The legends surrounding him grew and were of such heroic proportions because of stories such as stealing groceries from the rich and powerful railroad barons and leaving them at the doors of the poor Negroes. It was just this type of story that made the Negroes, long after his death; believe that Railroad Bill was still alive and living in the woods along the tracks. And sometimes when a poor old black woman woke up in the morning during the Great Depression and found a neat pile of canned goods on her front porch she immediately knew that the long dead Bill had stolen them from the train and brought them to her to keep her from starving. They also felt that any man that could change from man to animal or vice versa could not be easily killed. And they knew for sure in their hearts that he was definitely a “changeling.” In support of their beliefs they told a story that one day a posse was trailing Bill through the woods and the lawmen noticed the tracks led into a small clearing and quickly disappeared without a trace. The sheriff and his men dismounted and began looking under the low bushes to see if he was hiding there when suddenly a little red fox bolted out into the clearing at a dead run. The sheriff open fired with his shotgun but missed the red blur as it streaked past him hell bent to escape. He fired his second barrel and missed with that one too. But immediately after the second shot was fired the fox turned in his tracks, sat back on its haunches, and began laughing with a high shrilling squeal. The sheriff immediately recognized that peculiar laugh as belonging to Railroad Bill and knew he had been duped again. The legends surrounding him were of such heroic proportions because of stories such as stealing groceries from the rich and powerful railroad barons and leaving them at the doors of the poor Negroes. It was just this type of story that made the Negroes, long after his death; believe that Railroad Bill was still alive and living in the woods along the tracks. And sometimes when a poor old black woman woke up in the morning during the Great Depression and found a neat pile of canned goods on her front porch she immediately knew that the long dead Bill had stolen them from the train and brought them to her to keep her from starving. They also felt that any man that could change from man to animal or vice versa could not be easily killed. And they knew for sure in their hearts that he was definitely a “changeling.” In support of their beliefs they told a story that one day a posse was trailing Bill through the woods and the lawmen noticed the tracks led into a small clearing and quickly disappeared without a trace. The sheriff and his men dismounted and began looking under the low bushes to see if he was hiding there when suddenly a little red fox bolted out into the clearing at a dead run. The sheriff open fired with his shotgun but missed the red blur as it streaked past him hell bent to escape. He fired his second barrel and missed with that one too. But immediately after the second shot was fired the fox turned in his tracks, sat back on its haunches, and began laughing with a high shrilling squeal. The sheriff immediately recognized that peculiar laugh as belonging to Railroad Bill and knew he had been duped again.
