Seems he didn't feel like keeping a real job so decided to rob the Antlers bank. (1917) The Sheriff caught him, locked him up and his crime spree was ended...
Well, not quite. He decided to break out of jail and make a run for it. He made his break and was on his way to a clean escape when he decided he needed get away money. Decided to go rob the bank again. Here comes the sheriff and he takes off. As he was making his run, the sheriff shot him down.
A few years back my aunt, while researching my family's geneology, went over there and found the grave. There was a small marker that said something like, "Here lies Ben Willis - Bank Robber". My aunt then had a new stone built, as pictured on the website, that says "John Benjamin Willis with the dates and the word, "pardoned".
Now, I may not have this completely accurate, but if my memory serves, this is how my aunt explained it to me. Either way, it is an unique part of my family's history from an unique time in this country's history. A lot of poverty prompted a lot of people to do a lot of things that weren't upright and sociable.
