The Grave of Kinnie Wagner - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

William Kenneth (Kinnie) Wagner (February 18, 1903 in Scott County, VA - March 9, 1958) more commonly known as Kenny (Kinnie) Wagner was a bootlegger in the U.S. state of Mississippi, who murdered several people, including two sheriff's deputies. He escaped from jails numerous times, but ultimately died in prison on March 9, 1958.

His most notable escape was his last attempt and involved a clever trick that was not discovered until Wagner was outside the prison walls. He had been made a trustee whose job it was to tend the dogs at the prison. He quickly realized the dogs were the means by which the prison guards would use to track him if he were to escape again. He therefore trained the dogs not to track him by whipping them if they followed his scent.

He remained at large in Wahalak, Mississippi, for several years afterward under the alias "Big Jim," and was subsequently placed on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He was re-captured after a jealous rival informed law enforcement officials of his residence at the house of a female friend.

There are several folksongs and ballads about Kinnie Wagner's many adventures. There are several books written about the Mississippi outlaw. And he had even been covered in comics and pulp magazines.

The East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia stories about Kinnie Wagner propose a far different picture of the gunslinger. Even the local newspaper The Kingsport Times News in Kingsport, Tennessee maps out the events that led to Wagner's initial crime, intended arrest, and eventual capture much differently than their Mississippi counterparts.

Source: (visit link) wagner

Description: Birth: Feb. 18, 1903 Scott County, USA Death: Mar. 9, 1958 Sunflower County, USA Famed Outlaw of the 1920s. He was well known throughout Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia and Arkansas. Detailed descriptions of his marksmanship still abound in the region. It was said he could toss five walnuts in the air, draw his .38 caliber pistols and shoot all of them in the air. Wagner never aimed his firearms...he shot instinctively. By the time he had reached the age of 24, he had killed at least 5 men and had himself been shot 7 times in incidents involving gunfights. His first wound was self inflicted accidently. The State of Tennessee had sentenced Wagner to die in the electric chair (1925) but he escaped the Sullivan Co., Tennessee, jail before that sentence could be carried out. He was eventually sent to prison for life (Parchman, Mississippi) where he died as result of a heart attack at age 55. Hoover's "G" Men captured Wagner in 1943, but Hoover refused to aid in his capture after he escaped again from Parchman in 1948. Famed recording artist Vernon Dalhart recorded three ballads about the exploits of Kinnie Wagner. These records were made and sold nationally from 1926 to 1930. (bio by: D. Tate) Date of birth: 02/18/1903 Date of death: 03/09/1958 Area of notoriety: Crime Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: No Night Visits, Virginia State Law. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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