Most of the legends surrounding Michael Martin arose from the communities of Middlesex County, Massachusetts. As mentioned elsewhere, Martin likely spent less than 48 hours in the area, but because this is where he committed the highway robbery that resulted in his execution, rumors about him swirled for decades. Case in point: another treasure trove report from the Boston Globe of August 29, 1884:
The Dickson farm was located off of Overlook Road and Pheasant Avenue in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Note that over the years it was accepted as fact that Dr. John Wilson was Thunderbolt, and that he had been active in New England with Martin.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 