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William and Martha Anderson, Bill's parents came to Randolph County in 1840. This is the same year Bill was born. He had an older brother Ellis, younger brother James and younger sisters Mary C., Josephine and Martha. Mrs. Anderson's parents, William and Mahala Tomason also lived with the family. Bill's father was a professional Hatter and was a Charter Member of the I.O.O.F. Lodge here in 1847. The family lived north of town on the J.D. Hammet farm and in town near the Rake factory on West Depot Street. They later moved south of town in the Hagar school area to be nearer to relatives. In 1850 Bill's father went with a group of men from the county to the California Gold Fields. During this time away, Bill and his brothers were the heads of the family and their relationship with their sisters was both brotherly and fatherly. Bill attended school in town located near the corner of east Mulberry and north Oak street and the Hagar school south of town. As Pro-Southern settlers the family moved to Agnes City, Kansas in 1857. It is believed that Bill
served in the Missouri State Guard up until the withdrawal from Lexington, at
which time he returned home. In March 1862, Bill's father was murdered by
Pro-Northern neighbors in some type of dispute. Born in Randolph County, Mo., he spent his teenage years near Council Grove, Kan., where he was drawn into the Border War when his father, a Southern sympathizer, was shot to death by a prominent Unionist, some say for horse-stealing, others say for simply having pro-slavery views. Whatever the reason, Bill Anderson returned to Missouri and, desiring revenge, joined William Quantrillīs guerrillas. Up to a few days prior to the 1863 raid on Lawrence, Kan., Anderson seemed content to follow rather than lead. Then, in an attempt to curb the growing guerrilla problem in Missouri, Union soldiers imprisoned a number of the womenfolk of known bushwhackers in a deteriorated building in Kansas City. The building collapsed on August 14, killing some of these women, including Andersonīs sister, Josephine. Another sister was maimed for life. This event, cited by many of the guerrillas as one of the primary reasons for the August 21 raid on Lawrence, intensified Andersonīs hatred and turned him into a Federal soldierīs nightmare. Stories about Andersonīs rage are legion. It is said he carried a silk cord on which knots were tied for every Yankee he killed. Some report that he cried and even frothed at the mouth during battle. By 1864 his quarrels with Quantrill led him to form a fierce guerrilla band of his own that included 16-year-old Jesse James.
Andersonīs greatest fame came as a result of a massacre and battle with
Union soldiers in and around the central Missouri town of Centralia. On
September 27, 1864. Anderson accompanied by approximately seventy men, invaded
the town of Centralia. Wearing Confederate uniforms, this band of ruthless
marauders showed no mercy to the inhabitants as they systematically raided homes
and stores, raped, murdered and one report has it that a store of Whiskey
barrels were found and Anderson and many of his men drank all the raw alcohol
using their shoes as drinking vessels. In a final act of wanton destruction, the
entire town was reduced to a burning ruin. By chance, Anderson decided to
check the train schedules and found that a train was due to pass through the
station at midday. When the train was forced to stop at the barricade built
across the line by Anderson's men, all the passengers, including twenty-six
Union soldiers were rounded-up on the depot platform. A Union officer, Lieutenant Peters,
had already recognised Anderson earlier from the train window as it halted at
the station. Knowing Anderson's formidable reputation for instantly executing
Union officers without trial, Peters wrapped a blanket around himself and jumped
from the train in an attempt to hide beneath the platform of the now burning
depot. The keen-eyed Anderson spotted Peters bid to desert his troops and
shouted to his men - Knowing that he had to get away or
be tortured and killed, Peters decided to run for his life. With a sinister
coolness Anderson draw a pistol, took aim, and with unnerving accuracy, pumped
six bullets into Peters killing him instantly. Anderson ordered that the remaining
twenty-six Union troopers be lined up in an open field. With the feeling that
they were certainly going to be slaughtered, most dropped to their knees sobbing
and begging for mercy - a sight that Anderson revelled in. Armed with four Navy Colt pistols
in his waistband, a sabre, a hatchet, four rifles and a bag of pistols on his
horse, Anderson proceeded to psychologically terrorise his victims by strutting
up and down in front of them. Ignoring their pleas for their lives to be spared
Anderson stopped, lighted a cigar and then, in a somewhat subdued manner, asked
- "Boys, do you have a Sergeant in your ranks?" Met with no response, Anderson
repeatedly asked the same question with the inference that co-operation would
mean that their lives would be spared. Eventually, Thomas M.Goodman took a pace
forward and announced his rank. "Fine, we'll use you to exchange for one of my men that them damned Yankees have caught". The fearsome lunatic Anderson then
withdrew two of his pistols and walked down the line of troopers firing until
the chambers of both guns were empty then, he repeated this act twice more until
he had murdered all the Union men in cold blood single-handed. Upon his later escape, Sergeant
Goodman reported Anderson's heinous crime to the authorities - but it was too
late, the guerilla band had moved on to attack Union troops in neighbouring
States. A short while later, Anderson
married a young girl in Texas and settled in a small farmhouse in Ray County,
Missouri - although this episode proved to be a temporary respite that did
nothing to curtail Bloody Bill's thirst for murder and indiscriminate pillage. While leading his guerilla band
near Orrick, Missouri on October 27th 1864, Anderson was ambushed by Captain
S.P.Cox and his Union troops. Anderson was caught completely unaware and was
riddled with bullets then left for dead in his saddle. His loyal followers put
up a fight to try and recover Anderson's corpse, but they were driven back by
superior firepower. Anderson's body was taken to
Richmond, Missouri where it was propped up in a chair and a pistol was placed in
the dead man's hand then photographs were taken. A short while later, the Union
troopers, full of loathing for the dead man, decapitated Anderson and impaled
his head on a telegraph pole at the entrance to the town as a signature to all
that the infamous killer was indeed dead. Anderson's torso was roped and tied to
a horse then dragged along the streets of Richmond before being dumped in an
unmarked grave outside of town. This account of Anderson's demise has been contested however. One claim has it that another man resembling Anderson was killed at Orrick and Anderson changed his name and escaped to Erin Springs, Oklahoma where he ran a saloon. Yet another report says that Anderson settled in Salt Creek, Brown County, Texas where he lived for some sixty years under an assumed name. There may be an element of truth behind this story since a man resembling Anderson died on November 2nd, 1927 in Salt Creek, and on the bedside table was a photograph of three young women - later identified as Anderson's sisters. Anderson once said he had killed so many Federals that he “grew sick of killing them.” |
Capt.
William Anderson (Bloody Bill)
