, isn't Yeah right, a 50 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: little a little fired up today, I want to tell 51 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: you the tale of a new favorite of mine, the 52 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: folk hero Bill Miner. Bill Miner, Yes, he was a man. 53 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,919 Speaker 1: He was bound by a simple code. He had two rules, 54 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: just too. He never killed anyone, and he never robbed 55 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: from the poor. He only ever robbed corporations. He was 56 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: like an American Robin Hood. Right, I've never killed anyone 57 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: and I don't rob from the poor. You have to him, 58 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: you're basically a full cure outlaw. Yeah, so get on, 59 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: because he was a very effective one. How many times 60 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: have you been arrested? I don't want to talk about that. Yeah, Well, 61 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:34,320 Speaker 1: he spent almost half of his life behind bars. He 62 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: was really about it. Yeah, it sounds like you sound 63 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: like maybe a try hard. I don't know. I'm not 64 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: trying to, but I mean, unless you've been locked up 65 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: for half of your lifetime, are you really about that 66 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 1: crime life? Yeah, that's what I thought. But you know, 67 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: he was also like a fan favorite in the way 68 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: that like when he would get locked up and he 69 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: would go to a court, thousands of people from all 70 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: around and like rural places would show up, like, oh man, 71 00:03:56,800 --> 00:03:58,880 Speaker 1: we got to see Billy Minor. He's the most famous 72 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: outlaw nobody has. And women loved him, men wanted to 73 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: be him. He was the fulk hero you've never heard of. 74 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: Now why was he so beloved. I've already told you this. 75 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 1: He only robbed from the corporations, never from the people. 76 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 1: The people supported him because this is the simple rule, 77 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: which is if you don't rob from us, you're clearly 78 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,799 Speaker 1: on our side. That's what That's what they saw because 79 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: they were also suffering from the exploitation of various large 80 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 1: industrial like logging concerns, railroad companies, that various people who 81 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: they had to work for the factories. So they saw 82 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,280 Speaker 1: him as fighting back against this and they didn't see 83 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: corporations as people's my friend. No, there was no citizens united. 84 00:04:39,080 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: So now, as I also told you, he didn't like 85 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: to anyone to get hurt. He was known for being 86 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: a kind heart. In fact, his nickname was the Gentleman 87 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: bandit like I thought, I thought you'd like it. He 88 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 1: also was something of a political firebrand for the time. 89 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: He called himself openly a socialist, which was not common 90 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: at the time. People were anarchists, they were socialist. But 91 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: he wasn't a European who come from you know, like Scandinavia, 92 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:04,080 Speaker 1: northern Europe and said, oh I'm a socialist. You'd find 93 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: a lot of them in Chicago, Milwaukee. But he was 94 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: out in the West on his own, a cowboy calling 95 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,920 Speaker 1: himself a social interesting. Not a lot of socialist cowboys. 96 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,200 Speaker 1: But you know, he was also, I think, in modern parlance, 97 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: something of a Champagne socialist because as a criminal, he 98 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,719 Speaker 1: liked to live large. When he got a big score, 99 00:05:21,760 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: he didn't give all of the money away to the people. 100 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: Some of it he's kept for you know, fine furs, 101 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:30,280 Speaker 1: steamerships to Europe. He liked to live big, right now, 102 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: He also was somebody who was cultured because his mother 103 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 1: was a school teacher and uh, she made sure that 104 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: he could speak with anyone he met in the world, right, 105 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: and he used that too great advantage. Now, as far 106 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: as he's place in the history of outlaws goes, I 107 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: need to kind of like frame him, I think for you, 108 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: because you may be thinking, I've never heard of this dude, right, 109 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: and like you keep telling me all this cool stuff 110 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,919 Speaker 1: about him. Why have I never heard about Bill Miner. 111 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: That's exactly what the dialogue in my head right now. 112 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 1: I could see the brain noodle turning. It's just steam 113 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: coming out of my ears. Now. There were fun things 114 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: about him, like he was the first person to rob 115 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:08,679 Speaker 1: a train in Canada, so the second person to Robert 116 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 1: in Canada. He was the first person to rob a 117 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:13,479 Speaker 1: train in my home state of Georgia. He was not 118 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:16,359 Speaker 1: the second person to rob a train in Georgia. But 119 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: this guy, over his decades long career as a gentleman bandit, 120 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: he robbed more stage coaches and the Jesse James and 121 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:27,240 Speaker 1: only one less train than the James Younger gang robbed, 122 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: and that's what they focused on. So he had them 123 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: beaten in one and almost tied on the other Why 124 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: don't we know about that? That's what I'm wondering, right, 125 00:06:34,839 --> 00:06:38,039 Speaker 1: But listen, do you have a favorite folk hero outlaw, like, 126 00:06:38,200 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: you know, like for me, be Cherokee Bill the half black, 127 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:45,559 Speaker 1: half native outlaw. Everybody look out Cherokee Billy's dope. There's 128 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: also John Dillinger, you know, he's more of like, you know, 129 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: a modern outlaw folk hero. There's the classic Robin Hood, 130 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: or there's Ivanhoe another you know, English folk hero. Do 131 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: you you don't have any favorite to these? Um Amelio 132 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:02,720 Speaker 1: Estevez as Billy the Kid. What about maybe non outlaws 133 00:07:02,760 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: like John Henry Paul, Yeah, exactly. Do any of those 134 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,119 Speaker 1: ever good for you? You're not really into the folk cures, 135 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: is what I'm hearing. I like them all. No, I 136 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,040 Speaker 1: like that very very democratic. You're like, who needs a 137 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,520 Speaker 1: folk cure? I'm for the folk people. Yeah, I'm more 138 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,320 Speaker 1: of the folk. And then we have heroes. But now 139 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: Bill Miners, so you can picture him. This dude. He 140 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: wasn't a big man. He's like a rather thin bone guy, 141 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,520 Speaker 1: a little bit under medium height. He generally had fair hair. 142 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: He liked to wear a mustache over time. His mustache 143 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,800 Speaker 1: great and uh That's why he becomes known as the 144 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: Gray Fox. Is because of this charming mustache that would 145 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,560 Speaker 1: kind of dance on his upper lip whenever he smiled, 146 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: and he was a very charming guy. He was known 147 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:45,440 Speaker 1: for the glint in his eye, a quick smile, the 148 00:07:45,520 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: curve of his lip for the ladies. You know, he 149 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,720 Speaker 1: was the kind of a charmer without being like f 150 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: boy energy right exactly, Now, dude is like got real lucky. 151 00:07:56,680 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: He was born in forty three in Kentucky. Now, if 152 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: you were a bull way born in eighteen forty three 153 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: in Kentucky. So yeah, I see, I'm doing the math right. 154 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:06,800 Speaker 1: You do the math right. He dodged the Civil War 155 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: bullet by having his mother go, I'm a school teacher. 156 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: I can see where this is going. I know something 157 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 1: about history. We're moving west. She took him all the 158 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: way to California in eighteens, like in eighteen hundreds, like 159 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,480 Speaker 1: mid mid century, nineteenth century, start talking like eighteen fifties. 160 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: If you're sitting there in California, you're pretty much in 161 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: Spanish Mexican California. This there is nothing that we would 162 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:33,079 Speaker 1: think of. It's mostly still just the vestiges of the Californias, 163 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: so that's what he shows up in. They moved to 164 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: San Diego. Yeah, San Diego, and at that point, San 165 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: Diego is not a Navy town. There's no camp Pembla. 166 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:44,560 Speaker 1: It's an interesting choice, a right, Yeah, but San Diego 167 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: was the more fair place to land in southern California 168 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: than Los Angeles. It had better weather, better water, everything. Imagine, 169 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: it was a big fishing community. So also they had 170 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 1: big ranchos because of the California, so primarily there were cowboys. 171 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 1: San Diego was a cowboy town. So he went out 172 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 1: there and Bill Miner becomes a cowboy, or as they 173 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: called him out west, a voco or a buckaroo in English. 174 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:09,440 Speaker 1: The cowboys more of an Eastern version, and Texas is 175 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,360 Speaker 1: specifically where you hear cowboy. In California, even then they 176 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:15,680 Speaker 1: were all called buckaroo's. Interesting, you'll see that often. I 177 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:18,199 Speaker 1: learned a bunch about this researching the West is that 178 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: white black native doesn't matter. Everybody west of about middle 179 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: of New Mexico was a buckaroo. Yeah, you don't hear 180 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: that much except for, like you know, occasionally can the 181 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: buckaroo bonds or some of these hangovers from the culture. 182 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 1: But everybody thinks that cowboy was ubiquitous. It was cowboys, 183 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:38,480 Speaker 1: a little bit like I've diminutive races. It's exactly. I mean, 184 00:09:38,520 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 1: it's not even hammer Hall about it. It It was cow 185 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: and the boys who handled the cows. And these boys 186 00:09:43,160 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 1: were men. So the only men were called boys were 187 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,559 Speaker 1: black men. In so in Texas cowboy, if you're a white, 188 00:09:47,559 --> 00:09:49,960 Speaker 1: you were a cow hand or a ranch handranch hand. 189 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: So that was the big difference. And that's why I 190 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 1: kind of prefer buckaroo for everybody. Bucker's fun sounding too, Yeah, exactly, 191 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:59,439 Speaker 1: it's a fun word. Sound ready. So to give you 192 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: a sense of Bill Miner, let's turn to the man 193 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: himself with a quote about his upbringing and quote, Yes, 194 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,319 Speaker 1: let us begin at the beginning. I was born in 195 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: the family of a prosperous and law abiding farmer in 196 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the year eighteen forty three. I 197 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: attended school until I became sixteen, when, like the majority 198 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: of US boys, I became imbued with the FeelA to 199 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,840 Speaker 1: go west. In company with two of my boyfriends, I 200 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,760 Speaker 1: made for Texas, going on through to California, where my 201 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: first robbery was turned, becoming short of funds. We found 202 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: ourselves in a hole, right, just immediately turns to crime. 