Elmer J. McCurdy was born on New Year's Day, 1880 in Washington, Maine, a small coastal town known for its natural abundance of red ochre. McCurdy’s mother, Sadie, was a single 17-year-old girl, who kept secret the identity of Elmer’s father. Many speculate it was her older cousin, Charles Smith, who bore the same namesake as one of McCurdy’s future aliases.

Before he could even walk, let alone rob trains or pilfer banks, McCurdy’s life was flipped upside down. He was adopted by his Uncle George and Aunt Helen, who feared Sadie would be condemned for the rest of her life raising a child she bore out of wedlock. When McCurdy turned 10 years old, Uncle George passed away from tuberculosis, and Elmer was reunited with his mother. Together, with Aunt Helen, the unlikely trio up and moved north to Bangor, Maine, a much larger lumber town nestled along the Penobscot River...

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