The "The Most Notorious Criminals In Lancaster County's History" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about the legend of the Buzzard Gang that terrorized the Welsh Mountains which rise about one thousand feet in eastern Lancaster County and lie between the current Pennsylvania Turnpike and old Route 30 which used to be referred to as the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  The alleged leader of the gang was a shady guy by the name of Abe Buzzard.  

Abe was born on Christmas Day, 1852 in a Welsh Mountain cabin, one of six boys raised by their mother, Mary Buzzard.  Abe's father was killed during the Civil War.  It was said that the family name was at one time Bowzard, but because of the family penchant for fowl play, it was changed to Buzzard.  Not sure if that is correct or not, but the Buzzard brothers sure got into plenty of trouble.  Although there were six brothers, it was primarily Abe, Isaac, John and Martin that got into trouble with the law.  At first their crimes were minor offenses such as stealing chickens, horses and jewels from the law-abiding folks of the Welsh Mountains.  But, their crimes became more than just petty crimes when the were accused of attempted murder and gunpoint robberies during a spree that lasted throughout the late 19th century.  Abe was the ringleader of the gang which also cracked safes and robbed bars, stores, homes, hotels and trains in Lancaster and Chester counties.  It was said that Abe hosted revival meetings to draw the neighbors while his brothers robbed the farms of those in attendance.  The entire gang spent many years of their lives in jail or prison.  One story saya that on one occasion, Abe trained a canary to carry messages to brother Ike's cell, by which they planned their escape.  In and out of prison for most of their lives, the brothers terrorized communities throughout the region with robberies, gun battles and a string of thefts too numerous to count.  In 1883 the Buzzard Boys organized the largest prison break in Lancaster County, taking advantage of lax security to free more than a dozen prisoners.  At times there were bounties out for Abe Buzzard that were larger than those offered for Western outlaw Jesse James.  

An artist's sketch of Abe, perhaps before
they had any actual photos of him.

In 1884, after a successful jewelry store robbery in nearby Bowmansville, the Horse Thieves Detective Association of Bowmansville-Goodville-Honeybrook formed a posse and vowed to take them dead or alive.  In 1924 there appeared a notice in a local newspaper that read:  42 Years in Jail - Abe Buzzard, known as the Welsh Mountain desperado, will be released from the Eastern Penitentiary today, being 72 years old.  Forty-two years of his life was spent behind prison doors.  At one time he lived with his wife on the ridge of hills near Ephrata.  Many nearby Lititz persons remember when Abe, as an evangelist, spoke in the United Brethren Church in Lititz.  In his hand bag, beside a Bible, he carried a revolver.  Following his visit here, he stole chickens that very night, walking backward in the snow as a trick to mislead anyone tracking him.  Abe eventually died in prison on St. Patrick's Day, 1935.  It was said that he and his brothers spent a total of 101 years in prison.  Their thievin' ways couldn't outrun the law though.  Abe is buried in a cemetery on the shoulder of Neversink Mountain and has a headstone that reads only "Beloved Husband".  It was said that Abe's family was concerned that revenge-seekers would desecrate his final resting place if they knew where it was.  Now, why hasn't anyone thought to make a movie about the Buzzard Boys.  The stories I have found about them are not only shocking, but downright horrible.  But, I would love to have a part in the film!!  Come on Hollywood.  I'm not getting any younger!  I could play Abe while in prison for the very last time.  All I need is a bit more hair and a mustache.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.