203 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: It's like cowboy in his hog need a couple of ducks? 204 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: My hands hurt? How much for a gun? So now 205 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:42,440 Speaker 1: he first stars in California as it's all, becomes a 206 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:45,920 Speaker 1: cowboy and he called himself a cowpuncher and bull whacker. 207 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 1: That was his turn, Torr, what do you do for 208 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:50,600 Speaker 1: a living? I'm a bull whacker? Oh, sorry to hear that. Yeah, 209 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: I know, Elizabeth, she's a bear whacker. Has play the 210 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: Now over time, he migrates north to gold Country, northern California. 211 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: Now at this time, we're post the gold Uh, that's 212 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:04,200 Speaker 1: like primarily early eighteen fifties. We're in the into the 213 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: eighteen sixties, right, so we're a generation behind the original 214 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: men who made the name of the gold rush. Right. 215 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,280 Speaker 1: Bill Miner shows up and he's like, so, what's up 216 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: with the gold Rush? And people are like, people are 217 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: still trying to, like, you know, carve some value and 218 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 1: riches out of the earth. He's like, bet, sign me up. 219 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: So he gets going on the mining. He thinks I'm 220 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:27,080 Speaker 1: gonna get a strike. He does not get a gold strike. 221 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: He also borrowed money to pay for his shovels and 222 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:33,839 Speaker 1: all of the various things that his need but need, 223 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,400 Speaker 1: his gold pans, his levies, everything. His creditors come for 224 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: him and they go, look, man, uh, how's the gold 225 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:41,719 Speaker 1: strike coming? But mine is like, I just need a 226 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: little bit. We don't cut any you need a little bit. 227 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: We need all our stuff back or the money. And 228 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: he's like, I don't have the money. I can get 229 00:11:48,679 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: some this, and they're like nope. They take all of 230 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,920 Speaker 1: his stuff, his clothes, everything that he has, and he's 231 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:57,640 Speaker 1: just left pretty much naked and alone in the gold country. Right, 232 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: So what does he do? He decides? My answer crime, Yeah, 233 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: he's he gets mad at these corporations who robbed him, 234 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: robbed the people, denied them a livelihood in America. And 235 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,720 Speaker 1: he says, you know what, this is my new ethos, 236 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 1: robbing corporations. All right, now, I know you kind of 237 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,400 Speaker 1: agree with this. Would you agree that that's an ethos 238 00:12:15,440 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: that is um laudable? Well, I feel like, because corporations 239 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:22,199 Speaker 1: is a tricky one. Well, the very nature of a 240 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 1: corporation is to make money, yes, and at the shareholders, yeah, 241 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:32,160 Speaker 1: And so it doesn't ethics be damned it's however, you're 242 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: going to make the money for the share and you're 243 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 1: legally beholden to do it. Not all of people know 244 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: that they have a fiduciary duty to make money for 245 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: the sharehold exactly. But in the process of that, the people, 246 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: the working people, the people that humanity gets exactly and 247 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 1: gets you know, screwed over and gets robbed from, gets exploited. Yeah, 248 00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:54,720 Speaker 1: because your time and your value is robbed. And so 249 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,839 Speaker 1: you know, I don't really have a problem with that. 250 00:12:57,920 --> 00:12:59,640 Speaker 1: And back then you have to keep in minding Gold Country. 251 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 1: They were ringing in miners from the UK and treating 252 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 1: them essentially like slaves in these minds. So there were 253 00:13:06,480 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 1: all sorts of cornish like miners who were being treated 254 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:12,880 Speaker 1: like slaves. So he would see how the corporations what 255 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 1: they would do once they can take over like the 256 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:17,160 Speaker 1: Gold Country, because originally you had all these miners, individuals 257 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: trying to do stuff, and then came the gold concerns 258 00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:21,600 Speaker 1: and they would lock down, buy up a bunch of mine. Yeah, 259 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 1: they would take overseas and have your own individual steak 260 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: and they were making such obscene wealth out of this. 261 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,360 Speaker 1: And then they brought in the Pinkerton's his muscles, so 262 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 1: take it back exactly. So Bill Miner goes to war 263 00:13:33,240 --> 00:13:35,320 Speaker 1: against the corporations. He was like, I'm not working for 264 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:36,960 Speaker 1: these guys because you can't make it on his living. 265 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,920 Speaker 1: He starts robbing stage coaches. Why stage coaches, not because 266 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: there's passengers on it, Because they're strong boxes, lock boxes 267 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,960 Speaker 1: loaded down with gold dust deposits on their way down 268 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:49,599 Speaker 1: to Sacramento. And he's like, that's easy pickings. This is 269 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,320 Speaker 1: like going up to an apple tree going might I 270 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:53,800 Speaker 1: just had one of two of these apples. So his 271 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:57,600 Speaker 1: first stage coach, he pulls out seventy five thousand dollars. 272 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,720 Speaker 1: What he's like in his teens, He's like, this is 273 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:03,679 Speaker 1: the life for me. Yep. So he's hooked. And not 274 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:06,440 Speaker 1: only that, he immediately goes robin Hood energy on it, 275 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:08,800 Speaker 1: gives away most of the money to the people. Say okay, now, 276 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 1: I don't have a problem with that. But his luck 277 00:14:10,679 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 1: didn't hold despite his grand generosity. He makes the mistake 278 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,360 Speaker 1: of trying to rob another stage coach, but he doesn't 279 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 1: do it with the best materials. Now, for a gun fighter, 280 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: back then, you had to have a steady gun, right 281 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: You couldn't have a gun that missfired, jammed, had a 282 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: bad site. Whatever you needed a good gun. If you're 283 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: a stagecoach robbert, what do you think you need good horse? Oh? Okay, yeah, 284 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: because you gotta ride up along that whole thing. The 285 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: getaway driver essentially your horse. I think of like a 286 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: bank robber. So imagine he went out to your car, 287 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 1: tried to start your car like cock cock. It doesn't 288 00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: matter how well you plan that bank robber, you know, 289 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: it comes down to your getaway car. The getor a 290 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: horse was an old dag oh man save too much 291 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:53,360 Speaker 1: money because he had given it all away, so he 292 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: didn't have any money left. He's like, how much of 293 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: that one horse? I can barely ride. They're like, oh, 294 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: give you two bucks for that one, and he's like, oh, perfect, 295 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: I got two bucks. Buys it right. He goes, takes 296 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 1: that one, tries to rob a stagecoach. The horse mid escape, 297 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: stops dead and goes, I'm not running anymore. It's just 298 00:15:08,600 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: like I'm over it. He's like, what do you know? 299 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: He's like kicking him on the side. Horses like, bro 300 00:15:13,320 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: kick me all you want. I'm an old asked nag. 301 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:18,280 Speaker 1: I've been kicked before, so he refuses to run. The 302 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,760 Speaker 1: posse catches up to him pretty much on the quick 303 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: fast and he's arrested, and the posse rather than do 304 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: what we would call western justice, they don't lynch him 305 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,280 Speaker 1: on site. They don't hang him from the tallest tree. 306 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: They decide to bring him into town, which is lucky 307 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: for him because he doesn't die. Instead, he just goes 308 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:39,840 Speaker 1: to jail, and this begins his first of many times inside. Yeah, 309 00:15:39,960 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: it was amazing. He gets out, doesn't He's not in 310 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 1: for long, and he immediately goes back to robbing stage coaches. 311 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:47,280 Speaker 1: He's like, I didn't learn a thing inside. Well, you 312 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,120 Speaker 1: know when a calling, Yeah, well it's when you're good 313 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: at something. But then he's like, you know what, I 314 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:53,520 Speaker 1: think I could expand my game. They got this new 315 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:56,640 Speaker 1: thing called a steel horse, a railroad. I bet they 316 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: got gold on there. He decides, I'm gonna get him 317 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,120 Speaker 1: on the ground floor. This new thing called train robbery. 318 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:04,760 Speaker 1: That the train. Yes, after this quick break, we'll be 319 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: back with the evolution of train robber Extraordinaire Bill Miner. Now, Elizabeth, 320 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: last we left you, my man Bill Miner was just 321 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,320 Speaker 1: beginning his criminal career. He'd gone from stage coaches to 322 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:39,000 Speaker 1: train robbers. Now I want you to close your eyes, 323 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,480 Speaker 1: and I'm gonna take you to the nineteenth century and 324 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,240 Speaker 1: what is like to rob somebody? Okay, I'm ready to 325 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 1: close your eyes as closed. Years eight seventy one. The 326 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:54,240 Speaker 1: month is January. A cold, hard winter has fallen on 327 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:57,000 Speaker 1: the high desert. There you are up in Gold Country. 328 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: Our man Bill Miner is now full fledge outlaw. He's 329 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: been robbing stage coaches, he's robbing trains. He's got a 330 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 1: never do well ride with him named William Harrington. Now 331 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,400 Speaker 1: this William Harrington. He also will be known as Bill. 332 00:17:08,480 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: So you can't have two bills together. Gets confusing. He 333 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,640 Speaker 1: gets a nickname, a trail name. We call him Alkali 334 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 1: Gym wa alkalilkalijum like alkaline batteries, alkaline water, Alkali gym, 335 00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:25,560 Speaker 1: alkali or alkaline alkali. Okay, So Bill Miner and Alkali 336 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 1: Gym they become part of two guys on like a 337 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: children's chemistry ship, like they're trying to get kids into science. 338 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: Bill Nye and Alkali Gm a robbing thanks. So everything's 339 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,520 Speaker 1: going great for Bill Nye and Alkali Gym until they 340 00:17:41,560 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 1: sattle up with the pretty much three time loser name 341 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 1: Charlie Cooper. Now he's just a straight up good for 342 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:52,080 Speaker 1: nothing reprobate and bad luck to boot. So January seventy one, 343 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: Bill Minor, Alkali Gym and never do Well Charlie Cooper. 344 00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:58,679 Speaker 1: They agree on the plan to rob a train. You're like, 345 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:00,880 Speaker 1: you know, we need a good score. Was like, yeah, 346 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: we need a good score, all right. So mine is like, man, 347 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: this punk ask. So he's like, okay, guys, I'm telling 348 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: you it's about the gold deposits. Were not robbing the passengers. 