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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laura Bullion (1890s) was born in Knickerbocker,
Texas near Mertzon in Irion County, in 1876. The actual date of her
birth is unknown. Her mother was German, and her father was Native
American. Bullion's Certificate of death lists Henry Bullion as her
father and Fredy Byler as her mother. Bullion's father had been an
outlaw and was acquainted with outlaws William Carver ("News
Carver") and Ben Kilpatrick ("The Tall Texan") both of whom Bullion
met when she was around 13 years of age. Her aunt, Viana Byler,
married Carver in 1891, but she died soon after the marriage from
fever.
At age 15, Bullion began a romance with Carver, who for a time after
his wife's death had been involved with female outlaw Josie Bassett,
sister to Cassidy's girlfriend Ann Bassett. Bullion also worked as a
prostitute for a time, until reaching the age of either 16 or 17.
She is also believed to have returned to prostitution from time to
time, working mostly in Madame Fannie Porters brothel in San
Antonio, Texas, a frequent hideaway for the gang. The report of her
arrest in St. Louis, Missouri in 1901 states her occupation as
prostitute.
Most sources as well as Bullion's grave marker provide 1876 as the
year of her birth. The exact day is not known. In an arrest report
dated November 6, 1901, her age is mentioned as 28 at the time of
the arrest.[1] Provided that the birth year of 1876 is correct,
Bullion would have been rather 24 or more likely 25 years of age at
that time, if her birthday had been before November 6, the date of
the arrest. The Certificate of death states Bullion's age at death
74, and her date of birth as October 4, 1887. Provided that the
birth year of 1876 is correct, Bullion would have been rather 84 or
more likely 85 years of age at her death, if her birthday had been
before December 2, 1961, the recorded date of her death. The
certificate is issued under the name Freda Bullion Lincoln, a false
identity she assumed when she moved to Memphis, claiming to be the
war widow of Maurice Lincoln and making herself about ten years
younger than she was.
When Bullion first became involved with Carver, he was riding with
the Tom Ketchum ("Black Jack Ketchum") gang, and Bullion wanted to
join him. However, he wouldn't allow it at first, and they only saw
one another between robberies. While in Utah and on the run from
lawmen, Carver became involved with the Wild Bunch gang, led by
Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay.
Members of the Wild Bunch nicknamed Laura Bullion "Della Rose", a
name she came by after meeting Kid Curry's girlfriend Della Moore.
Often Bullion was also referred to as the "Rose of the Wild Bunch".
In an arrest report dated November 6, 1901, Bullion's name is filed
as "Della Rose" and her aliases are stated to be "Clara Hays" and
"Laura Casey & [Laura] Bullion". The arrest report lists her
profession as prostitute. According to a New York Times article, she
was "masquerading as Mrs. Nellie Rose" at the time of her arrest.
The same article also mentions a suspicion that Laura Bullion,
"disguised as a boy", might have taken part in a train robbery in
Montana. The paper cites Chief of Detectives Desmond: "I would'nt
think helping to hold up a train was too much for her. She is cool,
shows absolutely no fear, and in male attire would readily pass for
a boy. She has a masculine face, and that would give her assurance
in her disguise."
In the early 1890s, Bullion became involved romantically with Ben
Kilpatrick ("The Tall Texan"), after Carver began a relationship
with a prostitute named Lillie Davis, whom he had met while at
Fannie Porter's brothel in San Antonio, Texas. As the gang robbed
trains, Bullion supported them by selling stolen goods, and making
connections that could give the gang steady supplies and horses.
By 1901, Bullion was again involved romantically with Carver, as
well as occasional involvement with other members of the gang. When
Carver was killed by lawmen, on April 1, 1901, Bullion became
involved romantically with Kilpatrick again, and the two fled to
Knoxville, Tennessee. Della Moore and Kid Curry met up with them
there, and the four stayed together for a number of months, until in
October, when Della Moore was arrested for passing money linked to
one of the gangs robberies.
On November 6, 1901, Bullion was arrested on federal charges for
"forgery of signatures to banknotes" at the Laclede Hotel in St.
Louis. She had $8,500 worth of robbed banknotes in her possession,
stolen in the Great Northern train robbery. On December 12 1901,
Kilpatrick was arrested. Curry escaped capture on December 13, 1901,
killing two Knoxville policemen in the process. Bullion and
Kilpatrick were both convicted of robbery, with Bullion being
sentenced to five years in prison, and Kilpatrick receiving a twenty
year sentence. She spent three and a half years before being
released in 1905. Kilpatrick was not released from prison until
1911.
Kilpatrick stayed in contact with Bullion through letters. By the
time of his release from prison in 1911, she had become involved
with at least four other men, but they never reconnected nor did
they ever see one another again. Kilpatrick was killed robbing a
train on March 13, 1912. By that time, 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 Bullion turned up in Memphis in 1918, she used the names "Freda
Lincoln", "Freda Bullion Lincoln" and "Mrs. Maurice Lincoln",
claiming to be a war widow and that her late husband had been
Maurice Lincoln. She also made herself ten years younger claiming to
be born in 1887. On her grave marker at the Memorial Park Cemetery
in Memphis, Bullion's name is inscribed as "Freda Bullion Lincoln"
and "Laura Bullion", her birth name. The epitaph, "The Thorny Rose"
refers to her nickname in the Wild Bunch.
Laura Bullion's residence in Memphis from 1927-1948. (2007)In 1918,
Bullion moved to Memphis, where she spent the remainder of her life
working as a householder and seamstress, later as a drapery maker,
dress maker and interior designer. Claiming to be the war widow of
Maurice Lincoln, she lived in Memphis for 43 years under the assumed
names of "Freda Lincoln", "Freda Bullion Lincoln" or "Mrs. Maurice
Lincoln". According to her death certicficate, she gave October 4,
1887 as her birthday, making her about ten years younger than she
was.
In 1920, the Memphis City Directory lists her as seamstress for the
Jennings Furniture Co., with rooms at 221 Monroe Ave. From 1927 to
1948 she is listed as "householder" at 1374 Madison Ave. This is the
only one of the buildings still in existence in 2007. In the 1930s,
Bullion was listed as "drapery maker". Her occupation was upgraded
to "interior decorator" in 1940. Her fortunes declined in the late
1940s. In 1950, Bullion moved to 1065 Walker Ave with no profession
listed. The following year she moved to 3691 Southern Ave and in
1952 to 733 Decatur St. From 1953 to 1959, Bullion disappears from
the telephone book and is not listed in the City Directory.
In 1959, Bullion was listed as living at 278 Cossit Place. She lived
there until her death, two years later. Grave marker at the Memorial
Park Cemetery, Memphis (2007)According to her obituary, Bullion died
of heart disease at the Shelby County Hospital at 6:45 p.m. on
December 2, 1961. The memorial service was held two days later, at
11:30 a.m. on December 4. She is buried in the Memorial Park
Cemetery, Memphis. Bullion was the last surviving member of the Wild
Bunch gang.
Her grave marker reads:
Freda Bullion Lincoln
Laura Bullion
The Thorny Rose
1876 - 1961
Bullion's bronze grave marker has a decoration of embossed rose
vines along the edges. The decoration and her epitaph, "The Thorny
Rose", refer to Bullion's nickname in the Wild Bunch. Gang members
nicknamed her "Della Rose", a name she came by after meeting Kid
Curry's girlfriend Della Moore. Often she was also referred to as
"Rose of the Wild Bunch" by her fellow gang members. It is unknown
who chose the decoration or the epitaph for her grave marker. |
