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| Jim Burrow 1880s |
In my story Rube & Jim Burrow -- 1880s Train Robbers, I talked about how by February of 1888, between robberies, the notorious outlaws Rube Burrow and his brother Jim were identified while passengers on a train. That happened when a train conductor recognized the outlaws from a previous robbery. The brothers were on a Louisville & Nashville train in southern Alabama.
As I wrote in Rube & Jim Burrow -- 1880s Train Robbers, in what was pretty quick work, lawmen gathered a posse and surrounded the Nashville train station. When the train pulled in, lawmen trapped Rube and Jim in a passenger car. Soon, a huge shootout started. During the shooting, Rube was able to escape by shooting his way out. He would go on to rob more trains and became the subject of one of the biggest manhunts in American history. It's true. In the late 1880s, Rube Burrow made a lot of newspaper as he continued to rob trains despite being a wanted fugitive. He evaded capture and eluded authorities for two years before finally being caught.
Five years after his death, in 1893, the state of Arkansas issued an order to remove and relocate the graves of the convicts at the Arkansas Penitentiary, in Little Rock. They were to be dug up and moved to a new burial site. To do the job, people were hired to supervise the remove and relocation. The work to dig up the dead was done by inmates.
What happened to outlaw Jim Burrow's corpse turned into a mystery that no one has ever solved. There has been a lot of speculation over the years. So now, let's talk about some of that speculation. But first, let's talk about unreliable witnesses testimony.
Right after the discovery that Jim Burrow's coffin was empty, there were reports of strange sightings of his ghost. Yes, supposedly, there were reported sightings of Jim Burrow's ghost from folks who were considered reliable and honest. Those people supposedly had reputations, as they say, "were beyond reproach."
They claimed the ghost "must have been" Jim Burrow because he looked like an outlaw. What's a ghost of a dead outlaw, an outlaw who died of tuberculosis, look like? Well, believe or not, the description of Jim's afterlife apparition answers that question.
If you've followed my blog at all, then you probably know that I usually talk about speculation and unsubstantiated conjecture in reference to writers and historians who form theories and give their opinion based on incomplete information. While a lot of that drives me insane because I can't stand people coming to conclusions when over things that have no real hard evidence, you also know that I also don't care for the way writers and historians "guess" and reach conclusions that lack factual evidence -- just because they think that's what happened.
Frankly, that happens a lot when objectivity is thrown out a window. Instead of being impartial, unbiased, and base their claims on observable facts, there are some Old West writers and historians who would rather run with their personal feelings and so-called "expert interpretations." Actually, when someone says that, it means they they're relying on their prejudices -- for or against. An objective statement or decision is independent of the observer because it represents the truth and reality of what took place minus individual bias.
Speculation and jumping to conclusions have around since the dawn of time. To some, especially to folks in the news media and politics, speculation is an art form. It's among the reasons that people don't trust the News Media or politicians.
It is the act of reasoning while only having limited, partial, or circumstantial evidence to consider what "might" happen, or what "might" have happened. or what "could be" true. No certainty is involved. It's sort of like conjecture which is a synonym for a guess, a gut feeling, or a hunch. When claims are "unsubstantiated," that means the premise completely lacks any sort of supporting proof or validation. That means such a claim or opinion is one that relies entirely on blind supposition.
As I wrote in Rube & Jim Burrow -- 1880s Train Robbers, in what was pretty quick work, lawmen gathered a posse and surrounded the Nashville train station. When the train pulled in, lawmen trapped Rube and Jim in a passenger car. Soon, a huge shootout started. During the shooting, Rube was able to escape by shooting his way out. He would go on to rob more trains and became the subject of one of the biggest manhunts in American history. It's true. In the late 1880s, Rube Burrow made a lot of newspaper as he continued to rob trains despite being a wanted fugitive. He evaded capture and eluded authorities for two years before finally being caught.
As for Jim, he was taken into custody and jailed in Texarkana. His trial for the train robbery was still underway when he died from tuberculosis in a Texarkana jail on October 5, 1888. Well, I'll said I'd talk about the mystery surrounding Jim Burrow death. So, here the rest of the story.
James Buchanan “Jim” Burrow, born in 1858, died on October 5, 1888, aged 29–30 years. He was tried for his crimes, but soon became very ill and died. A prison medical examiner pronounced him dead, and he was subsequently buried in the prison cemetery. We would think that that was the end of the story of Jim Burrow. But, as strange as it was, it wasn't.
Five years after his death, in 1893, the state of Arkansas issued an order to remove and relocate the graves of the convicts at the Arkansas Penitentiary, in Little Rock. They were to be dug up and moved to a new burial site. To do the job, people were hired to supervise the remove and relocation. The work to dig up the dead was done by inmates.
In late December 1893, the gravediggers were digging up Jim Burrow's grave when one of their shovels made a hollow sound when it hit it Jim's coffin. This was unusual since none of the others made such a distinct hollow sound. This prompted them to open it up, revealing, well, nothing. Jim Burrow's coffin was empty.