349 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 1: We're not gonna hurt anybody. I want to hear you 350 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: say it. They're like, yeah, yeah, we're gonna rab the 351 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,200 Speaker 1: passengers and not hurt. No, no, we're not going to 352 00:18:16,400 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: rob the passengers. Were only there for the money and 353 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,680 Speaker 1: the train. The goal. Yeah you have for the gold Man. 354 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,199 Speaker 1: We're gonna get all of it. We're gonna rob them passenger. See, Okay, 355 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: you guys need to focus. Do what I do. Don't 356 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,320 Speaker 1: do anything that I don't do. They're like, okay, I 357 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:34,400 Speaker 1: can do that, and we're gonna score right now. They 358 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 1: decide the best play to do it is to wait 359 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: for the train to be going up a grade because 360 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:39,960 Speaker 1: they have to slow down, and they can run up 361 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:41,720 Speaker 1: and just hop on the train. They'll be going slow 362 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,640 Speaker 1: enough they can literally just run alongside, and so they 363 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:46,359 Speaker 1: stack out of spot on the tracks where the train 364 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:48,639 Speaker 1: will have to slow down, and they hide there amongst 365 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: the rocks, and they wait till they hear that distant 366 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: train whistle and they're like, oh. They get excited to 367 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,679 Speaker 1: check their guns. Everything golden, everything's clean. The rent to 368 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:00,600 Speaker 1: make their move. Train gets closer. The train and robbers 369 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: now or signal each other across the rocks. They're getting 370 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:07,160 Speaker 1: back and forth, looks. They're quieting their horses. They're making 371 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: sure nothing will give them away. The train pulls into 372 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,400 Speaker 1: the mountain pass through they're hiding. They have not been 373 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:18,640 Speaker 1: spotted by the conductor. Everything's golden. The train slows down, 374 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 1: just as they knew it would. The train robbers they 375 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: rushed down over the rocks. They jump on board the train. 376 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: Are They shoved their colt pistols in the faces of 377 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:30,760 Speaker 1: the engineer and the cole man. Both of them were like, obviously, 378 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: they've probably been robbed before, but it was the suddenness. 379 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: They didn't expect normally people come running up on horses. 380 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: These guys were just savvy, and they're like, oh, you 381 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:42,440 Speaker 1: caught us unawares. Now, this train, unfortunately, had very little 382 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: to steal. They picked the wrong train, great plan, wrong train. 383 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: The outlaws come away with five dollars in gold, lots 384 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:54,679 Speaker 1: of exactly no, and the boys don't listen because they 385 00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: also come away with a watch and a pair of 386 00:19:56,520 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 1: boots from the train engineer, not the passengers, though they 387 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: still technically the corporation. So Bill Miner wasn't too pass 388 00:20:02,640 --> 00:20:05,199 Speaker 1: he's like the personal watch of this guy exactly. So 389 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:08,320 Speaker 1: the guys are not on the best. Now this is 390 00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: fine as an early score, you know, some boots of 391 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: five dollar gold coin. Bill miners like, okay, let's see 392 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: if we can get back to the express car. Often 393 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 1: that's where the gold is. So they go and they 394 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:21,360 Speaker 1: find there is a strong box. They get lucky, they're 395 00:20:21,359 --> 00:20:25,040 Speaker 1: able to pry it open. Inside is in gold dust. 396 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,840 Speaker 1: It's not bad, not a bad score at the time, right, 397 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: they realized this is pretty much all they're gonna get. 398 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: They grabbed the gold dust and they make a dust 399 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,439 Speaker 1: cloud trail out of there. Everybody on the train watches 400 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: them just disappear, cloud of dusts. All this left behind 401 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:43,440 Speaker 1: the running now on horses. They have horses are cowboys, 402 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:45,960 Speaker 1: so they understand and ride horses. They had their horses 403 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 1: quieted in the rocks. They board the train. They robbed 404 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,000 Speaker 1: the train. They go onto the express car. They robbed 405 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: the strong box. But the train is still moving. The 406 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:55,880 Speaker 1: trains stopped. They stopped, they stopped it. Do you rob 407 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,159 Speaker 1: a train, generally it will slow down. You run up 408 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: onto these these guys techniques, they up on, they put 409 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:03,199 Speaker 1: the gun and they go stop the train. I've been 410 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: doing it wrong this whole time. No, you don't want 411 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:07,320 Speaker 1: to keep it rolling. People like Elizabeth, you're robbing the 412 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: train when you make it stuff like that's inconvenient. I like, 413 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,960 Speaker 1: I like inertia, Like what's wrong with that? You're so environmental? 414 00:21:15,960 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: And you're like, why would we have to start the 415 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:19,720 Speaker 1: train again. That's just that's more. Can just get off 416 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:21,120 Speaker 1: at the next stop. I don't want to be any 417 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:25,040 Speaker 1: inconvenience to you, guys. The train engineer, they were able 418 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:28,560 Speaker 1: to uh accurately describe to the authorities once they get 419 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,960 Speaker 1: to the next station, what the bandit to rob them 420 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 1: look like. Because Bill miner Alkohol, I gm a charge 421 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,400 Speaker 1: the Cooper. They didn't bother themselves any bandanas or disguises. 422 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: They're like, look at my face, I'm the one robbing you. 423 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,679 Speaker 1: So this was a mistake. Times were changing fast. They 424 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,440 Speaker 1: had something called the telegraph. They were able to wire 425 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 1: or head their description to all these different towns. Right, 426 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:52,359 Speaker 1: So what that means is they now have heat on 427 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,240 Speaker 1: them in every surrounding area. So they decided, okay, we 428 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,120 Speaker 1: gotta lay low. After they run into the first town 429 00:21:57,119 --> 00:21:59,520 Speaker 1: where people are like shishing and talking about them, like 430 00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:01,320 Speaker 1: these people seemed to know stuff about us. So they 431 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: go and they hide out, but not old Charlie Cooper. 432 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: Charlie Cooper is like, I got a big school. I 433 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,159 Speaker 1: gotta go spend his money, buying a whole in my pocket. 434 00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:10,919 Speaker 1: So he's a problem. Yeah, he goes to town eager 435 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,400 Speaker 1: to spend and he's liked, Sacramento ain't nothing. I'm going 436 00:22:14,400 --> 00:22:17,199 Speaker 1: down to San Francisco. I need to get me some 437 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,600 Speaker 1: action gets down to Charlie. Charlie Cooper gets out of 438 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,240 Speaker 1: San Francisco and he's looking like every inch of somebody 439 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,560 Speaker 1: who's escape Gold Country. And he has also interestingly has 440 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:29,840 Speaker 1: the country's possibly thousands of dollars of gold dust. People 441 00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,360 Speaker 1: are like, this is incongruent. So it doesn't take long 442 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: for the San Francisco cops to catch win to him 443 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,240 Speaker 1: and they arrest him. They talked to him about where 444 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:39,359 Speaker 1: you got all this gold dust. He immediately goes, you 445 00:22:39,440 --> 00:22:41,720 Speaker 1: need to meet my friend Bill Miner and Accola Gym. 446 00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: I can tell you right where they find Damn, the 447 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 1: law shows up back in gold country and they're Bill 448 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: Minor is hanging out with al Kalai Gym and they 449 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 1: see the law creeping up on him. There's nothing they 450 00:22:53,560 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: can do. They can't get away. Both men are arrested, tried, convicted, 451 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,200 Speaker 1: and sentenced to twenty five years in San Quentin. Wow, 452 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 1: Now did they wear jackets with their names embroidered on him? 453 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:05,960 Speaker 1: So that like they come they're like, where's Bill Miner 454 00:23:06,040 --> 00:23:08,000 Speaker 1: and Alkali Jim and they're sitting in a bar in 455 00:23:08,040 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: the back has like, well those guys have that on there. No, 456 00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 1: but when they did get to San Quentin, they got 457 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: these little outfits with numbers on them, so they had 458 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,439 Speaker 1: that to look forward to. So he gets released on 459 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,440 Speaker 1: good behavior. So this is you know he's inside for 460 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: a little while, but not terribly long. Ten days later, 461 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 1: it's the fourth of July, he decides, you know what, 462 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,399 Speaker 1: I'm gonna put this life of crime behind me and 463 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: see if I can go the honest way. He goes 464 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 1: up to Oregon to live with his sister, woman named 465 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 1: Mary Jane Wellman. Now Mary Jane's married, she's got a 466 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:42,920 Speaker 1: huband who's pretty much a straight shooter. And he's like, oh, 467 00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,200 Speaker 1: I get you a job, you know, welcome to town, Bill, 468 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:48,840 Speaker 1: And so he's like, you ever gathered oysters? Like gather 469 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: oysters we're talking about. Yeah, we go down to the 470 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,040 Speaker 1: mud and our waiters and we gather up all these oysters. 471 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: Like that sounds a lot like work. It's like, oh, 472 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,400 Speaker 1: it is. It is tiring, It is exhausting. You gotta 473 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 1: get up early and slogged through mud to get this 474 00:24:00,920 --> 00:24:04,479 Speaker 1: this rocky seafood thing. He's like, yeah, okay, yeah, let's 475 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:05,880 Speaker 1: try that. He goes out there, does like a day, 476 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 1: maybe two days of work. On the third day, he 477 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 1: goes and robs Yeah. Note he gets a strong box 478 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,359 Speaker 1: loaded with twenty five thousand dollars in gold. He's back 479 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,800 Speaker 1: at it. So he uses this money. He's like, you 480 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:18,000 Speaker 1: know what, I'm not gonna get this money all the 481 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 1: way to the people this time. I mean, the people 482 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 1: need it, but I need to get out of America. 483 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,200 Speaker 1: So he does that. He goes in. Three weeks later, 484 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,880 Speaker 1: he's in Australia. Wow, yep, just gets a steamship, takes 485 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 1: the clipper or whatever down to Australia. He's got all 486 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:34,320 Speaker 1: this stolen money that's worth like hundreds of thousands of 487 00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: dollars today, so he's like, let me go spend some 488 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 1: of this down in Australia. Now, Australia was not quite 489 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: popping yet. It was just post penal colony and so 490 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:45,840 Speaker 1: it's like basically Texas with a better beach. So at 491 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:47,680 Speaker 1: this time he's like, you know what, Australia is not 492 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: the spot I thought it would be. So there's no 493 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:53,520 Speaker 1: trains to rob, no action. He's like, I'm gonna cut you, 494 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: will cut you and cut you and feed you to 495 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: a crop. So he insides, you know, I'm gonna go 496 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,439 Speaker 1: up there to your up. He takes the steamship up 497 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: to Europe and he enjoys all the pleasures of eighteen 498 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:05,639 Speaker 1: eighties Europe, you know, all the various I don't know 499 00:25:05,720 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: caviars and things that you would be eating, and he 500 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 1: spends all of his stolen gold dust until there's none left, 501 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,720 Speaker 1: and he's like, meanwhile, dreaming of, you know, robbing one 502 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: of the fancy transcontinental European trains. He's like, you know, 503 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: they'd be fantastic. We'd love to take the train from Constantinople. 