And later, as the manhunt to capture him mounted in earnest, the Negroes began asking themselves late at night as to why the white posse's could never catch him. To explain their beliefs, they told the story that one-day Bill was being chased hot and heavy by a posse when the lawmen passed a black sheep grazing by itself in a small clearing in the woods. They ignored the animal and continued down the trail in pursuit of the wily outlaw. But the Negroes all laughed because they knew that Bill had changed himself into that sheep and had waited till they passed and then changed himself back into his human form and escaped. But in fact, Bill was a shrewd man who helped build his own legend about his supernatural powers among the Negroes.
One reason was because wherever he went he wanted them to fear his power which served to intimidate them into sheltering him from the law when he was on the run. But whether devil or angel, what could have caused such a peace-loving man to run afoul of the law? The answer was simple; it was because of his beloved rifle. As the story goes his outlawry began when he was working in Bluff Springs, Florida located just off present day Highway 29, north of Molino. The sounds around the old community echoed from the noise of the mill whistles, sawmills, shingle and veneer mills, brickyards, and turpentine plants. The village also sported general stores, public utilities, school buildings, and churches. And for the mill workers and outlaws that frequented the area there were at least four taverns to quench their thirst for hard liquor and beer. Some of the better-known outlaws of their day that frequented the area were Brown Bowen and Bob Hardy, but none that became as legendary as Railroad Bill.
Many of the old mills of the area were erected along the banks of the Escambia River so that their finished products could easily be transported downstream by boat. Two of the best known mills in the area were Martin’s Veneer Company and the Bluff Springs Mill. Many of the others were destroyed during the civil war or by random fires during the years afterwards. To keep the local workers happy, the G. R. Grocery Company supplied just about everything that the people in those parts needed such as food, clothing, saddles, and boots.
