Billy Dean Anderson
Encyclopedia
Billy Dean Anderson gained notoriety in 1975 when he was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
list after a long list of crimes — for which he was jailed and paroled three times — including armed robbery and prison escapes, over the course of 20 years. Despite his unlawful behavior, Anderson became somewhat of a folk hero among those in his native Tennessee
, even more so after he was shot and killed by FBI officers as he was leaving his mother's home one night after eluding federal authorities for four-and-a-half years.
area of Fentress County, Tennessee, the same Wolf River
valley where World War I hero Alvin C. York hailed. Little is known about his early life. While this is reported in many articles the FBI disputes these claims and his birthplace has been unconfirmed. He attended Rotten Fork Elementary School, where he preferred to fill his notebooks with sketches rather than homework. However, he was believed not to have been a troublesome youth, and volunteered as a preacher at Wolf River Methodist Church in Pall Mall at age eighteen. He used the aliases 'Billie Dean Anderson' 'James Forster' and 'William David Upchurch'. He had a stocky build and stood at 5'8 and weighed between 160 and 170 pounds with fair skin and bluish-green eyes. He worked as an artist, mechanic, unskilled laborer, tree surgeon and farmer. Anderson was heavily scarred with a scar across the bridge of his nose, the left side of his forehead, a surgical scar on the right side of his stomach and another surgical scar on his lower spine. He reportedly wore braces on both of his legs and suffered from atrophy
of the legs.
in Jamestown, Tennessee
. When the theater usher revealed he possessed little money, Anderson intentionally missed while shooting near him. The three men managed to evade police, however were arrested the following morning while engaged in a police-standoff while inside the Wolf River Methodist Church in Pall Mall. Anderson served a four-month jail sentence, as his lenient sentence was due to being a first-time offender.
In October 1962, Anderson brandished a shotgun on a group of state police troopers in Jamestown, which escalated to him shooting an officer. Anderson decided to surrender when a bullet grazed his head, and he was shot twice in the stomach. Anderson received a ten-year prison sentence, and only served four years due to being a model prisoner. At the recommendation of a lawyer, Anderson moved to Muncie, Indiana
in order leave Tennessee. However, he received a suspended prison term for armed robbery/assault in Muncie, and was banished from the state. When he returned to Tennessee, he was involved in a standoff with the sheriff and a deputy sheriff in Fentress County, and served four years of two consecutive seven-year prison terms.
In 1970, he returned to Muncie, Indiana, despite his sentence to leave Indiana
. While working as a gas station attendant in Muncie, Anderson brandished a pistol on a customer, and was sentenced to a 10 to 25-year sentence at the Indiana State Prison
. Anderson was paroled in 1972, and moved to Morgan County, Tennessee due to his notoriety in Fentress County. In late 1973, he was arrested for non-fatally shooting a deputy sheriff in Morgan County. On January 15, 1974, a Morgan County jury convicted Anderson of aggravated assault, attempted burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and as a habitual criminal. That December, he and a fellow inmate escaped from the Morgan County Jail. The escape lead to Anderson being placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
list on January 21, 1975.
Labelled "the mountain man" by federal agents, Anderson evaded police for more than four years, by hiding within the mountainous terrain of Pickett County, Tennessee. He was also assisted by local residents, some of whom were involved with moonshine
trade and were sympathetic to him. Anderson became self-sufficient and lived in a cave near the Fentress-Pickett line, with an opening halfway up the side of a hill hidden in a rock outcropping. The cave opening was only three feet in diameter, and inside there was a 20-foot drop to where Anderson had fashioned his home.
According to an FBI release, Anderson's whereabouts was tipped to them by an informant they called the "Mountain Man". The "Mountain Man" led to the death of Anderson as he was leaving the home of his 75-year-old mother in the early hours of July 7, 1979. As he had attempted to run away from the state troopers, he was shot twice in his lower back that exited through his stomach. Anderson died immediately as a result of his wounds.
. There are many legends about his death, including some that tell that the authorities only managed to get him because he got tangled in a barbed-wire
fence or that he stopped because they tricked his mother into calling his name.
Anderson was a sympathetic figure to many in the area, which had a long history of violence around moonshine stills and logging camps.
Of the five other fugitives placed on the FBI Most Wanted Fugitives List in 1975, Anderson eluded federal authorities for the longest period. His nearly four-and-a-half years on the list were longer than all but nine of the more than 60 placed on the list during the 1970s.
What is not legend is that Anderson was a gifted painter. While in prison he produced over 300 paintings, most of them were idealized versions of a muscular Christ. He was also an accomplished woodcarver. Brushes and paint were found in his cave hideout in Pickett County.
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
list after a long list of crimes — for which he was jailed and paroled three times — including armed robbery and prison escapes, over the course of 20 years. Despite his unlawful behavior, Anderson became somewhat of a folk hero among those in his native Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, even more so after he was shot and killed by FBI officers as he was leaving his mother's home one night after eluding federal authorities for four-and-a-half years.