504 00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:25,639 Speaker 1: Robert somewhere on the way to Beijing, he decided, to 505 00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: know what, that may be a bit tough because he 506 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,080 Speaker 1: doesn't know the land, doesn't know the language, doesn't know 507 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: the people, it doesn't there's a lot of disadvantages to 508 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:33,360 Speaker 1: robbing a train. So he decides, I'm gonna go back 509 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:36,399 Speaker 1: to America where people speak English. So he takes what 510 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:40,240 Speaker 1: little booty and if stolen looty has left and heads 511 00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: back to America. But he didn't keep enough money, so 512 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,600 Speaker 1: when he lands in America, he's dead broke and he's 513 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:47,719 Speaker 1: trying to get to the west from the east, so 514 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,119 Speaker 1: he has to do the classic bag borrow and steel 515 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: until he can make it west of the Mississippi. Then 516 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 1: he starts hobowing his way back to California and using 517 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 1: like you know, he's riding on box cars. He's taken 518 00:25:57,880 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: a ride on a stage coach on the back if 519 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,679 Speaker 1: he can run up and hide on it, anything he can. 520 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,080 Speaker 1: He sleeps in the woods, he's taking burrows over the mountains. 521 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: It is just an arduous trick all across America. He's 522 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,119 Speaker 1: stealing chickens. He's doing ever he can to make it. 523 00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 1: He finally makes it. And what did he do when 524 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: he gets back to California. Goes back to Robin Corporation 525 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:21,200 Speaker 1: because that is what he's good at, and he's that's 526 00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: they got the stolen wealth and I'm gonna steal it back. 527 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: So after he gets back to California, gets back to 528 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 1: what he does best, he meets up with this new guy, 529 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,360 Speaker 1: a farman named Arthur Pond, and he's like, all right, 530 00:26:33,400 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: my man, I need a riding partner. How are you 531 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 1: about crime. It's like, oh, crime, I've never tried it, 532 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: but I'm amenable. So Arthur Pond. The two men hit 533 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: it off. They decided to go into business together, and 534 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:49,240 Speaker 1: by business, I mean robbing stage coaches and trains. So 535 00:26:49,440 --> 00:26:53,200 Speaker 1: he picks an old gold and silver town called Ohio City, right, 536 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: and he's like, this is the spot it's in Colorado. 537 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:58,720 Speaker 1: He hasn't quite you know, Ohio City in Colorado. Yeah, 538 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,680 Speaker 1: it's a gold and silver boom town. Now it's a 539 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:03,800 Speaker 1: ghost town. He doesn't no longer exists. So they wait 540 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: for the stage coach to pull out of town with 541 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 1: whatever gold and silver deposits they have that they're sending 542 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,920 Speaker 1: to Denver, and they robbed the stage coach, and this 543 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:13,480 Speaker 1: time they get away with about four thousand dollars, which 544 00:27:13,560 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: is plenty of pocket money for the two of them. 545 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: Huge score, but enough to keep them in horses and 546 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 1: bullets and well fed. So the two men decide, you 547 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: know what, we're good at this. We make a good team. 548 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: Let's stick together. They change their names. They're like, you 549 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:27,400 Speaker 1: know what, people they know us and recognize us. So 550 00:27:27,840 --> 00:27:31,640 Speaker 1: I'm gonna call you Billy Lee Roy. You call me 551 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:36,080 Speaker 1: Billy Morgan. Wait, they still they just had to be 552 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:37,920 Speaker 1: two billies. He's like, that was the problem. Last time 553 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:39,680 Speaker 1: I had a Billyum, I could have been two billies. 554 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:41,920 Speaker 1: Inside we we mixed up and he became Alkali GM. 555 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:44,480 Speaker 1: That didn't work out. So you're gonna be Billy. I'm 556 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,840 Speaker 1: gonna be Billy. We're gonna be they're gonna go to town. Hey, guys, 557 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:49,919 Speaker 1: were just a couple of billies. Yeah, who could be 558 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:55,200 Speaker 1: mad at a billy? And they have you met the 559 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: two Billies? Kind of silly. So they unfortunately aren't as 560 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,400 Speaker 1: good at it as they think. They are get arrested 561 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:05,200 Speaker 1: when they try to rob a stagecoach. They are tried, convicted, 562 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,639 Speaker 1: this time ten years behind bars. Just a couple of 563 00:28:07,640 --> 00:28:12,640 Speaker 1: billies exactly. So bill miners like, you know what, Billy 564 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:15,920 Speaker 1: Leroy was kind of a punk who wasn't good Bill miner. 565 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:18,199 Speaker 1: So I'm going back out on my own. So he 566 00:28:18,359 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: escapes prison and he goes right back to robbing stagecoaches 567 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: on his own. He prison on his own. I'm gonna 568 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: be you know, rob stage coaches on my own. I 569 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,440 Speaker 1: don't really need anybody. I got a gun, a horse 570 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: is all I need. This is one man show, just 571 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:36,080 Speaker 1: Billy formerly two Billies. So if Billy gets into town 572 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: now that he's been released from prison or escaped rather, 573 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: and he gets resupplied, he's self released, yes, exactly. Now 574 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 1: he's always self released. He's free in his own recognizance. 575 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: And a posse, by the way, has been out looking 576 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,080 Speaker 1: for the here word that he's escaped, so they're not 577 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:58,160 Speaker 1: looking for him, and uh he gets caught and uh. 578 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: At this point he is he reconnected with his man, 579 00:29:01,520 --> 00:29:03,760 Speaker 1: Arthur Pond. Even though Arthur Pond is kind of a punk. 580 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: He managed to reconnect with Arthur Pond, who he had 581 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 1: helped escape from, you know, from prison. So the two reconnect. 582 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 1: They're on the road together. They get grabbed up by 583 00:29:12,800 --> 00:29:15,920 Speaker 1: this posse. Now, this posse decides, you know what, Western 584 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 1: justice might be the right thing for you boys. Yeah, 585 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:23,160 Speaker 1: so things look bad. Arthur Pond uh gets an appointment 586 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: with the rope bill. Minor luck is on his side. 587 00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: He manages to escape and he stays out on the lamb. 588 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: I don't know how he gets away from the posse. 589 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: I don't know if he just threw dirt and somebody away, 590 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: but he manages to get out of this. Like while 591 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:38,600 Speaker 1: they're like, you know, working on the rope with with Arthur, 592 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:40,640 Speaker 1: he's like, oh, let me just see this horse for 593 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: a second. Looks like it's standing on it's its own foot. Here, 594 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:44,160 Speaker 1: let me move it. And he gets on the back 595 00:29:44,200 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: runs away. I don't know. A year later, he's back 596 00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: in Colorado and he's decided you know what I remember 597 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: there was the Del Norte line stage coach going into Denver, 598 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:56,240 Speaker 1: came out of Ohio City, if I recollect, and that 599 00:29:56,280 --> 00:29:58,440 Speaker 1: one had a few hundred dollars on it. So he goes, 600 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: he robs the stage coach and a law it has 601 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: an He goes back around the same line. He's like, 602 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: I know it, I know the driver. You know who 603 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: I am. Respect me. He's all, oh, it's billy bag. 604 00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: Did y'all miss a bill? So he robs the stagecoach 605 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: and even though the score was tiny, it's just a 606 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,080 Speaker 1: few hundred bucks. Posse is formed. They go chasing after him. 607 00:30:21,200 --> 00:30:23,560 Speaker 1: He's on horseback. This time the horse doesn't crap out. 608 00:30:23,560 --> 00:30:25,480 Speaker 1: He's learned his lesson to get to get a good horse, 609 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 1: and he's not pushing it because a horse, if you 610 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: run it for too long, it'll stop regardless, even if 611 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,480 Speaker 1: it's not an old neck. So he's resting the horse 612 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,840 Speaker 1: ride and rest in doing everything right. The chase last 613 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:38,760 Speaker 1: for four days. There four it's a running gunfight for 614 00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: four days through prairies and canyons, foothills, valleys, over the rocks, 615 00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: through the trees, back and forth back bang ride, the 616 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 1: horse ride the horse, Bang bang, Ride the horse, Ride 617 00:30:49,120 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 1: the horse for four days. Finally, on the fourth day, 618 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: the posse just gives up. They're like, we ain't catching him. 619 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:59,160 Speaker 1: Bill Minor a k. Billy Morrigan gets away now the 620 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:04,360 Speaker 1: year at this time, so he's on the lamb robin 621 00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: stage coaches. Luck is on his side. He decides, you 622 00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 1: know what I'm doing good, I'm back on the jam, 623 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 1: I'm peaking. I'm gonna go back to California, to Gold Country. 624 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 1: They ain't got any money out here in Colorado. So 625 00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:18,840 Speaker 1: rides back to California, tries to score on the various 626 00:31:18,840 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 1: stage coaches running down to San Francisco that he knows about. 627 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 1: And this is when he starts to make history. Right now, 628 00:31:26,280 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 1: after a quick break, I will tell you all about that. 629 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 1: History can't wait. So Bill miners back in Gold Country 630 00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:55,600 Speaker 1: in California, right Elizabeth, I told you he's They still 631 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 1: got stage coaches running at this time. That mostly the 632 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:00,240 Speaker 1: good gold is on the trains, but that's for ads 633 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:03,520 Speaker 1: continental the local routes stage coaches. So he picks up 634 00:32:03,520 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 1: the stage coach. He's got a good horse. He's wearing 635 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 1: a band and to cover his face because he knows 636 00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: they got the telegraph now, so he's learned a lot 637 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: of lessons. Rides up to a stage coach. The driver 638 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:14,920 Speaker 1: sees him. He's got a couple of guys with them. 639 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: They're all wearing their masks. He pulls out his six shooter, 640 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: aims at the wagon master, and he says he hands up, 641 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,680 Speaker 1: and not a hair on your head will be harmed. Now, 642 00:32:23,800 --> 00:32:26,000 Speaker 1: that is the first time we've ever heard the words 643 00:32:26,120 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 1: hands up. No previous bandit ever thought to be considerate 644 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:32,479 Speaker 1: of those he was robbing. It was the gentleman bandit 645 00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:34,880 Speaker 1: who brought this level of class and a lawn to 646 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:40,640 Speaker 1: bank robbery, and he invented the first one. He's crafting 647 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: sling for the American West. He's the completely so wow, 648 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:51,120 Speaker 1: hands up. Yeah, it was. It was so quotable. It 649 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:53,520 Speaker 1: shows up in all the newspapers. Everybody's like just tickled 650 00:32:53,560 --> 00:32:55,800 Speaker 1: that at a robber would be thinking about their victims. Yeah, 651 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:59,000 Speaker 1: I mean it is rather conscientious. Put your hands up, Yeah, 652 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,120 Speaker 1: I don't want to hurt you. Instead of like threatening 653 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: them with violence, He's like, look, I'm just here for 654 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,560 Speaker 1: the corporation's money, none of yours. It's going to be 655 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:10,719 Speaker 1: totally tasteful. You'll be into it. Just relax, let it happen. 