Video: Vernon Residents Discuss Historical Figure

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By Steve Rogers

VERNON, Ala. (WCBI) — For four years in the late 1800s, he was one of the nation’s most wanted men.

This weekend, dozens of history buffs, fans of the old west and even some distant relatives gathered in Vernon, Alabama to discuss the life of Lamar County native Rube Burrow.

Born in Lamar County but raised in Texas, Burrow turned to robbing trains in 1886.

By 1890, he was the country’s most notorious bandit for robberies from Alabama to Duck Hill, Mississippi, into Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas.

Many in Lamar County turned against him when he killed postmaster Mose Graves in 1889.

Several authors and historians, including former Aberdeen police chief Brent Coleman, and some Graves relatives attended the gathering.