Below is the short article as it was syndicated by telegraph and appeared in the San Francisco Call newspaper, Volume 75, Number 30, on December 30, 1893:
Burrows' Coffin Empty
Little Rock, Ark., Dec. 29 -- This morning while laborers were exhuming the bodies of deceased State convicts to remove them to the new prison cemetery, they found the coffin of Jim Borrows, the train-robber, buried two years ago, empty. The discovery caused a sensation and led to rumors that the bandit may have escaped.
-- end of article.
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| As published in the San Francisco Call newspaper on December 30, 1893 |
Right after the discovery that Jim Burrow's coffin was empty, there were reports of strange sightings of his ghost. Yes, supposedly, there were reported sightings of Jim Burrow's ghost from folks who were considered reliable and honest. Those people supposedly had reputations, as they say, "were beyond reproach."
They claimed the ghost "must have been" Jim Burrow because he looked like an outlaw. What's a ghost of a dead outlaw, an outlaw who died of tuberculosis, look like? Well, believe or not, the description of Jim's afterlife apparition answers that question.
To paraphrase their reports, according to some, Jim's ghost was "wearing a 6-shooter on his hip, with his eyes glowing like two shiny orbs, just as a wild animal's eyes might shine, walking the night, and only resting on the grave of his notorious brother Rube."
Yes, that's the other part of the Jim Burrow Ghost Story, supposedly Jim's ghost must have "walked to Alabama" from Arkansas in search of his brother Rube. As crazy as that sounds, believe it or not, there were folks who really believed that they saw the ghost of Jim Burrow.
On a more sensible level, the discovery of Jim Burrow's empty coffin certainly caused a lot of questioned to be asked in the state of Arkansas. Some of those questions were honest concerns for the safety of the community. Some were real in that they questioned corruption and basic protocols. Some were pure fantasy, while other were speculation and unsubstantiated conjecture.
On a more sensible level, the discovery of Jim Burrow's empty coffin certainly caused a lot of questioned to be asked in the state of Arkansas. Some of those questions were honest concerns for the safety of the community. Some were real in that they questioned corruption and basic protocols. Some were pure fantasy, while other were speculation and unsubstantiated conjecture.
So, Let's Talk About Speculation And What Could Have Happened To Jim
In law, distinguishing between factual proof and unsubstantiated conjecture is critical because that type of information can result in a case being thrown out of court or an innocent man being hanged.
In the later, a baseless claim, a statement without a foundation in fact, a groundless assumption which is taking a "belief," right or wrong, as true without having any proof, unfounded rumor which is information spread without evidence to back it up, and an unsupported guess, are all how innocent men were railroaded and hanged in the Old West.
In legal settings claims or allegations presented as reports but lack concrete evidence to support them are usually not allowed.in court. In science, claims that lack empirical or experimental backing are seen as suspect and false.
Supposition is someone's belief that's taken to be true without proof. Journalist and folks in the media use rumors and hearsay all the time when reporting on something without proper fact-checking. And no, it's nothing new.
For example, just look at how the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper reported on the "supposed" killing of Curly Bill at the hands of Wyatt Earp in 1882. I say "supposed" because with absolutely no evidence of the event taking place, no dead body of Curly Bill, absolutely no witnesses to what took place, no Coroner Inquest was formed to look into it, no Sheriff's report or investigation into the supposed killing in what Earp claimed to be "self-defense," nothing. Yet, the Tombstone Epitaph ran the story as if it were Gospel -- all because the story of the supposed death of Curly Bill was told to them by Wyatt Earp.
Imagine that, people today truly believe that Wyatt Earp killed Curly Bill in a "Shotgun Duel" and their acceptance of that story is based on nothing other than the word of Wyatt Earp. Even today, no matter if we know for a fact that Wyatt Earp lied a lot, and made a lot of outlandish claims during his life, there are still writers and historians who will tell you that there is no doubt in their mind that Wyatt Earp what he claimed because he said he did.
Frankly, the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper assuming something is true without having any facts or proof to back it up is usually the case when people think they can "get over" on others. Making an assumption without proof is known as conjecture. When people use conjecture to manipulate or "get over" on others, they are usually relying on the hope that the other person will not challenge the claim, will feel too intimidated to ask for proof, or will simply accept the fiction as fact.
As for Jim Burrow, when his body turned up missing, a lot of people were asking if a dangerous outlaw were still be on the loose? Some folks asked if a bribe may have been involved? Some asked if the doctor who examined Burrow may have been paid off -- just to get him outside of the prison walls. Some folks asked if the protocols for the internment of deceased convicts needed to be looked at with more supervision.
There were a few folks who tried to make the case that Rube Burrow worked out a plan to payoff prison officials to set his brother Jim free just a few days before Rube himself was shot dead. They didn't have any proof that such a thing took place, but that didn't stop them from accepting that it did.
