Pauline Riding Along
After the January shooting of Buford, Pauline started riding with him more often. The morning of the ambush: “We were just riding along; talking about a vacation trip we planned to start the next day. (Buford Pusser with Malley Bird, “Buford Pusser Tennessee’s Living Legend Tells It Like It Was”, True Detective, December 1970, pp 60)
“His wife had said she was scared for him to go back into that section of the county” “said T.E. Sowell, a constable from Stantonville.
“That’s probably why she was with him yesterday morning” (Robert Kollar “The Nashville Tennessean” 8/13/67 pp8a)
Police said Pusser’s wife had feared for his safety after several threats against the sheriff’s life and this was apparently she went along on the call.” “A spokesman said Mrs. Pusser her husband to quit his post out of fear his life.” Knoxville News Sentinel (compiled from Press Dispatches 8/13/67 pp1-A)
Route Traveled
Buford drove the quickest route from his Adamsville home to New Hope Road. The McNairy County historian stated this was the fastest way to New Hope RD (map of the route Pusser drove that morning pdf file). The yellow marking is the New Hope Church, the first red dot is the sight of the brigde and the first ambush scene, the second red dot on the map is the scene of the second attack.
They drove along Highway 64 and turned onto Gilchrist-Stantonville Rd. It was six miles to Highway 57 and five more to new hope road, a short cut to the state line. New Hope road cut a seven-mile path from Highway 57 to US 45. J. Michael Willard, Fiery Death of the “Walking Tall” Sheriff, Inside Detective, December 1974, pp 67
Detractors...
Pusser detractors claim that there were faster routes and he took this route to set up the ambush to kill his wife. At the end of the ambush chapter we will go through the detractors different theories.
Attack in Buford's own words
. “I slowed real slowed for this bridge and it was real rough. It was just beginning to break of day. The first thing I knew there was a car light that popped on as the car came speeding towards the side of me. That's the first I knew that the car had been there. There was a burst of fire and the lights kind of flooded. And my wife kind of screamed. All I knew was just gun it. I mean, it took me by so surprised. Then the car sped on off and I tried to get my bearings together. So I drive some two miles to a place tha't wide open and I stopped the car. She was gasping for breath, I was stopped, and I was trying to help her before I realized that the car was unto me again. There was another burst of fire and I was hit. It just ripped my jaw off completely and it was hanging on to my shoulder here. And she was struck again and killed and I was just temporarily stunned”, Buford ‘ambush’ interview (Video Transcript) Watch video