Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/borderoutlawsautOObuelrich . Jim Younger. Bob Younger. JI^^NOTICE. — The above portraits were engraved from photo- graphs furnished by Cole Younger in February, 1881, after three edi- tions of this book had been printed. They are copyrighted, and the law will be rigidly enforced against all infringements. THE BORDER OUTLAWS. AN AUTHENTIC AND THRILLING HISTORY OF THE MOST NOTED BANDITS OF ANCIENT OR MODERN TIMES, THE YOUNGER BROTHERS, JESSE AND FRANK JAMES, AND THEIR COMRADES IN CRIME. COMPILED FROM RELIABLE SOURCES ONLY AND CONTAINING THE LATEST FACTS IN REGARD TO THESE CELEBRATED OUTLAWS. ZB3T 0\ W. IBTTIEIi, \\ Author of "Heroes ot the Plains," "Legends of the Ozarks," and other popular works. Illustrated with Portraits and Colored' Plates. ST. LOUIS, mo. : HISTORICAL PUBLISHING CO., 1881. Copyrighted, 1880, by DAN. LINAHAN. Ryan, Jacks & Co., Printers, ST. LOUIS. PREFACE. An authentic history of the desperate adventures of the four Younger Brothers has become a necessity. Their lives require no romantic or exaggerated shading to make the narrative remarkable. Their deeds are as prominent in the archives of guerrilla warfare as their names are fa- miliar on the border. But with a comprehension of the mor- bid appetites of many readers, newspaper and pamphlet writers have created and colored crimes with reckless ex- travagance, £nd then placed upon them the impress of the Younger Brothers, because the character of these noted guerrilla outlaws made the desperate acts credited to them not improbable. The difficulties encountered in procuring facts connected with the stirring escapades of the outlaw quartette, have heretofore been overcome by imaginative authors and correspondents, giving in minute detail inci- dents with which their creative genius is at all times well supplied. These remarks are not intended to disparage the merit of any contributor to the annals of border his- tory, but rather to excite a proper suspicion on the part of the public against a too ready belief of every adventure, fight or robbery charged to the Younger Brothers. The part they acted during the great civil strife has, un- doubtedly, been truthfully told, but their career since the close of that dreadful drama has been, in a great measure, elaborated by imagery, until it is difficult for those unac- quainted with the facts, to conclude which record is true and which created. The writer does not claim exception from mistakes, but 5o 6 PREFACE. without arrogating to himself any special merit, it can be truthfully said that the following history of these great out- laws contains a less number of errors and a more reliable and comprehensive description of their valorous deeds than any previous publication. For several weeks prior to the completion of this work, a correspondence was maintained with the Younger Brothers, as well also with the warden of the Minnesota penitentiary, and through this source many new facts were obtained and numerous errors discovered. In addition to this, personal interviews have been had with several old comrades of the Youngers, and with Cole Younger himself; and nothing has been left undone to pro- cure all the facts possible, and to avoid falling into the old mistakes which have been repeated until they have become almost traditionary. For a considerable period the writer was a resident of Kansas City, where he was engaged in journalism, and made the acquaintance of hundreds of persons who were intimately known to the Younger and James Brothers, and from these also much valuable and trustworthy information was received, which various corroborative sources have en- abled the author to reliably write the history of the noted utlaws without resorting to either fiction or romance. J. W. B. St. Louis, December 15, 1880. ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE. PORTRAITS OF YOUNGER BROTHERS, Frontispiece Result o^he Attempted Arrest, - - 8 Waiting for the-Flames, - 19 The Federals surprise Quantrell with their Cannon, - 31 Cole Younger' s. Cattle Stampede, - 33 George Shepherd, - - - - 36 PRESENTATION' OF THE BLACK FLAG, - 39 Burning of Osceola, - - - 42 Fatal Result of Cole Younger's Deadly Volley, - 47 Charging the Entrenched Guerrillas, - • 49 The Federal Ambush, - 56 A NARROW ESCAPE, - ... 58 The Hand-to-Hand Combat, - - - 72 Desperate Fight at the Trenches, - 80 The Retreat from Lawrence, - 104 RUSSELLVILLE BANK ROBBERY, - - 131 KANSAS CITY FAIR ROBBERY, - - 156 HOT SPRINGS STAGE ROBBERY, 166 KILLING OF JOHN YOUNGER, - - 174 THE LAST LOOK, - 191 The Three Dead Bandits, - 2IO Firing into the Woods, - - - • 217 CAPTURE OF THE YOUNGERS, - - 219 7 o. RESULT OF THE ATTEMPTED ARREST. — See p. 53. BORDER OUTLAWS. PAGE. