Stagecoach Robbery, 1959
1958-1960: a period of uncertainty; miners had fewer working days and long stretches with no work available; when unemployment of $30 per week ran out, the state of West Virginia hired men to clean roadways for $1/hour
Uncle, what have you done
(What could I do)
Were you Desperate
Bored
Were you Poor &
Unemployed
Let’s call it a period of uncertainty
Let’s recollect you didn’t finish high school
You were only 18
Let’s say the other two men were coal miners
There were fewer working days
Let’s say you’re killing time in Keystone
One of them knows a man over in Brewster Holler
He carries over a grand on him works the night shift
Block the road
Jump the man
Brandish the gun
Bind his wrists and ankles
Take the money
Drive the car that leaves
The man bound by the side of the road.
3 thoughts on "Stagecoach Robbery, 1959"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Stagecoach and car in the same time…
I could see the robbers riding away on a mule and a couple of stubborn donkeys…
A brilliant excavation of how ‘periods of uncertainty’ become moments where some have little choice at all.