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THBYoung Wyoming Train Robber, Bill Carlisle, The White Masked-Bandit, Mugshot
About Seller
6270 Este Ave.
Cincinnati , OH 45232
United States
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About Auction
LiveJun 13, 2014 - Jun 14, 2014
Cowan's Auctions dawnie@cowans.com
View Full Catalog (603)
- Lot Description
"Hardback" mug shot from the Wyoming Penitentiary for William L. Carlisle (1890-1964). The young train robber William L. "Bill" Carlisle, a.k.a. the White Masked Bandit, was probably the most famous escapee in Wyoming history and certainly one of the most famous train robbers. A folk hero, he who wouldn't rob veterans or women.
Little is known of Bill's early life. His father was older (60) when he was born, and his mother died when he was only 9 months old. His father could not handle five children alone, so they were sent to an orphanage for a while before being taken in by relatives. He was apparently born Walter Lawrence Cottrell, and it is not clear when he changed his name.
He became a hobo as a teenager, riding the trains. He decided to leave Pennsylvania and rode to Montana to become a ranch hand. He was broke by 1916, and decided the fastest way to get cash was to rob a train. He held up the Portland Rose as she left the Green River (WY) station. During the robbery, he returned a porter's tips and gave someone else a dollar to pay for breakfast. He hid his face under a white bandanna, earning his later sobriquet. Word spread quickly, since train robbery has mostly died out as a crime. He held up two more trains in the next couple of months, always refusing to take money from women or those who seemed in need.
When he was finally captured and tried, he was sentenced to life in prison, even though he never hurt anyone. Because of good behavior, the sentence was reduced to 25 - 50 years. But Bill decided that was too long. He made an amazing escape from the Wyoming State Pen. in 1919 by hiding in a box of shirts made by prisoners.
He robbed a fourth train after his escape. This one was full of servicemen returning from WWI. He would not take any money from them. He was eventually captured and was returned to prison for 16 years. There he met the Rev. Gerard Schellinger, who turned his life around.
Bill was paroled in 1936 and became an upstanding citizen, opening a newsstand, and later a restaurant and filling station. He married a nurse he met while recuperating from a ruptured appendix. His autobiography, which reads more like a dime novel, sealed his fame. (See http://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/bill-carlisle.)Minor handling wear.Condition
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