Laura Bullion (1876 - 1961)

Born 1 Oct 1876 in Faulkner County, Arkansas

Ancestors

Died 2 Dec 1961 at age 85 in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

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Laura Bullion was a prostitute and a female outlaw of the Old West. ^[1]She was a member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang,they called her ^[2]Della Rose and Rose of the Wild Bunch

Laura Bullion was born in 1876, in Faulkner County, Arkansas. Her father was James 'Henry' Bullion who was a Native American. Laura's mother was Fereby Byler, who had immigrated from Germany with her family.^[3] When Laura was 5 years old, Henry and Fereby joined her parents in Texas. Laura's father Henry had been outlaw bank robber. He was acquainted with outlaws William Carver and "The Tall Texan" Ben Kilpatrick. They became involved with the famous Wild Bunch gang. Laura's parents split up, and Henry Bullion died in 1888. Fereby remarried and left with her new husband. Laura and her brother and sister stayed with their Grandmother. Fereby died in 1891.

William 'News' Carver

Laura met outlaws William 'News' Carver and Ben Kilpatrick "The Tall Texan", through her father when she was 13 years of age. Laura's aunt, Viana Byler, had married Carver in 1891, but she died not long after the marriage from fever.Laura Bullion was 15 when she began a romance with Carver, who had been involved with female outlaw Josie Bassett, sister to ^[4]Butch Cassidy's girlfriend Ann Bassett.

Fannie Porter

Laura Bullion also worked as a ^[5]prostitute until she was 16 or 17 years old. She did return to prostitution from time to time, working for Madame Fannie Porter's brothel in San Antonio, Texas, which was a a frequent hideaway for the gang. William Carver was riding with the Tom "Black Jack" Ketchum gang, and Laura to wanted to join him. He would not allow it at first, and they only saw one another between robberies. While in Utah and on the run, William Carver became involved with the Wild Bunch gang, the leaders were Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay. Members of the Wild Bunch nicknamed Laura Bullion "Della Rose",or the "Rose of the Wild Bunch".

'Della Moore and Harvey Logan "Kid Curry

Laura became involved with Ben Kilpatrick "The Tall Texan", when William Carver began a relationship with a prostitute named Lillie Davis, who worked at Fannie Porter's brothel in San Antonio, Texas. The gang robbed trains, and Laura Bullion supported them by selling stolen goods and meeting people who would give the gang supplies and horses. Laura was again involved with William Carver by 1901, as well as involvement with other members of the gang. When William Carver was killed by lawmen, on April 1, 1901, Laura became involved with Ben Kilpatrick again, and they went to Knoxville, Tennessee. In Knoxville Laura Bullion and Ben Kilpatrick met up with Della Moore and Kid Curry. In October Della Moore was arrested for passing money from one of the gangs robberies.

Ben Kilpatrick

Laura Bullion was ^[6]arrested for forgery of signatures to banknotes on November 6, 1901, at the Laclede Hotel in St. Louis. Laura was found with $8,500 worth of banknotes, stolen in the Great Northern train robbery.On December 12, 1901, Ben Kilpatrick was arrested .Kid Curry had escaped, he killed two Knoxville policemen on the December 13, 1901. Laura Bullion and Ben Kilpatrick were both convicted of robbery, ^[7]Laura was ^[8]sentenced to five years in prison, and Ben Kilpatrick sentence for 20 years. Laura only served three and a half years, she was released in 1905. Ben Kilpatrick was not released from prison until 1911.Laura and Ben Kilpatrick stayed in contact by letters. But they ever saw one another again.^[9]Ben Kilpatrick was killed robbing a train on March 13, 1912. By then all the members of the Wild Bunch gang were either in prison, dead, or had served a prison sentence and moved on to other things in their lives.

When Laura Bullion moved to Memphis in 1918, she was using the names "Freda Lincoln", "Freda Bullion Lincoln" and "Mrs. Maurice Lincoln", she claimed she was a war widow, and that her late husband had been Maurice Lincoln. She also said she was ten years younger than she was,saying she was born in 1887. She worked as a householder and seamstress, and later as a drapery maker, dressmaker and interior designer. Laura Bullion^[10]died on December 2, 1961,of heart disease .Laura is buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery Memphis, Tennessee.Laura Bullion was the last surviving member of the Wild Bunch gang.

Sources

1. ↑ Spokeo.com - Laura Bullion Criminal
2. ↑ Google Books - Tales of Badmen, Bad Women, and Bad Places - Four Centuries of Texas Outlawry By Charley F. Eckhardt
3. ↑ Google Books - The Deadliest Outlaws - The Ketchum Gang and the Wild Bunch By Jeffrey Burton
4. ↑ Google Books - Butch Cassidy - Beyond the Grave By W. C. Jameson
5. ↑ Google Books - Red Light Women of the Rocky Mountains By Jan MacKell
6. ↑ Californa Digital Newspaper Collection - Los Angeles Herald, Volume XXIX, Number 38, 8 November 1901 - Laura Bullion is identified
7. ↑ Buffalo Bill Center of the West -Laura Bullion mug shot
8. ↑ Google Newspapers - The Evening News - Dec 11, 1901 - Laura Bullion and Kirkpatrick both get long terms
9. ↑ Crime Museum - Ice mallet is responsible for killing Ben “The Tall Texan” Kilpatrick as he robs train
10. ↑ Find a Grave - Burial -Memorial Park Cemetery Memphis,Shelby County,Tennessee, USA Find A Grave Memorial# 23400786

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