656 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:13,959 Speaker 1: So Bill Miner he gets away with four thousand dollars 657 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: on this job and the beginnings of a legend. Now 658 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,040 Speaker 1: people are starting to know about him because he's in 659 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 1: the newspapers with this incongruous hands up treatment, like these 660 00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:25,840 Speaker 1: people throw their hands in the air like they actually 661 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:29,080 Speaker 1: kind of care, Like just pretend like you care. Just 662 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: throw them by the air. That's what it really matters. 663 00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 1: So he and his gang, though, are not respected by 664 00:33:33,840 --> 00:33:36,920 Speaker 1: the authorities who are not interested in this conscientious robbery 665 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 1: thing he's got going. So they of course hunt him down, 666 00:33:40,000 --> 00:33:42,480 Speaker 1: and doesn't take long for them to catch him. They 667 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,960 Speaker 1: catch up to Bill, he's tried, convicted, and sentenced to 668 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:50,680 Speaker 1: five years in San Quentin. This time though he does 669 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,719 Speaker 1: not get out on good behavior. He spends twenty years 670 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:58,760 Speaker 1: in San Quentin, hard time, taking big rocks and turning 671 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:05,320 Speaker 1: them into little rock. Yeah, a new century rolls around, changed. 672 00:34:06,040 --> 00:34:08,800 Speaker 1: So it's nineteen o one now, and when he's finally 673 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,600 Speaker 1: released and Bill Miner Freeman decides, you know what, I 674 00:34:11,640 --> 00:34:13,680 Speaker 1: spent the majority of my life behind bars. Maybe I 675 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,359 Speaker 1: could learn a lesson from this I'm gonna go back 676 00:34:16,400 --> 00:34:19,160 Speaker 1: to Oregon. See how my sister is doing. I'm fifty 677 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: four years old. I'm an outlaw. Maybe I can do 678 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: something different and become a smarter outlaw. Not to reform. No, No, 679 00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:29,719 Speaker 1: he's an older, wiser criminal. Now he's like, I'm not 680 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:33,200 Speaker 1: getting caught against. So he now has that silver mustache 681 00:34:33,239 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: that will become synonymous with the gray Fox, and he 682 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 1: is still the charming gentleman. He does not grow bitter 683 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:42,280 Speaker 1: in prison. He doesn't become mean or ornery, is surly. 684 00:34:42,320 --> 00:34:45,240 Speaker 1: He just says the ever invescent Bill Miner, We've always 685 00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:49,959 Speaker 1: known and loved a gentleman exactly. And he goes back 686 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:53,040 Speaker 1: to robbing stage coaches because they still exist in nineteen 687 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,680 Speaker 1: o one. I guess they last all the way to 688 00:34:55,719 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: automated cars. I mean until you know, until you have 689 00:34:57,719 --> 00:34:59,560 Speaker 1: like you know, the Model T and so forth that 690 00:34:59,640 --> 00:35:02,360 Speaker 1: can make those same mountain passes to get to like 691 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,319 Speaker 1: a an industrious, robust car, because the early cars were 692 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:10,279 Speaker 1: far too and so forth. So he's robbing stage coaches 693 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:12,720 Speaker 1: in nineteen o one. But now at this point everything 694 00:35:12,719 --> 00:35:14,719 Speaker 1: of good values moved on to trains, because now that 695 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:16,480 Speaker 1: have trains that run even from Gold Country down to 696 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: San Francisco. So he's like, you know what, I gotta 697 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 1: catch up with the days. I gotta catch up with 698 00:35:20,239 --> 00:35:23,200 Speaker 1: the times. Nineteen o three decides I'm gonna start robbing trains. 699 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,920 Speaker 1: Takes some two years from release to becoming a train robbery. 700 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:29,839 Speaker 1: He's like, gotta figure out the angle. So he's just 701 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,879 Speaker 1: dusting around in between. They're like, he's trying to do things, 702 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,399 Speaker 1: like maybe the legit way doesn't work for him, tries 703 00:35:35,440 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: a different job, doesn't work for him, just keeps going 704 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:38,759 Speaker 1: into He's like, you know what, I'm only good at 705 00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:41,640 Speaker 1: one thing, Robin, I gotta get back to what I love, 706 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:43,640 Speaker 1: to go back to the crime community. So I got 707 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:46,520 Speaker 1: about go back to my old ways. So he robs 708 00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:49,799 Speaker 1: the number six train near Corbett, Oregon, up near the 709 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: border of California and Oregon. Now there's a high value 710 00:35:53,200 --> 00:35:55,200 Speaker 1: loot on this train. He's certain of it. So he's 711 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,279 Speaker 1: brought dynamite with him to get to it because he 712 00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,800 Speaker 1: knows all the new trains, they have these huge safe 713 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: they don't just have strong boxes of lock boxes that 714 00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:04,600 Speaker 1: they've transferred from a stage coach. Now they got a 715 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:09,200 Speaker 1: whole exactly brings the dynamite, blows that express car up. 716 00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:12,759 Speaker 1: This is very like Wily Coyote in my head. I'm 717 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 1: gonna bring dynamite, Like, are you kidding me? It works. 718 00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,560 Speaker 1: He blows up the safe, he blows up the express car, 719 00:36:18,680 --> 00:36:20,520 Speaker 1: he blows the train off the tracks. It's just the 720 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,160 Speaker 1: whole thing. He's a little out of practice. He needs 721 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:25,759 Speaker 1: to get back on top. So it works, and uh, 722 00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:27,960 Speaker 1: he's able to rob it. He gets, you know, a 723 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 1: pretty good score. And then he once again the heat 724 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:32,719 Speaker 1: is now back on him. He lets the heat blow over. 725 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 1: He hides out on the lamb. Where does he do? 726 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:36,000 Speaker 1: He's like, you know what, I'm gonna get out of 727 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:37,840 Speaker 1: the area for a little while. He goes to Chicago. 728 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,480 Speaker 1: When you say he hides, I always imagine he's in 729 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:43,359 Speaker 1: a cave eating like a can of beans, sitting there 730 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:48,040 Speaker 1: gold beans again, hume. So he's in Chicago shopping for 731 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:51,759 Speaker 1: fashion plate like accessories, remember Champagne socialist. When he gets money, 732 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,360 Speaker 1: he spends it on nice shoes, maybe a pocket square. 733 00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,120 Speaker 1: The local Pinkerton detective noticed this guy. They're like, what's 734 00:36:58,160 --> 00:37:00,640 Speaker 1: up with the guy buying clothes? A gold dust so 735 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:03,759 Speaker 1: they know only people have gold out on the count 736 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 1: pretty much. He's like, that's about announce. Oh my gosh, 737 00:37:06,520 --> 00:37:08,759 Speaker 1: so that it's working for him, right, But the Pinkerton's 738 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:10,440 Speaker 1: make note of him at this point. He's like, oh, 739 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:12,960 Speaker 1: he can tell that they're clocking him. So he's like, 740 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:14,600 Speaker 1: I gotta get back to my outlaw life. I'm not 741 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:16,759 Speaker 1: good for this. So he goes back west and he 742 00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:19,439 Speaker 1: meets up a fellow bad man, a gunfighter this time 743 00:37:19,520 --> 00:37:26,080 Speaker 1: named Stanton te Jones. Oh yeah, very professional. Now he 744 00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: and his new riding partner they head up to Oregon 745 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:30,160 Speaker 1: because he's like, that's the spot. That's where they got 746 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:33,600 Speaker 1: like trains with money at least expecting it. It's rural 747 00:37:33,719 --> 00:37:35,520 Speaker 1: people are nice that you know, the only thing they 748 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,760 Speaker 1: don't want his black people around. Everything else they're cool 749 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,080 Speaker 1: sundown towns. So this is how Bill Miner recalled a 750 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,680 Speaker 1: trip up to Oregon. And I quote, yes, I came 751 00:37:46,760 --> 00:37:49,360 Speaker 1: to a small Oregon town on the eve of Thanksgiving 752 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:51,680 Speaker 1: with a large amount of gold dust. I stepped into 753 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:54,600 Speaker 1: a store and bought a cigar. A nicely dressed man 754 00:37:54,680 --> 00:37:57,680 Speaker 1: came in and began ordering a large amount of groceries. 755 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:00,960 Speaker 1: But curiosity was aroused and I quiet, for whom he 756 00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,880 Speaker 1: was buying so many eatables. He stated that he was 757 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:06,320 Speaker 1: a member of the relief committee of his town, buying 758 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:10,000 Speaker 1: groceries for a dinner for the places pull for Thanksgiving. Now, 759 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:12,600 Speaker 1: I pulled out my bag of gold dust and scraping 760 00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 1: a small amount into a tobacco sack, handed the remainder 761 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,840 Speaker 1: over to the grocery man, and I said, here, partner, 762 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,879 Speaker 1: take this and give the poor people all it'll buy. 763 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:24,600 Speaker 1: Now that money was all that he had in the world. 764 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: He scrapes off a little gold dust for himself, and 765 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,640 Speaker 1: he's like, make sure that people enjoy Thanksgiving. Wow, He's like, 766 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,080 Speaker 1: give him some cranberry sauce and pringles and just go 767 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:34,719 Speaker 1: to town. I noticed he didn't say tell him Billy 768 00:38:34,760 --> 00:38:37,960 Speaker 1: Minor gave you that. He just made it happen. That's 769 00:38:38,239 --> 00:38:40,959 Speaker 1: the actual charity. He didn't make it about him. So 770 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: this also starts to win him favor because people know 771 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:48,359 Speaker 1: this weird stranger was the one talk spreads. Anyway, He's 772 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,560 Speaker 1: able to, you know, keep robbing stage coaches and keep 773 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:53,719 Speaker 1: people on his side because of his generosity and the 774 00:38:53,760 --> 00:38:55,879 Speaker 1: fact that you know, when they hear about it, they're like, oh, 775 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,040 Speaker 1: who did he rob and now there are other people 776 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:00,359 Speaker 1: robbing stage coaches and trains at this time, and they 777 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:03,720 Speaker 1: robbed the passengers. He has the distinction of only robbing 778 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 1: the banks the trains. So people start to fall in 779 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,240 Speaker 1: love with him. So now when he gets prosecuted, they're like, well, 780 00:39:09,280 --> 00:39:12,360 Speaker 1: you know, the Canadian Pacific Railroad has been robbing from us. 781 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:15,319 Speaker 1: He's just robbing from them. They start to take his tech, 782 00:39:15,360 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 1: which is it's the corporations are exploiting. He just takes 783 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:20,400 Speaker 1: a little and gives it to the people who've been robbed. 784 00:39:20,480 --> 00:39:22,600 Speaker 1: How is that wrong? Robbing from the rich giving to 785 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,160 Speaker 1: the park exactly? Now, I know how much you love 786 00:39:25,239 --> 00:39:30,279 Speaker 1: cowboy names. Right now, he gets connected with a cowboy 787 00:39:30,480 --> 00:39:36,520 Speaker 1: whose nickname is cowboy Jake. But that's right. So it's 788 00:39:36,560 --> 00:39:38,560 Speaker 1: like the people got together and said, cowboy Jake, that's 789 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:41,279 Speaker 1: the terrible name. How about we've got a new one 790 00:39:41,320 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 1: for you. What what's your last name? Oh my mama 791 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: called me Jake Terry. They're like, okay, well we're gonna 792 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:52,840 Speaker 1: call you terrible Terry. This other nickname is terrible Terry. Nothing. 793 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:56,239 Speaker 1: Nothing competes with the vertigree. Kid, that's the best. That's 794 00:39:56,239 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 1: the best name. That was Cherokee Bill's riding partner, the 795 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:01,279 Speaker 1: Vertigree kid, and such good name. I mean, come on now, 796 00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:03,920 Speaker 1: Vertigree is the green petina that you get from like 797 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:07,880 Speaker 1: a brass right, it was a brass copper from copper, 798 00:40:07,960 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: the green petina on copper, Like, that's the that's a 799 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:13,760 Speaker 1: great being named after. Jake sounds like on a budget 800 00:40:13,840 --> 00:40:17,400 Speaker 1: kids TV show when he comes with Cowboy Jake and 801 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,120 Speaker 1: it's played by Laurence Fishburne. Yeah, and then Terrible Terry. 