Bill Miner

1843 - Sept. 2, 1914

Miner was a notorious stagecoach and train robber. Most of his robberies occurred in western Canada. He was caught however, and at age 60, on August 8, 1907, Miner and three other inmates managed to tunnel under a board fence, obtain a ladder from the work shed, and scale the 12-foot outer wall of the British Columbia Penitentiary to escape.

He eventually made his way to Georgia where he was caught and convicted of train robbery in Gainesville on March 3, 1911. Upon pleading poor health, he was transferred to the Georgia State Prison Farm at Milledgeville. Three months later Miner and two other inmates escaped from the prison farm. He was captured about 2 weeks later and returned to the Milledgeville prison.

Miner, accompanied by two prisoners, made yet another escape attempt on June 27, 1912, but was captured on July 3 in a swamp near Toomsboro, just 20 miles from the prison farm. He died in the State Prison on State Route 22 west of Milledgeville.

The books, The Grey Fox and Bill Miner—Stagecoach and Train Robber, describe his life.

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