William Preston (Bill) Longley
Giddings, Lee County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(October 6, 1851 - October 11, 1878) Texas outlaw Bill Longley was from a respectable family, but his hot temper, his fondness for liquor, and unsettled conditions during Reconstruction led him to become one of the most daring gunslingers of his day. He was said to have killed 32 persons before his capture in 1877. Tried for a Lee County murder, he was hanged in Giddings in 1878. Before Longley died, he repented and urged others to avoid his example. His grave was once outside the cemetery bounds. Recorded - 1970
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Bill Longley (1851–1878) came from a respectable Texas family, but a violent temper and the turmoil of Reconstruction turned him into one of the era's most notorious gunmen, credited by legend with killing 32 people. Captured in 1877 and tried for a Lee County murder, he was hanged at Giddings in 1878. In his final days he reportedly repented and urged others to shun his example; his grave once lay just outside the cemetery bounds.
Why it matters
Longley's short, violent life reflects the lawlessness of Reconstruction-era Texas, when weak authority and social upheaval bred a generation of frontier gunfighters.
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Related people
- · William Preston "Bill" Longley
Themes & tags
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