802 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:22,800 Speaker 1: That just makes me think of that car wash Terrible 803 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 1: Terrible in Las Vegas. To have the gas station. Terrible 804 00:40:27,520 --> 00:40:30,800 Speaker 1: Terry is just like a feature on a morning show, 805 00:40:30,840 --> 00:40:33,200 Speaker 1: a radio show. Like he sounds like an early nickname 806 00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 1: for Terry the Tramp, like the Hell's Angel biker who's 807 00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:40,399 Speaker 1: in the Hells Angels, Terry the Tramp. Like that doesn't work. 808 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:43,760 Speaker 1: We need to get you a better nickname, Terry the Tramp. 809 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,920 Speaker 1: We're gonna go with Cowboy Jake, So I'm glad. So 810 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 1: Cowboy Jake. This dude's a career outlaw. He's just you know, 811 00:40:50,280 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 1: good for nothing cowboy. He doesn't like to work. He 812 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:54,640 Speaker 1: prefers to rob and steal, right, but he doesn't have 813 00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:56,719 Speaker 1: any of the ethics of a Bill Minor. He's just 814 00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,279 Speaker 1: in it for the loot and the booty. Yeah, so 815 00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:01,680 Speaker 1: he's doing it for them. He's just in it for 816 00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:04,880 Speaker 1: the booty. Baby. So he's smuggling guns over the border 817 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,520 Speaker 1: into Canada. That's his major line of work. The other 818 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:09,960 Speaker 1: thing he does is he smuggles Chinese immigrants and opium 819 00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:13,600 Speaker 1: into America from Canada. Well, they're paying. He wasn't doing 820 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:17,760 Speaker 1: it like for like the factories exactly. He's a coyote 821 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:21,520 Speaker 1: who's in the opium smuggling business, the human trafficking business, 822 00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:25,120 Speaker 1: and also gun running. Just a class class character. So 823 00:41:25,600 --> 00:41:27,279 Speaker 1: for a while he tried to be a counterfeiter, but 824 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:30,759 Speaker 1: he didn't have a trustworthy face. So he you think 825 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: his name is cowboy Jake, that he's going to like 826 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:37,080 Speaker 1: a par at children's birthday parties of his outlaw ways, 827 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:41,160 Speaker 1: he does full terrible terry on him. And so the 828 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:46,040 Speaker 1: terrible terry he helps smuggle our man Bill Minor across 829 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:48,480 Speaker 1: the border, not into America but out of America. He 830 00:41:48,520 --> 00:41:50,800 Speaker 1: gets into Canada so he can hide out after a 831 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,120 Speaker 1: stage coach robbery goes bad. So now the years nineteen 832 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:56,960 Speaker 1: o four. Bill Minor is free, still on the lamb. 833 00:41:57,200 --> 00:41:59,400 Speaker 1: He's about to embark on the final chapter of his 834 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,200 Speaker 1: outlaw for here right now. Remember, up to this point, 835 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:05,520 Speaker 1: Canada has never had a train robbery ever occur. They 836 00:42:05,520 --> 00:42:07,919 Speaker 1: have a very safe, very Canadian way of life. People 837 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 1: are like barging onto trains with guns. That's more of 838 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:12,719 Speaker 1: an American affair, which I think, you know, makes perfect sense. 839 00:42:12,719 --> 00:42:14,360 Speaker 1: He's like, you know what, I think we need to 840 00:42:14,440 --> 00:42:18,919 Speaker 1: change that. So Bill Miner goes up and decides, you know, well, 841 00:42:18,960 --> 00:42:21,239 Speaker 1: maybe I could go legit. And that doesn't work for him, 842 00:42:21,239 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 1: because it never works for him. At first he's a cowboy. 843 00:42:23,719 --> 00:42:26,320 Speaker 1: Then he tries mining, and he goes back to cowboying. 844 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:28,279 Speaker 1: Then he tries working in the middle, he tries working 845 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:31,080 Speaker 1: in a factory. He really tries to go and be 846 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:34,240 Speaker 1: exploited by corporations in a good way, but it never 847 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:36,239 Speaker 1: makes sense to him and always makes him angry. So 848 00:42:36,280 --> 00:42:37,960 Speaker 1: he goes right back to the cricket path of crime 849 00:42:38,360 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 1: British Columbia, Canada. He decides, you know what, this feels 850 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:45,200 Speaker 1: a lot like gold country. They have gold strikes and 851 00:42:45,239 --> 00:42:47,920 Speaker 1: silver strikes around here. If I'm not mistaken. The Yukon's 852 00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 1: just up there, and I know they got gold coming 853 00:42:49,719 --> 00:42:52,400 Speaker 1: down here to Vancouver and Victoria. I just have to 854 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:55,880 Speaker 1: find out. So he goes out and finds himself a 855 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:59,000 Speaker 1: riding partner, a new one, this guy he nicknames Shortly Done. 856 00:42:59,200 --> 00:43:02,360 Speaker 1: He's like, you're not you tall, I'm gonna call you Shorty. 857 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: So Bill Miner and Shorty Done they join up with 858 00:43:05,320 --> 00:43:08,680 Speaker 1: cowboy Jake ak a terrible terry, and the three of 859 00:43:08,719 --> 00:43:11,160 Speaker 1: them decides let's go rob a train. It'll be the 860 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:14,400 Speaker 1: first train ever robbed in Canada. So they're about forty 861 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:16,960 Speaker 1: miles east of Vancouver. Bill Miner the boys are waiting 862 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,080 Speaker 1: in the rocks. It's the dark of night. They see 863 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:24,200 Speaker 1: the Canadian Pacific Railroad pulling into a station and they go, okay, 864 00:43:24,320 --> 00:43:26,719 Speaker 1: let's uh, let's rob it looks good. This looks like 865 00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:29,600 Speaker 1: a winner. So it's a Saturday night. There's a low, 866 00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:33,160 Speaker 1: thick fog hanging down the ground, blanketing everything, so they 867 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:35,879 Speaker 1: have both darkness and a fog to obscure them. They 868 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:39,160 Speaker 1: can see the trains late, growing bigger and brighter as 869 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:41,840 Speaker 1: it's approaching. The stations are like, okay, let's hide it 870 00:43:41,840 --> 00:43:43,480 Speaker 1: out in the sea of darkness and fog, and when 871 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:45,759 Speaker 1: it gets close enough, we'll just run on and rob it, 872 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:48,080 Speaker 1: you know, like it seems simple enough to me. Terrible 873 00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:51,960 Speaker 1: Terry is like, so they do exactly that. They get 874 00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:53,600 Speaker 1: on the train. When it slows down at the station, 875 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:55,239 Speaker 1: they pull out their guns. They force them into the 876 00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:57,080 Speaker 1: face of the engineer and the coal man. They say, 877 00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:00,440 Speaker 1: don't stop at the train station. So this time a Elizabeth, 878 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,840 Speaker 1: they don't stop the train. They run it five miles 879 00:44:03,840 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: past the train and they go, now stop the train. 880 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:08,280 Speaker 1: So now that they're out in the middle of nowhere, 881 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,640 Speaker 1: they stop the train. They uncouple the cars so that's 882 00:44:10,680 --> 00:44:13,480 Speaker 1: just the express car with them and the locomotive. They 883 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:15,640 Speaker 1: go pull forward a little bit. While they're doing this, 884 00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:17,640 Speaker 1: one of the brakeman hops off the back of the 885 00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:19,759 Speaker 1: train runs back to town. Now that's talking about a 886 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:21,680 Speaker 1: three five mile runs, so it's gonna take them a 887 00:44:21,680 --> 00:44:23,840 Speaker 1: little while. Gives them time to work to get to 888 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:26,680 Speaker 1: the express car. Now they're rifling through. It doesn't look 889 00:44:26,719 --> 00:44:29,319 Speaker 1: like there's anything but Bill Minor. He's not dumb like 890 00:44:29,400 --> 00:44:32,160 Speaker 1: Terrible Terry, and he's not like Shorty Done, who's just like, 891 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:34,560 Speaker 1: I just want something let's just take anything. Let's take 892 00:44:34,560 --> 00:44:36,400 Speaker 1: the stapler. You know, he doesn't give it. He just 893 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:38,720 Speaker 1: wants to take something because like they made all this effort, 894 00:44:38,840 --> 00:44:40,439 Speaker 1: Bill Miners, like, I know, it doesn't look it doesn't 895 00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:42,359 Speaker 1: look like there's anything on this train. Let's dig through 896 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:47,479 Speaker 1: the mail, like the mail take checks from widows. So 897 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:50,120 Speaker 1: it turns out it was a great call. In the 898 00:44:50,120 --> 00:44:53,360 Speaker 1: mail they find fifty thou dollars worth of government bearer bonds, 899 00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:56,400 Speaker 1: which are good as cash. Whoever has that's their's. And 900 00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:59,880 Speaker 1: then there's another big fine two hifty dollars in austri 901 00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:02,360 Speaker 1: allion bearer bonds. Because at this time everything's under the 902 00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:05,080 Speaker 1: you know, the Bank of England, so are pretty much 903 00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,480 Speaker 1: exchanging moneys and so forth. So these two financial instruments 904 00:45:08,480 --> 00:45:12,520 Speaker 1: are combined, were three hundred thousand dollars back then, which 905 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:16,040 Speaker 1: would be about ten million dollars today. To exact, it 906 00:45:16,120 --> 00:45:18,000 Speaker 1: was nine point nine eight million dollars that they find 907 00:45:18,000 --> 00:45:22,280 Speaker 1: in that mail bag. Smart mail, right, Bill Minor, knowledgeable socialist, 908 00:45:22,320 --> 00:45:26,120 Speaker 1: He's like, mail is the people's now. This is the 909 00:45:26,160 --> 00:45:29,120 Speaker 1: first successful train robbery in Canada. They're so good at 910 00:45:29,120 --> 00:45:32,080 Speaker 1: it they do it again for the second train robbery. 911 00:45:32,320 --> 00:45:35,440 Speaker 1: Now the gang did disguise themselves, but there was one problem. 912 00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:37,600 Speaker 1: They all spoke in what would be described up there 913 00:45:37,640 --> 00:45:40,759 Speaker 1: as American accents, like they don't have all Americans up here. 914 00:45:40,760 --> 00:45:42,960 Speaker 1: And now everybody knows down in Washington and Oregon and 915 00:45:43,000 --> 00:45:45,280 Speaker 1: California is this guy Bill Miner did gang Robin trains 916 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:47,719 Speaker 1: left and right. They're like, I bet it's him. Kind 917 00:45:47,719 --> 00:45:51,280 Speaker 1: of kind of fit, you know. So they contact Canadian authorities, 918 00:45:51,320 --> 00:45:53,879 Speaker 1: they train people, then contact the Pinkerton's. The pinker didn't 919 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:55,680 Speaker 1: show up. They're like, he was in Chicago, we heard 920 00:45:55,719 --> 00:45:57,520 Speaker 1: about him. Down in Oregon, we heard they heard about 921 00:45:57,560 --> 00:45:59,600 Speaker 1: him all over their agencies. So they're like, we need 922 00:45:59,600 --> 00:46:03,040 Speaker 1: to catch them. Nation Canada goes, we agree, we will 923 00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:06,560 Speaker 1: give you five thousand dollars for Bill Miner's head, dead 924 00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:10,120 Speaker 1: or alive, because they own the Canadian Pacific Railroads. So 925 00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:14,520 Speaker 1: essentially the government of Canada so the pinker Tins are hired. 926 00:46:14,560 --> 00:46:18,040 Speaker 1: So now we got thug muscle out there in like suits, 927 00:46:18,239 --> 00:46:20,800 Speaker 1: acting tough. On the Western was like, who are those jerks? 928 00:46:20,840 --> 00:46:24,279 Speaker 1: And everyone's like those criminals exactly essentially, you know, they're 929 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:27,160 Speaker 1: just basically cops without badges, but they have none of 930 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:30,600 Speaker 1: the responsibilities. Cops do all the authority, none of the responsibility. 931 00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:33,440 Speaker 1: You do the math. So the pinker Tin's they go 932 00:46:33,640 --> 00:46:36,160 Speaker 1: rough people up, doing all the harassment of the West, 933 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:39,359 Speaker 1: and they also are not very successful at it. They 934 00:46:39,400 --> 00:46:42,920 Speaker 1: just don't seem to have the wherewithal. And there are 935 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:46,000 Speaker 1: some great hunters and trackers amongst the pinker Tin's. They 936 00:46:46,120 --> 00:46:48,080 Speaker 1: weren't able to do it, so they hire some First 937 00:46:48,160 --> 00:46:52,120 Speaker 1: Nation trappers. They're brought in to track down Bill Miner's gang, 938 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:57,600 Speaker 1: the First Nation guys, Gangbusters. Pinker Tins came up empty. Eventually, 939 00:46:57,800 --> 00:47:02,279 Speaker 1: Bill Minor Terrible, Terry Shorty done. They get close a 940 00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:05,279 Speaker 1: few times to catching them, but they all escaped the 941 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:09,160 Speaker 1: long arm of the law for a while. In nineteen 942 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:12,839 Speaker 1: o five, one year later, they're out, you know, cattle rustling. 943 00:47:13,239 --> 00:47:15,240 Speaker 1: There's no trains to rob. You want to stay fitted 944 00:47:15,280 --> 00:47:17,960 Speaker 1: in the shape. Yeah, they're like, hey, guys, preseason run. 945 00:47:18,560 --> 00:47:20,920 Speaker 1: So they out there. They rustle some cattle, about fifty 946 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:22,720 Speaker 1: of them, which is a pretty good score for horses. 