Railroad Bill's body was embalmed and placed in a metallic casket and set out on the depot platform until the mail train pulled into the station with steam belching out of both sides of the engine. The casket was loaded into the baggage car and carried to Montgomery where he was exhibited to the public for several days. This was a standard practice for all outlaws during this period of time. The same thing occurred with the Dalton Gang when they were gunned down in the shootout in Coffeeville. Bill was then loaded back up and carried south toward Pensacola, Florida where he was again exhibited in the depot waiting rooms all up and down the L&N tracks in every town along the way. Each person had to pay twenty-five cents to view the body before the coach bearing Railroad’s corpse finally arrived at the Brewton, Alabama station. The train arrived about 3:00 AM Sunday morning only to find a depot with standing room at a premium. Until 9:00 AM, the body lay on a table in the packing shed while hundreds filed past to view the lifeless body of the famous outlaw. Throughout the early morning hours it was a ghastly scene to behold. The right side of his face was shattered by buckshot and his right hand was completely mangled. As the crowd looked on, the young son of Sheriff McMillan, whom Railroad Bill had killed, was allowed to pick a few bitterweed’s next to the shed and place them in Bill’s mouth. Afterwards, the corpse of the famous desperado was removed to a private room where 54-year old Dr. Lewis M. McLendon held a post mortem examination. The exam showed there were approximately fifteen pistol, rifle, and shotgun wounds in the body of the outlaw. It was his opinion that the first shot fired by Mr. McGowan was in fact the fatal wound. Because of his findings, it was decided that the reward should be divided equally between McGowan and Mr. Tidmore, the owner of the store where Bill was killed. Tidwell later declined his share out of a sense of fairness to McGowan. The railroad also bestowed upon McGowan a lifetime pass to travel aboard their rail line wherever he wanted to go.
