Slowly the story of what happened in Atmore began to spread among the law enforcement community. Apparently. Bill had been seen in the vicinity of Atmore and the information was sent out to all of the other posse's. One of those posse's galloped at full speed down the road that ran past the old settlement of Wardville on the afternoon of March 7, 1897. My grandfather James Oscar Ward was six-years old at the time and was out on the porch as the posse thundered by on their way into town. The lawmen had searched the whole area, but had come up empty handed as usual and were heading into town for the night. They reined up and assembled at "Tidwell & Ward’s" general store in Atmore and were having some coffee and whiskey before settling in for the night and resuming their pursuit in the morning. While the group was in the back of the store one of their late arriving members,
Leonard McGowan came through the side door after boarding his horse at the livery stable. As he walked inside he looked up and was stunned to see Railroad Bill walking in the front door and sitting down on a wooden barrel. Without thinking McGowan quickly raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired one shot into the heart of the infamous outlaw. After seeing what was happening at the front of the store the others ran in, pulling their guns and open fired in unison into Bill’s already lifeless body. Bill’s corpse was riddled with bullets and half his face was shattered in the process. When they finally calmed down and searched his body they found his Winchester rifle concealed in his left pants leg and his belt full of .44 cartridges. Why he entered Tidwell’s in such a fashion right in the midst of his enemies will never be known. Although his life may have ended that dark and bloody night his legend had only just begun.