947 00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,520 Speaker 1: And things are going well. The law shows up at 948 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:28,680 Speaker 1: their door. They're just hiding out in a town called 949 00:47:28,760 --> 00:47:31,000 Speaker 1: cam Loops in British Columbia, and at this point Bill 950 00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:33,480 Speaker 1: Miner has been staying there and getting to know all 951 00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:37,200 Speaker 1: the people. Everybody knows him as this guy Edwards. They're like, oh, yeah, 952 00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:40,319 Speaker 1: George Edwards is his is his trail name he's using, 953 00:47:40,320 --> 00:47:43,239 Speaker 1: so everybody thinks of him as George Edwards. They don't. 954 00:47:43,280 --> 00:47:46,280 Speaker 1: They've heard talk of this guy Bill Miner, who's arrassing everybody. 955 00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:48,560 Speaker 1: But it couldn't be this kindly old gentleman who lives 956 00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,400 Speaker 1: in town, who is so nice to everybody, has a 957 00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:54,480 Speaker 1: flower for the ladies and a smile for the kids. 958 00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:56,960 Speaker 1: But you know what gives them away? How the law 959 00:47:57,080 --> 00:48:01,160 Speaker 1: got to his door? A dancing girl, but not the 960 00:48:01,239 --> 00:48:03,160 Speaker 1: kind you would think of, not a dance hall dancing girl. 961 00:48:03,200 --> 00:48:07,000 Speaker 1: It was the one on his arm. Yes, Canadian Pacific 962 00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:09,920 Speaker 1: Railroad detective, this dude named Bullock. He writes the report 963 00:48:09,960 --> 00:48:12,520 Speaker 1: that will frame all this for you, and I quote, 964 00:48:13,320 --> 00:48:15,239 Speaker 1: I have not the slightest doubt that the old man 965 00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:17,600 Speaker 1: and custody is Bill Miner. I am well acquainted with 966 00:48:17,640 --> 00:48:20,040 Speaker 1: minor sisters and can recognize the family likeness, even if 967 00:48:20,040 --> 00:48:22,560 Speaker 1: I had not other proofs. Last night I saw the 968 00:48:22,560 --> 00:48:24,840 Speaker 1: man stripped and he was lathering his hands, and I 969 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:27,120 Speaker 1: asked him to turn them over, wishing to identify a 970 00:48:27,120 --> 00:48:29,359 Speaker 1: stencil mark on his arm. He turned his hand over, 971 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:30,799 Speaker 1: but not enough for me to see all of it. 972 00:48:30,840 --> 00:48:32,800 Speaker 1: I asked him again, when he was wiping his face. 973 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:35,279 Speaker 1: On his second refusal, I see he's totally arm and 974 00:48:35,320 --> 00:48:38,200 Speaker 1: I turned it over. Boom. There she was the dancing 975 00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:41,160 Speaker 1: girl tattoo that he was known for. Every time he 976 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:43,879 Speaker 1: was arrested, they made note of this. Everybody Bill Miner 977 00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:47,080 Speaker 1: can be identified by the dancing girl tattoo. Criminals don't 978 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:51,560 Speaker 1: get tattoos. No, he refused it. He's like, I'm not 979 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:53,080 Speaker 1: Bill Miner, and know what you're talking about it because 980 00:48:53,080 --> 00:48:54,640 Speaker 1: I got dancing girl in my arm, like this Bill 981 00:48:55,040 --> 00:48:57,440 Speaker 1: Flash tattoo. A bunch of people have this tattoo. Yeah, 982 00:48:57,480 --> 00:48:58,959 Speaker 1: I mean if you went down to the tattoo shop 983 00:48:58,960 --> 00:49:03,960 Speaker 1: in San Diego about thirty years ago. So they're like yeah, okay, 984 00:49:03,960 --> 00:49:08,560 Speaker 1: and all the there's like it. Did it totally? Did? 985 00:49:08,600 --> 00:49:10,920 Speaker 1: He could make it dance. That's the whole you make him. 986 00:49:10,960 --> 00:49:13,000 Speaker 1: You had got a lot of sailors, don't you. You 987 00:49:13,080 --> 00:49:16,080 Speaker 1: want to see this boat ride the waves the ships, sir, 988 00:49:16,920 --> 00:49:20,799 Speaker 1: So it's a schooner. Hundreds of people pour into town 989 00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:24,360 Speaker 1: for the trial. Bill Minor, the Gray Fox, the Gentleman Bandit, 990 00:49:24,480 --> 00:49:26,160 Speaker 1: known by many names. They want to see him with 991 00:49:26,160 --> 00:49:28,160 Speaker 1: their own eyes. He is, after all, the most wanted 992 00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:32,040 Speaker 1: outlaw in the Disappearing wild West nineteen o four. He's 993 00:49:32,040 --> 00:49:34,360 Speaker 1: one of the last great outlaws. So like, let me 994 00:49:34,440 --> 00:49:37,080 Speaker 1: lay eyes on this man. Now. They get there and 995 00:49:37,120 --> 00:49:39,279 Speaker 1: they noticed that Bill is a rather peculiar fellow when 996 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:40,520 Speaker 1: you see him with your own eyes, and he's a 997 00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:43,920 Speaker 1: little smaller than people imagine. He's got that delightful silver mustache. 998 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:45,759 Speaker 1: But he also does odd things like keep an egg 999 00:49:45,760 --> 00:49:48,560 Speaker 1: in his pocket, and he got ears the size of 1000 00:49:48,600 --> 00:49:51,719 Speaker 1: dinner exactly. No, literally the truth. He had an egg 1001 00:49:51,719 --> 00:49:53,440 Speaker 1: in his pocket he kept all through the court trial. 1002 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:55,560 Speaker 1: He would occasionally finger it. People couldn't figure out what 1003 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:57,320 Speaker 1: he was doing. Then he started pulling it out of 1004 00:49:57,360 --> 00:49:59,160 Speaker 1: his pocket and playing with it. And you just be 1005 00:49:59,280 --> 00:50:01,480 Speaker 1: staring at it. The judge was talking, He's just staring 1006 00:50:01,520 --> 00:50:03,359 Speaker 1: at an egg. What do you even do with that? 1007 00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,200 Speaker 1: He never explained to anyone why he had the egg 1008 00:50:06,200 --> 00:50:08,160 Speaker 1: in his pocket. People just assume must be for luck. 1009 00:50:08,239 --> 00:50:10,040 Speaker 1: So to this day there is a mystery of why 1010 00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:12,879 Speaker 1: the egg trial though it doesn't last long. The egg 1011 00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:15,080 Speaker 1: doesn't have time to go bad, doesn't get a second egg. 1012 00:50:15,440 --> 00:50:18,000 Speaker 1: He's deemed guilty, sentenced to life in prison. Bill Miner 1013 00:50:18,040 --> 00:50:20,160 Speaker 1: looks at the judge smoothly and says, your honor, no 1014 00:50:20,280 --> 00:50:23,399 Speaker 1: jail can hold me, sir. Judge is like, well, let's 1015 00:50:23,400 --> 00:50:26,400 Speaker 1: see about that. Now, true to his word. In nineteen 1016 00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:30,919 Speaker 1: o seven, he escapes prison again. The guy's amazing. How 1017 00:50:30,920 --> 00:50:32,960 Speaker 1: old is he at this point? Well, you do the 1018 00:50:32,960 --> 00:50:38,239 Speaker 1: math nineteen o seven? All right, wow, right, okay, exactly, 1019 00:50:38,719 --> 00:50:41,439 Speaker 1: So it's nineteen o seven. I'm not doing the math 1020 00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:43,080 Speaker 1: on how old he is. If you want, you can 1021 00:50:43,120 --> 00:50:45,320 Speaker 1: do the math. But you know it's like sixty plus 1022 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:50,080 Speaker 1: exactly whatever he cares. He's approaching retirement. So he's a 1023 00:50:50,120 --> 00:50:52,880 Speaker 1: man at a certain age. So Bill Miner, he's escaped 1024 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:54,759 Speaker 1: from prison, just good to his word, just like he 1025 00:50:54,800 --> 00:50:57,200 Speaker 1: said he would. And from the local news of the 1026 00:50:57,280 --> 00:50:59,560 Speaker 1: day we know that, and I quote on the morning 1027 00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:02,760 Speaker 1: of August night, he made good his boast by crawling 1028 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,480 Speaker 1: through a thirty five foot tunnel under the fence surrounding 1029 00:51:06,480 --> 00:51:10,600 Speaker 1: the brickyard in the new Westminster Penitentiary. Bill is remembered 1030 00:51:10,600 --> 00:51:13,719 Speaker 1: as one of Canada's most notable bandits a peaceful soul, 1031 00:51:13,840 --> 00:51:16,920 Speaker 1: beloved by his friends and jailer's alike. What's up el 1032 00:51:17,000 --> 00:51:19,960 Speaker 1: Chapo tunneling out? I know, right, but he didn't like 1033 00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:25,239 Speaker 1: you know, people liked him. He didn't kill people. He 1034 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:29,839 Speaker 1: was murder free. You'd like that about him. Like that. 1035 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:34,560 Speaker 1: So the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP, they are 1036 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:37,279 Speaker 1: tasked with finding Bill. They're no better than the Pinkerton's. 1037 00:51:37,719 --> 00:51:41,319 Speaker 1: They can't catch him. Bill is loose once again on 1038 00:51:41,360 --> 00:51:44,080 Speaker 1: the lamb. Now why couldn't they find him? He was 1039 00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:46,759 Speaker 1: hiding out in Europe. Oh, it's like I'm going back 1040 00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:48,960 Speaker 1: where that nice place was, where people don't walk around 1041 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,840 Speaker 1: a gun there. So he then spends his time in 1042 00:51:52,880 --> 00:51:55,839 Speaker 1: Europe until once again runs out of money, blows all 1043 00:51:55,920 --> 00:51:58,360 Speaker 1: his stolen booty. Once he has no booty, back to America. 1044 00:51:58,480 --> 00:52:00,319 Speaker 1: So many of us have done that. I'm on, yeah, 1045 00:52:00,320 --> 00:52:02,120 Speaker 1: that's pretty much my life story. Run out of booty, 1046 00:52:02,160 --> 00:52:06,200 Speaker 1: back to America. So he flees back to America. What's 1047 00:52:06,200 --> 00:52:08,080 Speaker 1: he doing when he gets to California? Robs the stage? 1048 00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:11,319 Speaker 1: So he needs to get little spending money, little pocket money, 1049 00:52:11,360 --> 00:52:14,799 Speaker 1: you know, a full folding cash. If you will and money. Yeah, 1050 00:52:14,840 --> 00:52:16,960 Speaker 1: this is how he explained it. And I quote Bill 1051 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:20,000 Speaker 1: Miner said, I then made my way to Europe, where 1052 00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:23,000 Speaker 1: I spent about six months, returning to America when I 1053 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:25,480 Speaker 1: went dead broke from giving a poor widow most of 1054 00:52:25,520 --> 00:52:28,160 Speaker 1: my money in order to send her daughter to Hot Springs, 1055 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:32,480 Speaker 1: Arkansas for treatment which would cure her seemingly hopeless case 1056 00:52:32,520 --> 00:52:35,839 Speaker 1: of rheumatism. The balance I lost in a gambling hall 1057 00:52:35,840 --> 00:52:40,680 Speaker 1: in a California town. So well, he's like, like legit, 1058 00:52:41,000 --> 00:52:43,840 Speaker 1: like folk here outlaws. It was some of the casino. 1059 00:52:44,160 --> 00:52:45,880 Speaker 1: I gave most of it to a widow and her 1060 00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:49,160 Speaker 1: rheumatory kid go fund me for her kids. Yeah, it's like, okay, 1061 00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:53,400 Speaker 1: I like this priorities. But because he's Bill Miner in 1062 00:52:53,440 --> 00:52:56,840 Speaker 1: Trouble is pretty much his shadow, he tries to go legit. 1063 00:52:57,000 --> 00:52:59,640 Speaker 1: He gets a job working in a sawmill down in Georgia. 1064 00:52:59,719 --> 00:53:01,760 Speaker 1: He doesn't go west this time. He gets back to America, 1065 00:53:01,840 --> 00:53:04,479 Speaker 1: stays on the Atlantic. He's down in Georgia, my great 1066 00:53:04,520 --> 00:53:08,000 Speaker 1: home state, and working in like those you know, those 1067 00:53:08,040 --> 00:53:12,280 Speaker 1: pine forests cutting down right, Oh dude, the saw mill towns, 1068 00:53:12,320 --> 00:53:15,439 Speaker 1: you know, the stink. So he's down there having gone 1069 00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:18,399 Speaker 1: from the high luxury of Europe to a saw mill 1070 00:53:18,440 --> 00:53:20,920 Speaker 1: town in Georgia, so obviously he's hiding out. No one 1071 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:24,799 Speaker 1: else wants to be underground. Now he decides, you know what, 1072 00:53:24,960 --> 00:53:27,840 Speaker 1: this sucks. This working for a living. I'm not into it. 1073 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:30,120 Speaker 1: So he's like, you know what, guys, any of you 1074 00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:32,160 Speaker 1: guys wanna try a new line of work. They're like, oh, 1075 00:53:32,200 --> 00:53:34,640 Speaker 1: what do you got in mine? The bill and he's like, well, 1076 00:53:35,480 --> 00:53:37,719 Speaker 1: I happen to know a line of work that's both 1077 00:53:37,719 --> 00:53:40,480 Speaker 1: profitable and enjoyable. If you boys like to join me 1078 00:53:40,560 --> 00:53:42,800 Speaker 1: for an evening, we could talk about our options. And 1079 00:53:42,800 --> 00:53:44,680 Speaker 1: they're like, okay, they talked about it. We're gonna rob 1080 00:53:44,719 --> 00:53:48,120 Speaker 1: a stage coach. Like he's got pamphlets that say criming. 1081 00:53:48,960 --> 00:53:50,880 Speaker 1: It's like, Bill, we need I mean, you're you're a 1082 00:53:50,880 --> 00:53:52,440 Speaker 1: little old. You may not know this. We don't have 1083 00:53:52,480 --> 00:53:55,480 Speaker 1: stage coaches anymore, not really. I don't know how it 1084 00:53:55,520 --> 00:53:57,840 Speaker 1: was in California where you're from. We kind of have 1085 00:53:57,920 --> 00:54:00,920 Speaker 1: trains were it's like perfect, Well, rob At He's like, 1086 00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:03,439 Speaker 1: I can do that too. Yeah, I'm flexible. I don't 1087 00:54:03,440 --> 00:54:05,160 Speaker 1: get to be Bill Miner and this old by not 1088 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:08,120 Speaker 1: being flexible. So they decided let's go rob a train, 1089 00:54:08,280 --> 00:54:10,160 Speaker 1: and the five of them hold up a train on 1090 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:13,520 Speaker 1: its way to New Orleans. They pull out from the 1091 00:54:13,560 --> 00:54:16,319 Speaker 1: train safe, not a banktown New Orleans, but still has 1092 00:54:16,440 --> 00:54:18,680 Speaker 1: enough deposits that they can make a big good score. 1093 00:54:19,160 --> 00:54:22,200 Speaker 1: Now this is nineteen eleven at this point. Okay, so 1094 00:54:22,280 --> 00:54:25,120 Speaker 1: we're the world at least America and the West are 1095 00:54:25,200 --> 00:54:27,200 Speaker 1: heading towards World War One, but they don't know it 1096 00:54:27,239 --> 00:54:30,200 Speaker 1: at that right, so everybody thinks everything is going to 1097 00:54:30,239 --> 00:54:32,799 Speaker 1: continue on the way it is for perpetuity, which is 1098 00:54:32,840 --> 00:54:34,719 Speaker 1: a common human fallacy. We always think how it is 1099 00:54:34,800 --> 00:54:37,040 Speaker 1: right now, it would be forever or will be sensibly 1100 00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:41,040 Speaker 1: for the future. Of course, events way, and Bill Miner 1101 00:54:41,239 --> 00:54:43,200 Speaker 1: is caught by the law. He's like, but I was 1102 00:54:43,280 --> 00:54:45,800 Speaker 1: I had all these expectations, these dreams. I wanted to 1103 00:54:45,840 --> 00:54:49,239 Speaker 1: go rob a transcontinental railroad in Europe. You're stepping on 1104 00:54:49,280 --> 00:54:51,279 Speaker 1: a man's dreams. This is not America, this is in 1105 00:54:51,320 --> 00:54:53,839 Speaker 1: the land of freedom. They're like, Bill settled down, bro. 1106 00:54:55,000 --> 00:54:56,960 Speaker 1: So the deal is that he was sitting there with 1107 00:54:57,040 --> 00:54:59,600 Speaker 1: his men, because what happened is the three guys that 1108 00:54:59,680 --> 00:55:01,440 Speaker 1: he got to come with him and rob the stage coach. 