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS— Nativity, and Causes which led to Guerrilla Life, - II Le Marias du Cygne, ------ 14 Cole Younger's First Fight under Quantrell, - - 1; Desperate Fight at Tate's House, - - - 21 The Slaughter at Blue Cut, - - - - 2( The Most Remarkable Fight during the War, - - 29 History of the Black Flag, - "35 The Pillage of Osceola, - 41 The Second Fight at the Blue Cut, ... 4 ^ Battle of Walnut Creek, - - - - - 45 Ambuscades and Hard Fighting, - 52 The Fight at Independence, ----- 58 Battle of Lone Jack, ----- 66 Assassination of Col. Henry W. Younger, - 74 Skirmishes, Ambuscades and Executions, - 75 Separation and Combats in Different Fields, • 86 Cole Younger's Escape through the Strategy of a Negro Woman, 89 Christmas Frolic in Kansas City, - - - - 92 Mrs. Younger forced to Fire her own House, - - 96 A Bitter Winter and Persistent Skirmishing, - 98 Progress of Crimes which the War Inaugurated, - - 107 The Terrible "Black Oath," - - - - io 8 The First Bank Robbery — At Liberty, Mo., - - - in John Younger's First Fight, - - - - 115 Desperate Attempt at Jail Delivery, - - - 117 The Lexington Bank Robbery, - - - - 118 The Bank Robbery at Savannah, Mo., - - - 1 19 Robbery and Bitter Fight at Richmond, Mo., - - 121 The Russellville Bank Robbery, ... - 126 Tragic Results of a Horse Race, - - - - 134 90 IO CONTENTS. Robbing the Gallatin, Mo., Bank, - 137 The Hanging of John Younger, - - - - 143 Murder of Sheriff Nichols, - - - - - 146 The Corydon, Iowa, Bank Robbery, - - - 150 The Columbia, Ky., Bank Robbery, - - - 152 Daring Raid at the Kansas City Fair, - - - 154 The Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Bank Robbery, - - - 158 Robbing a Train in Iowa, - - - - 161 The Hot Springs Stage Robbery, - - - - 165 Robbing a Train at Gad's Hill, - 108 Death of two Detectives, - - - - -171 Robbing a Texas Stage, - - - - - 1 7b Cole Younger's Epistolary Vindication, ... 17$ The Train Robbery at Muncie, Kansas, - 182 Huntington, Va., Bank Robbery, - - - 186 The Missouri Pacific Railroad Robbery, - 194 The Northfield Bank Robbery and Tragedy. — Capture of the Younger Brothers, - 202 A Proposition to Murder Jim Younger, - 225 Interesting Correspondence from Cole Younger, - 227 Personal Interview with Cole Younger, - 234 How a Duel to the Death was Prevented, - 243 Attempts to Liberate the Younger Brothers, - - 249 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. The Younger Brothers NATIVITY, AND CAUSES WHICH LED TO GUERRILLA LIFE. Henry W. Younger, father of the outlaws, was one of the early pioneers of Missouri, having remov- ed to the State in 1825 and settled in Jackson county. Five years later, having arrived at manhood's estate he was married to a Miss Fristo, a very estimable young lady of Jackson county, and the relation thus formed was a congenial and happy one. Mr. Young- er, possessing a fair education, became a prominent citizen in the neighborhood and for the period of eight years he held the position of County Judge, and subsequently was twice elected to the State Leg- islature. The family became a very large one, con- sisting of fourteen children, eight of whom are still living, four boys and four girls. In 1858 Mr. Younger purchased a large tract of land in Cass county, near Harrisonville, to which he removed the same year and began raising stock, in which he was eminently successful and soon became a wealthy man. He made many excellent invest- ments which finally caused his removal to Harrison- 12 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. ville, where he started a livery stable and became in- terested in two large country stores. Thomas Coleman, familiarly called Cole, was the second eldest son, having been born in Jackson coun- ty January 15th, 1844. Richard was the senior of Cole by two years, but he died of a malarial fever in i860 before the exci- ting events which culminated in a career which has made the family name so prominent. John was born at the old homestead in Jackson county in 1846, Bruce in 1848, James in 1850, and Ro- bert in December, 1853. ^ ls not important to give the births of any other members of the family, as their names will not figure in the incidents herein recited. It is not surprising that western Missouri has pro- duced so many remorseless characters, considering the peculiar conditions of her early history. Every student of common school history is familiar with the border warfare which existed between Missouri and Kansas over the slavery question. Old John Brown, whose career terminated at Harper's Ferry in i860, was an important factor in that inter-state contest which was waged with almost unexampled fury for many years, to the destruction of a vast amount of property and the loss of hundreds of lives. The bor- der counties of Missouri and Kansas suffered terribly from the incursions of "Jayhawkers" and "Border Ruffians," afterward guerrillas, as the opposing fac- tions were called ; and perforce Col. Henry Younger was involved in the bitter antagonism, as was every property owner in that section. