Modern Train Robbers are Made . . . not born!

It was in the late 1990's that Tennessee Central Railway Museum's Terry Bebout approached Harry Macomber and his son Adam, about staging a real life train robbery. The excursion trains already came to Watertown several times a year for events like the Mile Long Yard Sale, Easter Egg Hunt, Jazz Festival, Santa's visit, etc. The idea was to add two robbery trains per year to the schedule.

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At the time Harry and Adam were renovating and restoring a historic building on the Square in Watertown. Wanting to help in any way to promote the quaint little town, Harry hesitantly agreed to try it. Since the Columbine shootings were still recent in everyone's mind, Harry and Adam were reluctant to use real guns (with blanks of course). Harry suggested it be done with squirt guns instead. However, at Terry's assurance that it would all be fine with the passengers, Harry ordered some replica black powder pistols from a catalog. He recruited and coerced friends and co-workers to help him with the robbery. Since there were usually eight to ten cars of passengers on each train, Harry needed at least two robbers per car to make it fun. For costumes they tried for a "turn of the century" look. Jeans were allowed, but long john tops, old bandanas, a decrepit hat, the worse they looked the better. Harry insisted that it would not feel in any way threatening. They would be rag tag, fumbling, bumbling outlaws. More dangerous to themselves than the passengers. The idea was to entertain in a humorous way.

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The next step was to create a "wanted poster" that would have pictures of the robbers and a brief description of what the passengers might expect. It also told where the money, "cheerfully donated", to the robbers would go. A scholarship fund for needy Watertown graduates who wanted to attend college. The posters were to be handed out to the passengers as they boarded in Nashville. Harry wanted to be certain that everyone knew it was all in fun.

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Harry and Adam decided that just robbing the trains passengers for a few minutes wasn't really enough excitement. They planned a few skits on the town square that passengers could watch. They included making a tenderfoot dance, a Marshall to arrest the robbers at the end, lots of gambling and drinking (sweet tea) and fighting amongst the robbers. And of course floozies. You can never have too many floozies, harry laughs. Surprisingly, several ladies in the town agreed to be floozies. Tables were set up for the gambling. Decks of cards on the table and shot glasses for the whiskey. The outlaws were set to party and have a good time with the ill gained loot from the train.

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Harry and Adam decided to try shooting holes in coins for the passengers. Since it was impossible in real life, they drilled holes in half dollars. They drove out to a friends farm and practiced. Harry would toss a coin up and Adam would fast draw and shoot. The coin with it's pre-drilled hole would fall to the ground. This has proven so popular that it's a standard skit at each robbery. Quarters are now used instead of the bigger coins.

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Finally the day of the first robbery arrived. It was a nervous bunch of desperados that Harry lined up along the tracks in a field outside of town. He gave them instructions. Since they only had six shots each, they would shoot three as the train stopped, holster their guns on the train and then fire the last three as they celebrated getting all that "loot" as the train pulled away.

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Harry and Adam were every bit as nervous as the others. Had they lost their minds? Would the passengers look at them like they were crazy? No one knew what to expect. After all, they not only had never done anything remotely like this, but had never witnessed it either. Though they all had bandanas around their necks, Harry was reluctant for anyone to cover their face as it might be too realistic. The train pulled to a stop. The steps were lowered for each car and hearts pounding, the robbers got on.

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Camera flashes, people laughing and waving, some holding money in their hands greeted the robbers. Excitement swept through the cars as the robbers, fussing and arguing with each other, made their way down the isles holding their money bags as people stuffed money inside.

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In a few moments it was over. The robbers bade the passengers goodbye and jumped off the train. They gathered in groups. The excitement they felt was real! It had been a rip snorting success in every sense of the words. When the "loot" was later counted and put in the bank, over $450 had been cheerfully given.

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The robbers then gathered up town, visiting restaurants and shops and interacting with the train passengers. About high noon they gathered in the center of the Square and set about "drikin and gamblin". Crowds soon surrounded them. The floozies poured drinks and flirted. The men fussed and cheated at cards leading to a couple shoot outs. They either missed or shot each other in the foot. As Harry said, they were bumblers. The tenderfoot showed up and was promptly made to dance and run out of town. Harry got the crowds attention by challenging the robbers to see who could shoot a hole in a coin. He tossed the first coin up. Bam! Adam drew and shot. The coin rolled to a stop in front of the crowd. Harry picked it up, showed the hole and then tossed it to one of the young passengers as a souvenir. Another coin was tossed and this time several kids scrambled to retrieve it as it hit the ground. It was the first lesson for the robbers in safe crowd control. Several robbers held the kids back as they took turns shooting the coins. Harry also had a coin with no hole which he used occasionally to fool the robbers and the crowd. After that first show, the robbers put a rope around to keep the passengers at a safe distance from the shooting.

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The skits continued to be held on the Square for the next few years. It was frustrating for Harry because of the modern pavement and the cars left parked on the Square. It just didn't look authentic. He got some of the local artists, of which Watertown has an abundance, to help paint the fronts of buildings on some flats he and the outlaws built. The little western town of "Drygulch" took shape. A General store, Funeral Parlor, Saloon, Bank, Hotel, Barber Shop, Livery Stable, Jail and even a forlorn looking Boot Hill with assorted tombstones. This fake western town was set up in the grass area near the siding where the passengers got off and on. It proved to be a much safer and authentic background for the antics of the robbers. Harry wrote skits for different "characters" to act out. The Widow Woman who couldn't get a bank loan. (the robbers were glad to help.) The Tenderfoot. "Snake oil" Patty, the robber looking for a husband. The Marshall trying to keep order. A dentist pulling teeth after getting the patient drunk. Or as the announcer told the crowd, everything you'd expect to see in an old Western Town.

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The town and it's actors generated so much interest that Tennessee Crossroads, a locally produced weekly TV show came and filmed an entire robbery and show. It has been broadcast several times in Tennessee and other states.