When Speculation Becomes Plausible And Has Some Credibility
When speculation has some credibility means that someone has made an educated guess or theory that's supported by enough logic, circumstantial evidence, or preliminary facts -- that they they should be taken seriously. It is more than just a wild rumor or a guess, but not yet proven fact. It's when something is plausible, that the idea makes sense and fits with existing knowledge, circumstances, or historical patterns of something -- in this case, we're talking about graverobbing.
While it was never proven, so there is absolutely no hard proof that that's what happened to Jim Burrow's corpse, some folks speculated that Jim Burrow's corpse may have been sold.
The reason that it was a real and honest possibility is that, historically, it's true that medical schools during that time frequently acquired cadavers from jailers, prison officials, and poor houses. The corpses of the poor and the incarcerated were treated as commodities. In fact, they were often sold without family consent, particularly in the South, where the dead was exploited for medical education.
There is historical evidence that shows so-called "Night Doctors," teachers, medical students, and their agents, bought or stole bodies, sometimes shipping them in barrels labeled as other goods, such as turpentine or molasses. It was illegal.
It was called a "Gray Market." And yes, some states had "anatomy laws" to allow the use of unclaimed bodies. Others states had gray markets where medical schools would pay the keepers of jails or poor houses for corpses.
In the post-Civil War, late-19th-century South, dead bodies that should have been in coffins in cemeteries were commonly used for anatomy studies at both Northern and Southern medical colleges. The trade was a national phenomenon driven by the high demand for dissection material in medical schools, which was not matched by legal, voluntary donations.
Using cadavers "not matched by legal, voluntary donations," was the excuse that medical schools used to rely on grave robbing. So yes, there is a very good possibility that outlaw Jim Burrow's corpse was sold in the 1890s. But, as we know, just because there's a very good possibility of someone happening, that doesn't make it true.
The fact is, just as with a lot of went on in the Old West, speculation, conjecture, and unreliable witnesses testimony, no matter if they seem "reputable," doesn't make anything true. Real evidence does.
There was a lot of speculation and conjecture when Jim Burrow's coffin was found empty. But, there is absolutely no evidence of what ever happened to his corpse. From what I can tell, no one will ever know what happened to Jim Burrow's body -- or if he was ever really buried.
When Speculation Becomes Plausible And Has Some Credibility
When speculation has some credibility means that someone has made an educated guess or theory that's supported by enough logic, circumstantial evidence, or preliminary facts -- that they they should be taken seriously. It is more than just a wild rumor or a guess, but not yet proven fact. It's when something is plausible, that the idea makes sense and fits with existing knowledge, circumstances, or historical patterns of something -- in this case, we're talking about graverobbing.
While it was never proven, so there is absolutely no hard proof that that's what happened to Jim Burrow's corpse, some folks speculated that Jim Burrow's corpse may have been sold.
That made a few folks sit up and take notice because that was a real and honest possibility. It's plausible that the prison officials didn't know anything about Jim Burrow's corpse going missing or why. In fact, Burrow's corpse could have been dug up by hired grave robbers who supplied medical schools with cadavers without prison officials knowing about what was taking place. But, the fact is, during that time period, there was the possibility that prison officials sold Jim's corpse to a local medical school.
The reason that it was a real and honest possibility is that, historically, it's true that medical schools during that time frequently acquired cadavers from jailers, prison officials, and poor houses. The corpses of the poor and the incarcerated were treated as commodities. In fact, they were often sold without family consent, particularly in the South, where the dead was exploited for medical education.
There is historical evidence that shows so-called "Night Doctors," teachers, medical students, and their agents, bought or stole bodies, sometimes shipping them in barrels labeled as other goods, such as turpentine or molasses. It was illegal.
It was called a "Gray Market." And yes, some states had "anatomy laws" to allow the use of unclaimed bodies. Others states had gray markets where medical schools would pay the keepers of jails or poor houses for corpses.
In the post-Civil War, late-19th-century South, dead bodies that should have been in coffins in cemeteries were commonly used for anatomy studies at both Northern and Southern medical colleges. The trade was a national phenomenon driven by the high demand for dissection material in medical schools, which was not matched by legal, voluntary donations.
Using cadavers "not matched by legal, voluntary donations," was the excuse that medical schools used to rely on grave robbing. So yes, there is a very good possibility that outlaw Jim Burrow's corpse was sold in the 1890s. But, as we know, just because there's a very good possibility of someone happening, that doesn't make it true.
The fact is, just as with a lot of went on in the Old West, speculation, conjecture, and unreliable witnesses testimony, no matter if they seem "reputable," doesn't make anything true. Real evidence does.
There was a lot of speculation and conjecture when Jim Burrow's coffin was found empty. But, there is absolutely no evidence of what ever happened to his corpse. From what I can tell, no one will ever know what happened to Jim Burrow's body -- or if he was ever really buried.
It's an Old West mystery that I seriously doubt will ever be solved.
Tom Correa