Early life
Anderson was born in the Pall MallPall Mall, Tennessee
Pall Mall is a small unincorporated community in the Wolf River valley of Fentress County, Tennessee, United States. Pall Mall is located near the Kentucky-Tennessee state-line in northeastern-central Tennessee. The population was at 1,398 people according to the 2000 census.The World War I hero...
area of Fentress County, Tennessee, the same Wolf River
Wolf River (Middle Tennessee)
The Wolf River is a river in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Kentucky that rises at the base of the Cumberland Plateau in Fentress County, Tennessee and flows westward for several miles before emptying into the Obey River at the Dale Hollow Reservoir. The river is part of the Cumberland River...
valley where World War I hero Alvin C. York hailed. Little is known about his early life. While this is reported in many articles the FBI disputes these claims and his birthplace has been unconfirmed. He attended Rotten Fork Elementary School, where he preferred to fill his notebooks with sketches rather than homework. However, he was believed not to have been a troublesome youth, and volunteered as a preacher at Wolf River Methodist Church in Pall Mall at age eighteen. He used the aliases 'Billie Dean Anderson' 'James Forster' and 'William David Upchurch'. He had a stocky build and stood at 5'8 and weighed between 160 and 170 pounds with fair skin and bluish-green eyes. He worked as an artist, mechanic, unskilled laborer, tree surgeon and farmer. Anderson was heavily scarred with a scar across the bridge of his nose, the left side of his forehead, a surgical scar on the right side of his stomach and another surgical scar on his lower spine. He reportedly wore braces on both of his legs and suffered from atrophy
Atrophy
Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations , poor nourishment, poor circulation, loss of hormonal support, loss of nerve supply to the target organ, disuse or lack of exercise or disease intrinsic to the tissue itself...
of the legs.
Criminal career
In June 1959, Anderson and two friends held an armed robbery at a drive-in theaterDrive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
in Jamestown, Tennessee
Jamestown, Tennessee
Jamestown is a city in Fentress County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Fentress County. The city population was 1,839 at the 2000 census. The 2008 estimated population is about 2,300.-History:...
. When the theater usher revealed he possessed little money, Anderson intentionally missed while shooting near him. The three men managed to evade police, however were arrested the following morning while engaged in a police-standoff while inside the Wolf River Methodist Church in Pall Mall. Anderson served a four-month jail sentence, as his lenient sentence was due to being a first-time offender.
In October 1962, Anderson brandished a shotgun on a group of state police troopers in Jamestown, which escalated to him shooting an officer. Anderson decided to surrender when a bullet grazed his head, and he was shot twice in the stomach. Anderson received a ten-year prison sentence, and only served four years due to being a model prisoner. At the recommendation of a lawyer, Anderson moved to Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
in order leave Tennessee. However, he received a suspended prison term for armed robbery/assault in Muncie, and was banished from the state. When he returned to Tennessee, he was involved in a standoff with the sheriff and a deputy sheriff in Fentress County, and served four years of two consecutive seven-year prison terms.
In 1970, he returned to Muncie, Indiana, despite his sentence to leave Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. While working as a gas station attendant in Muncie, Anderson brandished a pistol on a customer, and was sentenced to a 10 to 25-year sentence at the Indiana State Prison
Indiana State Prison
The Indiana State Prison is a maximum security Indiana Department of Corrections prison for adult males; however, minimum security housing also exists on the confines. It is located in Michigan City, Indiana, about east of Chicago. The average daily inmate population in November 2006 was 2,200. ...
. Anderson was paroled in 1972, and moved to Morgan County, Tennessee due to his notoriety in Fentress County. In late 1973, he was arrested for non-fatally shooting a deputy sheriff in Morgan County. On January 15, 1974, a Morgan County jury convicted Anderson of aggravated assault, attempted burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, and as a habitual criminal. That December, he and a fellow inmate escaped from the Morgan County Jail. The escape lead to Anderson being placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
list on January 21, 1975.
Labelled "the mountain man" by federal agents, Anderson evaded police for more than four years, by hiding within the mountainous terrain of Pickett County, Tennessee. He was also assisted by local residents, some of whom were involved with moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
trade and were sympathetic to him. Anderson became self-sufficient and lived in a cave near the Fentress-Pickett line, with an opening halfway up the side of a hill hidden in a rock outcropping. The cave opening was only three feet in diameter, and inside there was a 20-foot drop to where Anderson had fashioned his home.
According to an FBI release, Anderson's whereabouts was tipped to them by an informant they called the "Mountain Man". The "Mountain Man" led to the death of Anderson as he was leaving the home of his 75-year-old mother in the early hours of July 7, 1979. As he had attempted to run away from the state troopers, he was shot twice in his lower back that exited through his stomach. Anderson died immediately as a result of his wounds.
Legacy
Legends abound in Fentress County regarding the man known as Billy Dean Anderson, as his story takes on much the same interest locally as that of Jesse JamesJesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
. There are many legends about his death, including some that tell that the authorities only managed to get him because he got tangled in a barbed-wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
fence or that he stopped because they tricked his mother into calling his name.
Anderson was a sympathetic figure to many in the area, which had a long history of violence around moonshine stills and logging camps.
Of the five other fugitives placed on the FBI Most Wanted Fugitives List in 1975, Anderson eluded federal authorities for the longest period. His nearly four-and-a-half years on the list were longer than all but nine of the more than 60 placed on the list during the 1970s.
What is not legend is that Anderson was a gifted painter. While in prison he produced over 300 paintings, most of them were idealized versions of a muscular Christ. He was also an accomplished woodcarver. Brushes and paint were found in his cave hideout in Pickett County.