1109 00:55:01,480 --> 00:55:02,920 Speaker 1: They all worked at the mill with him. Well. On 1110 00:55:03,000 --> 00:55:05,040 Speaker 1: Monday morning when none of them showed up to work, 1111 00:55:05,800 --> 00:55:08,359 Speaker 1: everyone was very quick to figure out, I bet it's 1112 00:55:08,400 --> 00:55:10,839 Speaker 1: that guy and the new guy in his and the 1113 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:14,279 Speaker 1: couple of the hires we have that were questionable. That 1114 00:55:14,400 --> 00:55:17,120 Speaker 1: is them be like, let's check. That doesn't take them long. 1115 00:55:17,560 --> 00:55:19,719 Speaker 1: Local farmers like, oh, I've seen him. Some mountain men 1116 00:55:19,840 --> 00:55:22,120 Speaker 1: finger them like, yeah, there's like four guys down this way. 1117 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:24,480 Speaker 1: So they go down and they find the men all 1118 00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:27,319 Speaker 1: sitting around a small fire, and the posse men show 1119 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:30,480 Speaker 1: up in the woods and they're like, oh, look, we 1120 00:55:30,600 --> 00:55:32,480 Speaker 1: caught him and the Bill Minor because the rest of 1121 00:55:32,520 --> 00:55:34,279 Speaker 1: the boys are pretty much napping after dinner, and the 1122 00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:37,800 Speaker 1: fires just cracked on. It's a nice exactly just farting 1123 00:55:37,800 --> 00:55:41,680 Speaker 1: and tooting along, easing into like some of the Sandman's arms. 1124 00:55:41,960 --> 00:55:44,680 Speaker 1: And Bill Miner hasn't quite like fallen into sleep, nor 1125 00:55:44,800 --> 00:55:48,040 Speaker 1: is he fully relaxed, because he's like Bill Miner's about 1126 00:55:48,120 --> 00:55:50,719 Speaker 1: that life. He hears the crunch in the distance of 1127 00:55:50,719 --> 00:55:52,800 Speaker 1: a snap of a twig, he hears a leaf, and 1128 00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:56,120 Speaker 1: he knows somebody's close. He jumps up, says, rouse boys, 1129 00:55:56,200 --> 00:55:59,360 Speaker 1: the laws on us. It's like George Clooney is no 1130 00:55:59,480 --> 00:56:05,000 Speaker 1: brother where that. So he shouts to his men. The 1131 00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:07,360 Speaker 1: men they're used to Bill Miner at this point, may 1132 00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:09,560 Speaker 1: being like the old guys, so they trust him. They're like, oh, 1133 00:56:09,560 --> 00:56:12,160 Speaker 1: he must know something. He was his idea, So they 1134 00:56:12,200 --> 00:56:14,960 Speaker 1: all scatter right there. He's like, no, don't run, they 1135 00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:17,480 Speaker 1: got guns. Of course, the law does it. The law 1136 00:56:17,560 --> 00:56:20,680 Speaker 1: does starts firing Bill Miner because you know, he doesn't 1137 00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:22,640 Speaker 1: want to go down. He's willing to fire back. But 1138 00:56:22,840 --> 00:56:26,480 Speaker 1: remember he doesn't hurt anybody, it's his code. So he's 1139 00:56:26,520 --> 00:56:31,600 Speaker 1: firing just to scare, shooting trees, the dirt, anything, just 1140 00:56:31,600 --> 00:56:33,719 Speaker 1: to let people know, you know, they might get shot. 1141 00:56:33,840 --> 00:56:35,799 Speaker 1: That's enough for the law to back off, but not 1142 00:56:35,920 --> 00:56:38,880 Speaker 1: enough to stay away. They eventually close in. They shoot 1143 00:56:38,920 --> 00:56:41,319 Speaker 1: one guy, take out another, and it takes an hit 1144 00:56:41,600 --> 00:56:45,080 Speaker 1: one guy in the knee. So everybody's like pretty banged 1145 00:56:45,120 --> 00:56:48,959 Speaker 1: up except for Bill Miner. They get arrested. Bill Miner 1146 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:51,319 Speaker 1: looks at the cops is, well, I guess you got 1147 00:56:51,360 --> 00:56:55,360 Speaker 1: me boys, all right, He's just so George. So the 1148 00:56:55,400 --> 00:56:57,680 Speaker 1: Pinkerton's there are on the scene, and they of course 1149 00:56:57,719 --> 00:57:00,279 Speaker 1: with the Pinkerton's, so they've got technology working on their side. 1150 00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:03,520 Speaker 1: They had these photographs that have been like sent around 1151 00:57:03,600 --> 00:57:05,759 Speaker 1: the country so they can identify this person. They have 1152 00:57:05,760 --> 00:57:07,600 Speaker 1: a caption on it, and he says, hey, are you 1153 00:57:07,640 --> 00:57:09,600 Speaker 1: Bill Miner. He's like, no, I know what you're talking about. 1154 00:57:10,200 --> 00:57:12,279 Speaker 1: He said, it's like, you know, I'm George Evans or whatever. 1155 00:57:12,280 --> 00:57:15,040 Speaker 1: He lies about his name, and then it's like, we'll 1156 00:57:15,040 --> 00:57:16,880 Speaker 1: look at this photo here, and he said, he just 1157 00:57:16,920 --> 00:57:19,400 Speaker 1: reads the caption bhoys staring at him. He's like Bill Miner, 1158 00:57:19,480 --> 00:57:23,640 Speaker 1: California's trained and stage robber alias William Morgan, Billy Morgan, 1159 00:57:23,720 --> 00:57:28,200 Speaker 1: George Anderson, Sam Anderson, California Billy Old Bill, Bill Bud, 1160 00:57:28,320 --> 00:57:33,840 Speaker 1: George Edwards g. W. Edwards escaped from the New Westminster Penitentiary, Victoria, 1161 00:57:33,960 --> 00:57:37,720 Speaker 1: British Columbia, just staring at him the whole time. Bill Miner, 1162 00:57:38,320 --> 00:57:40,800 Speaker 1: the old gentleman batted himself, just kind of grands and goes, 1163 00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:45,080 Speaker 1: that's me. So he's then tried, convicted, and sentenced to 1164 00:57:45,120 --> 00:57:48,000 Speaker 1: twenty years in prison, asked earlier, at this point, he 1165 00:57:48,080 --> 00:57:50,640 Speaker 1: is sixty five years old. I had done the math 1166 00:57:50,680 --> 00:57:51,960 Speaker 1: on this one, so I have an answered for you. 1167 00:57:52,480 --> 00:57:55,720 Speaker 1: Sixty five and twenty years to life. Which is essentially life. 1168 00:57:56,440 --> 00:57:59,240 Speaker 1: So in prison, he keeps a garden. A local detectives 1169 00:57:59,280 --> 00:58:01,440 Speaker 1: would visit him and like they would swap stories. He 1170 00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:03,560 Speaker 1: just loved talking to Bill, and Bill was like basically 1171 00:58:03,560 --> 00:58:05,480 Speaker 1: giving him stories for a book that you planned to write. 1172 00:58:05,720 --> 00:58:07,560 Speaker 1: The two of them just have a good old time. 1173 00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:10,080 Speaker 1: So he an old aging law man, just talk about 1174 00:58:10,080 --> 00:58:12,439 Speaker 1: the good old days. And Bill Miner tells him about 1175 00:58:12,440 --> 00:58:14,520 Speaker 1: his code, about how he never killed anyone, you only 1176 00:58:14,560 --> 00:58:17,520 Speaker 1: rever robbed the corporations, and detectives like, oh, that's very 1177 00:58:17,520 --> 00:58:20,400 Speaker 1: decent of your Bill. And now, meanwhile, Bill is trying 1178 00:58:20,440 --> 00:58:22,280 Speaker 1: this whole time to get out of prison. He keeps 1179 00:58:22,320 --> 00:58:24,640 Speaker 1: breaking out, so he's talking to the detective, but it 1180 00:58:24,680 --> 00:58:27,520 Speaker 1: doesn't change who he is. He escapes from prison three 1181 00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:31,120 Speaker 1: more times, get out of here. Each time he's recaptured 1182 00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:33,080 Speaker 1: in just a few days. Because he's in the South. 1183 00:58:33,080 --> 00:58:34,400 Speaker 1: And I don't know, if you know anything about the South, 1184 00:58:34,400 --> 00:58:36,600 Speaker 1: where they put the prisons is always in pretty much 1185 00:58:36,600 --> 00:58:41,800 Speaker 1: next to a swamp. You're not getting out of. If 1186 00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:43,840 Speaker 1: the swamp doesn't kill you, what lives in it will. 1187 00:58:44,640 --> 00:58:47,640 Speaker 1: So and now he's sitting there and Bill Miner this 1188 00:58:47,800 --> 00:58:49,880 Speaker 1: is and we're in the year nineteen twelve. We've passed 1189 00:58:49,920 --> 00:58:53,240 Speaker 1: just another year. Bill Miner makes his final attempt to flee, 1190 00:58:53,680 --> 00:58:56,959 Speaker 1: and he makes it out. He escapes. He gets about 1191 00:58:56,960 --> 00:59:00,280 Speaker 1: twenty miles from the prison farm, goes through uf ump. 1192 00:59:01,120 --> 00:59:02,880 Speaker 1: They've got a little like John boat. He and the 1193 00:59:02,920 --> 00:59:04,960 Speaker 1: guys he bust out with, and they're trying to get 1194 00:59:04,960 --> 00:59:06,880 Speaker 1: going in the swamp. But as I told you, it's 1195 00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:09,360 Speaker 1: dangerous in the swamp. That capsized the boat. Call of 1196 00:59:09,360 --> 00:59:11,560 Speaker 1: them go into the waters. Its brackish water. It takes 1197 00:59:11,560 --> 00:59:14,680 Speaker 1: a big old mouthful, is terrible. Everyone's like getting sick 1198 00:59:14,720 --> 00:59:17,240 Speaker 1: on the water. They swim out of the water that 1199 00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:19,760 Speaker 1: they've after they've capsized the boat, they step into the mud. 1200 00:59:19,760 --> 00:59:23,600 Speaker 1: They're slogging through it. Their boots are going through the mud. 1201 00:59:23,600 --> 00:59:28,040 Speaker 1: All of a sudden they hear that from the bloodhounds 1202 00:59:28,040 --> 00:59:30,520 Speaker 1: are on them, the hound dogs, hunting dogs. They got 1203 00:59:30,560 --> 00:59:34,120 Speaker 1: both hunting hounds and bloodhounds. Rather coming up off off 1204 00:59:34,160 --> 00:59:37,760 Speaker 1: their trail, Bill Miner knows they ain't getting through a swamp, 1205 00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:40,560 Speaker 1: not with dogs on him, So he just grins and 1206 00:59:40,600 --> 00:59:42,520 Speaker 1: stays there and waits for the authorities to catch up 1207 00:59:42,560 --> 00:59:44,440 Speaker 1: to him. When the authorities get to him, he just 1208 00:59:44,480 --> 00:59:46,800 Speaker 1: looks at him. He says, I guess I'm getting too 1209 00:59:46,800 --> 00:59:49,640 Speaker 1: old for this sort of thing. I don't know if 1210 00:59:50,680 --> 00:59:52,720 Speaker 1: totally that's exactly what I thought. I'm like, I don't 1211 00:59:52,720 --> 00:59:54,320 Speaker 1: know if he, like pretty much was the first person 1212 00:59:54,360 --> 00:59:55,680 Speaker 1: to say I guess I'm getting too old for this. 1213 00:59:56,480 --> 00:59:58,560 Speaker 1: But he was the one to say it back then, 1214 00:59:58,600 --> 01:00:00,440 Speaker 1: and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the one, 1215 01:00:00,480 --> 01:00:02,800 Speaker 1: because you know, he had the hands up. So I'm 1216 01:00:02,800 --> 01:00:04,600 Speaker 1: gonna give him I'm being too old for this. He's 1217 01:00:04,640 --> 01:00:07,320 Speaker 1: the forty of the wild West. I'm telling me, the 1218 01:00:07,360 --> 01:00:11,680 Speaker 1: Gentleman band at the Great Fox mom Man. So uh, 1219 01:00:12,080 --> 01:00:16,200 Speaker 1: we're in September when Bill Miner finally slips the mortal 1220 01:00:16,240 --> 01:00:19,040 Speaker 1: coil and escapes the law for the last time. He 1221 01:00:19,120 --> 01:00:21,680 Speaker 1: had died from gastritis from the swamp water he swallowed 1222 01:00:21,680 --> 01:00:25,040 Speaker 1: when he capt And how many folks have kept his 1223 01:00:25,120 --> 01:00:27,520 Speaker 1: legend alive up in Canada because that's where they believe 1224 01:00:27,600 --> 01:00:31,280 Speaker 1: he buried his hidden booty of bearer bonds. The bearer 1225 01:00:31,360 --> 01:00:33,520 Speaker 1: bonds were never recovered, so that's somewhere out there in 1226 01:00:33,520 --> 01:00:36,120 Speaker 1: the world. There are dollars worth of bear bounds, which 1227 01:00:36,160 --> 01:00:39,000 Speaker 1: are now worth ten million dollars, So good luck. There's 1228 01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:42,880 Speaker 1: somewhere in British Columbia, Canada. I'm leaving now. Yeah, none 1229 01:00:42,920 --> 01:00:45,720 Speaker 1: have found it. It's still up there for grabs. And that, 1230 01:00:45,880 --> 01:00:49,400 Speaker 1: my friends, is the story of Bill Miner, my outlaw 1231 01:00:49,560 --> 01:00:54,280 Speaker 1: folk hero. Nice nice Elizabeth. What's our ridiculous takeaway? Well, 1232 01:00:54,960 --> 01:00:57,960 Speaker 1: I think my ridiculous takeaway is that I will respect 1233 01:00:58,200 --> 01:01:00,760 Speaker 1: a criminal who doesn't want to hurt Pete Bowl, and 1234 01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:03,360 Speaker 1: I like the idea that he's not taking personal funds 1235 01:01:03,400 --> 01:01:07,200 Speaker 1: from people. He does, however, continually break the social contract. 1236 01:01:07,960 --> 01:01:11,240 Speaker 1: So you know, there's that, But it just makes me 1237 01:01:11,360 --> 01:01:16,000 Speaker 1: kind of think about how we have this myth of 1238 01:01:16,040 --> 01:01:19,760 Speaker 1: the West and this this like individualism and you know, 1239 01:01:19,800 --> 01:01:21,840 Speaker 1: the adventure. But the truth is it was really like 1240 01:01:21,920 --> 01:01:25,240 Speaker 1: the companies. The corporations came in and just like soaked it. 1241 01:01:25,520 --> 01:01:28,640 Speaker 1: They so quickly took advantage of the opportunities out there. 1242 01:01:28,680 --> 01:01:30,600 Speaker 1: So people would come and they'd have a gold strike, 1243 01:01:30,640 --> 01:01:32,400 Speaker 1: but then the gold can turn to come in. People 1244 01:01:32,440 --> 01:01:35,000 Speaker 1: would get like ranching. But then all of a sudden 1245 01:01:35,040 --> 01:01:36,919 Speaker 1: you'd have the big ranchers come in and they put 1246 01:01:36,920 --> 01:01:39,360 Speaker 1: barbed wire up. Now no longer have free ranging. Every 1247 01:01:39,360 --> 01:01:42,800 Speaker 1: time people were doing that that Western idea of like, 1248 01:01:42,880 --> 01:01:45,800 Speaker 1: you know, being an individual. Eventually some people would come 1249 01:01:45,840 --> 01:01:48,120 Speaker 1: together who had more money, more legal might and say 1250 01:01:48,280 --> 01:01:50,200 Speaker 1: I'm going to take what yours and if you don't 1251 01:01:50,400 --> 01:01:53,120 Speaker 1: want to fight about it, Bill Miners like, yeah, I do. 1252 01:01:54,320 --> 01:01:56,040 Speaker 1: I mean, he's breaking the law. There's a part of 1253 01:01:56,080 --> 01:01:58,960 Speaker 1: me that just kind of enjoys that he's pushing back. 1254 01:01:59,000 --> 01:02:02,280 Speaker 1: He's you know, he's there's one force pushing back on that. 1255 01:02:02,560 --> 01:02:04,560 Speaker 1: So and he didn't do it for the people. He 1256 01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:06,680 Speaker 1: wasn't quite like Robin Hood, but he did it like 1257 01:02:06,760 --> 01:02:08,560 Speaker 1: with the people. I think it's probably the better way. 1258 01:02:09,920 --> 01:02:13,080 Speaker 1: My ridiculous takeaway, Elizabeth, since you didn't ever ask, I 1259 01:02:13,160 --> 01:02:17,520 Speaker 1: don't care, you don't really care? Is ABC always be 1260 01:02:17,600 --> 01:02:21,120 Speaker 1: keeping to your code? Or you could say ABC always 1261 01:02:21,120 --> 01:02:24,160 Speaker 1: be robbing corporations? Neither of those are acronyms, so just 1262 01:02:24,200 --> 01:02:27,520 Speaker 1: try to remember and think of them as mnemonics. That's 1263 01:02:27,520 --> 01:02:29,920 Speaker 1: it for this episode. Thanks for joining us. I am 1264 01:02:29,960 --> 01:02:33,520 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Dutton, and I could be there in Burnett. He 1265 01:02:33,560 --> 01:02:36,360 Speaker 1: could be could do that. S Okay, you're gonna find 1266 01:02:36,440 --> 01:02:39,200 Speaker 1: us online A ridiculous crime on both Twitter and The 1267 01:02:39,320 --> 01:02:41,760 Speaker 1: Graham got a tip for us about a Ridiculous Crime 1268 01:02:41,800 --> 01:02:44,000 Speaker 1: you'd like to hear about. Hit us up. You know 1269 01:02:44,280 --> 01:02:46,760 Speaker 1: you could participated in ridiculous crime and the statute of 1270 01:02:46,840 --> 01:02:50,600 Speaker 1: limitations have been exhausted. Also hit us up, we love 1271 01:02:50,600 --> 01:02:53,600 Speaker 1: a good story. Email us at Ridiculous Crime at gmail 1272 01:02:53,760 --> 01:03:02,520 Speaker 1: dot com. Ridiculous Crime is hosted by Elizabeth Dutton and 1273 01:03:02,680 --> 01:03:05,400 Speaker 1: Zaron Burnett, produced and edited by Robin Hood of the 1274 01:03:05,440 --> 01:03:08,960 Speaker 1: Airwaves Dave Coustin researches by the world's most famous getaway 1275 01:03:09,000 --> 01:03:11,840 Speaker 1: artist for Rissa Brown. The theme song is by Thomas 1276 01:03:11,920 --> 01:03:16,080 Speaker 1: Majestic Lee and your Friendly Bandit Travis. Dutton's executive producers 1277 01:03:16,080 --> 01:03:19,280 Speaker 1: are Ben Bearer, Bond's Bowling and Noel gold Dust Brands. 1278 01:03:26,720 --> 01:03:31,240 Speaker 1: Say It One More Time, We Dequeous Crew. Ridiculous Crime 1279 01:03:31,360 --> 01:03:33,880 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeart Radio. Four more podcasts to 1280 01:03:33,920 --> 01:03:36,920 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 1281 01:03:37,000 --> 01:03:38,840 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.