Joe Mulliner

[dogg57]

For more than 230 years, history buffs have debated whether Pine Barrens marauder Joseph Mulliner was a rogue or a Robin Hood, a Loyalist employed by George III to pillage Burlington County, or a “land pirate” leading a pack of thugs who sacked and terrorized the well-to-do. And what of those ghostly sightings long after his death, and reports of him appearing in music-filled saloons or at wedding receptions, or wherever there are happy people dancing? Because Joe Mulliner loved to dance.
“There is a lot of legend surrounding Mulliner, and it can be hard for some people to separate fact from fiction,” said Jeffrey Macechak, historian with the Burlington County Historical Society, as he piled in front of me files and books and one Ph.D. thesis about the notorious “Robber of the Pines.”
One item is not up for debate — how Mulliner died. He was hanged Aug. 8, 1781, in Burlington City at Gallows Hill, today Laurel Hill Cemetery.(By J.D. Mullane)
http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.co...cle_d847a44e-069f-5b3c-abf0-5a770d06eb0e.html

 

[pinelandpaddler]

I got a hold of a copy of the aforementioned PhD dissertation. The chapter on Mulliner is the most in-depth historical treatment of his legacy. Unfortunately, it didn't get too deep, since there is so little verifiable information on Mulliner. A very good read, nonetheless, and the pieces of verifiable information provided are certainly thought-provoking. The dissertation is called, "Egregious Villains, Wood Rangers, and London Traders: The Pine Robber Phenomenon in New Jersey During the Revolutionary War" by David J. Fowler. I'll be covering the topic during a presentation on June 13, 6:30 pm at the Mays Landing County Library.