A Guide to the William Preston Longley Papers, 1875-1878, 1934, 1936
Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Longley, William Preston | |
| Title | William Preston Longley Papers, | |
| Dates: | 1875-1878, 1934, 1936 | |
| Abstract | ||
| Extent | 2 in. | |
| Language | Materials are written in English. | |
| Repository | Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas | |
Biographical Note
William Preston Longley, the outlaw known as "Wild Bill" Longley, was born in Texas on October 6, 1851. He allegedly murdered 32 individuals and committed other crimes in five Texas counties as well as in Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory. He escaped prison several time before being hanged in Giddings, Texas, on October 11, 1878, for the murder of Wilson Anderson, who had killed his cousin.
Scope and Contents
Papers contain correspondence of William Preston "Wild Bill" Longley, principally with his brother Jim and his parents after Bill was sentenced to hang for murder. The letters deal especially with Bill's religious convictions. Also included is a transcript of a legal document in the case of the state of Texas vs. William P. Longley. The collection contains Jim Longley's autobiographical account of the escapades that occurred on a journey with his outlaw brother north from Lee County to Grayson County, Texas, in 1874-1875, during which Jim witnessed the murder of Wilson Anderson for which Bill was later hanged.
Organization | ||
| Arranged chronologically. | ||
Index Terms | ||
| Subjects (Persons) | ||
| Anderson, Wilson | ||
| Longley, James Stockton, 1858-1938 | ||
| Longley, William Preston, b. 1851--Archives | ||
| Walton, William Martin, 1832-1915 | ||
| Subjects | ||
| Outlaws--Texas--19th century | ||
| Places | ||
| Lee County (Tex.)--History--Sources | ||
Related Material
See also the Lucie Clift Price Papers held by the Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin . |
||
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
William Preston Longley Papers, 1875-1878, 1934, 1936, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Description of the Papers
| box | |||||||||||||
| 2D253 | Correspondence, autobiographical sketch, and legal document arranged chronologically, 1875-1878, 1934, 1936 | ||||||||||||