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There's a body buried beneath a busy Florence street? An outlaw known as Mountain Tom Clark roamed the area in the mid-1800s and was known to brag "no one walked over" him. When he was finally captured in 1872 and hanged for his crimes, his body was buried beneath Tennessee Street, directly outside Florence City Cemetery, where thousands of people now cross his grave daily. A historical marker designates the site.

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Originally Posted by Road Puppy:

I've heard of him. Quite the assclown he was, apparently.  It is fitting.

I heard he may be buried closer to E. Mobile St. because that street was in existence when Clark was hung and Dr. Hicks was many years away from being built. But who knows. 

Interesting local history. 

Old Mountain Tom was legitimately tried, found guilty and sentenced to hang. He was lynched when word got out that Yankee troops were en route to save him.  That saved lives -- those Tom didn't get to murder and those not assassinated by the Union occupation troops at their midnight firing squads.

 

During his trial, Tom was asked if he regretted any of his murders. After murdering a young couple, he stole a dime on a string and shot their baby.  He regretted killing the baby.

 

The local libraries may have a book called The Bugger Saga (bugger was nickname for Yankee sympathizer gangs)  on Tom and his bunch.

Two of Tom's gang raped and drowned a little girl.  Later, they were found hanging by their wrists in the cane break -- flayed (skinned) alive -about where the golf course is today. .  Tom's gang never did that, again.  When the two Florence men suspected of doing the deed walked into a room, the ladies stood up in their honor.  Questioned, they always said it was a couple of guys from Tennessee. 

Ken McElroy

 
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Ken Rex McElroy (June 1, 1934 – July 10, 1981) was a resident of of Skidmore, Nodaway County, Missouri. Known as "the town bully",[1] his unsolved murder became the focus of international attention. Over the course of his life McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary.[2]

In all, he was indicted 21 times, but escaped conviction each time, except for the last.[2][3] In 1981, McElroy was convicted of shooting and seriously injuring the town's 70-year-old grocer, Ernest "Bo" Bowenkamp, the previous year.[1] McElroy successfully appealed the conviction and was released on bond, after which he engaged in an ongoing harassment campaign against Bowenkamp, the town's Church of Christ minister, and others who were sympathetic to Bowenkamp. He appeared in a local bar, the D&G Tavern, armed with an M1 Garand rifle and bayonet, and later threatened to kill Bowenkamp.[1][3] The next day, McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street.[2] He was struck by bullets from at least two different firearms, in front of a crowd of people estimated as between 30 and 46.[1] To date, no one has been charged in connection with McElroy's death.[1]

 

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Another source:

 http://www.crimelibrary.com/no...n_mcelroy/index.html

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For some reason the thread made me think of this man and his end. He was a bit more than a "bully".

Last edited by Bestworking

According to the story I was told, he was known to be cavorting the Yankee army.  When he tried to escape town with his buddies, he was caught wearing a woman's dress thinking he would not be recognized.  One of his famed incidents included throwing a baby in the air and catching it upon his bayonet. He was broken out of jail by a mob and hanged in the trees in the empty lot in front of Courtview Towers, and then buried under Tennessee Street.  i too heard he was later dug up and buried in the town cemetary.

Originally Posted by mad American:

I think some of Clark's victims are buried in the cemetary on Blackberry Trail golf course.

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There was a plantation located somewhere near the present day St. Florian town halL that was robbed by Clark and his men. One of his victim's is buried in the cemetery at Blackberry Golf Course And his tombstone is inscribed with a description of his murder. 

"The Bugger Saga" is a great book on local history. 

Originally Posted by semiannualchick:

There was a movie about McElroy, played by Brian Dennehy. I love anything Dennehy plays in & he played this role perfectly. He did a great job making you hate McElroy. If you haven't seen it, it's one you should watch.

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I haven't seen the movie, but I have seen documentaries about him. Such a bully, him and his family. I'm not sure but I think his family hightailed it out of the area after he was killed. I didn't mean to hijack your thread, it was just that this clark reminded me of mcelroy.

Originally Posted by semiannualchick:
Originally Posted by direstraits:

A description of the book, Bugger Saga, I mentioned. My copy was lost in a fire.

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I looked for it & the cheapest one I could find was $85.00. I would love to read it but not going to pay that for a book.

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Yes, it was a limited print.  That's why I suggested the libraries. 

 

Originally Posted by semiannualchick:
Originally Posted by direstraits:

A description of the book, Bugger Saga, I mentioned. My copy was lost in a fire.

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I looked for it & the cheapest one I could find was $85.00. I would love to read it but not going to pay that for a book.

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Check out the bookstore in zTuscumbia. I'm sure they'll have it cheaper. 

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