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 13 One of the incidents of the bloody border warfare has been immortalized by the Quaker poet, John G. Whittier, and its reproduction here will serve as a more forcible illustration of the desperate cruelties inflicted in that contest which lighted the camp-fires of Abolitionism and prepared the way of freedom for Southern slaves. The history of this local event so elegantly and pathetically apotheosized by Whittier is in brief as follows.. In the year 1856 Hamilton, whose reputa- tion for fiendish brutality had preceded him, drew his serpent trail across the border and appeared in Miami and Linn counties, Kas., at the head of about fifty conscienceless followers. He pillaged and burned farm houses, laid waste teeming harvests and murder- ed men, women and children of anti-slavery opinions. The crowning act of his career was the arrest of twenty of the best citizens of Linn Co., all residents of a single neighborhood, whom he bound a*nd car- ried to a lonely spot on the Marais du Cygne river, near Trading Post, and securing them to stakes, fiend- ishly shot them one by one. Three of the number, though wounded in a manner which gave evidence of their death, survived to tell the terrible story of that holocaust and become heroes of Whittier's verse. Two of the survivors are still living, or were during the writer's residence in Kansas in 1872. One of these, Rev. Reed, is pastor of the Baptist church at Ossavvatomie, Miami county, and the other, Asa Hargrove, is a prosperous farmer of Linn county. 14 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Such, in brief, are the particulars of that dreadful sacrifice so passionately wreathed with pathetic gar- lands by one of America's greatest poets, and many a tear has fallen from the eyes of sympathetic read- ers upon the pages which relate the story. Follow- ing is the poem : LE MARAIS DU CYGNE. A blush as of roses Where rose never grew, Great drops on the bunch-grass, But not of the dew ! A taint in the sweet air For wild bees to shun ! A stain that shall never Bleach out in the sun ! Back, steed of the prairies ! Sweet song-bird, fly back ! tf Wheel hither, bald vulture ! Gray wolf, call thy pack ! The foul human vultures Have feasted and fled ; The wolves of the Border Have crept from the dead. From the hearths of their cabins, The fields of their corn, Unwarned affd unweaponed, The victims were torn, — By the whirlwind of murder Swooped up and swept on, To the low, reedy fen-lands, The Marsh of the Swan. TXE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 15 With a vain plea for mercy No stout knee was crooked ; In the mouths of the rifles Right manly they looked. How paled the May sunshine, O Marais du Cygne ! On death for the strong life, On red grass for green ! In the homes of their rearing, Yet warm with their lives, Ye wait the dead only, Poor children and wives . Put out the red forge-fire, The smith shall not come ; Unyoke the brown oxen, The ploughman lies dumb. Wind slow from the Swan's Marsh, O dreary death-train, With pressed lips as bloodless As lips of the slain ! Kiss down the young eyelids, Smooth down the gray hairs ; Let tears quench the curses That burn through your prayers. Strong man of the prairies, Mourn bitter and wild ! Wail, desolate woman ! Weep, fatherless child ! But the grain of God springs up From ashes beneath, 16 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. And the crown of his harvest Is life out of death. Not in vain on the dial The shade moves along, To point the great contrasts Of right and of wrong ; Free homes and free altars, Free prairie and flood, — The reeds of the Swan's Marsh, Whose bloom is of blood ! On the lintels of Kansas That blood shall not dry ; Henceforth the Bad Angel Shall harmless go by ; Henceforth to the sunset, Unchecked on her way, Shall Liberty follow The march of the day. At the beginning of hostilities in 1861 the border warfare increased in virulency and the sympathizers on both sides were forced into extreme measures. Col. Younger, though it is claimed he was a Union man, suffered terribly from the Kansas militia, who were operating under the Federal banner. Jennison, who was at the head of the jayhawkers, made a raid through the counties of Jackson and Cass, leaving be- hind him a trail of burning farms and plundered vil- lages, staying his hand of desolation in the town of Harrisonville, a large portion of which he destroyed ; among the property he confiscated was all the livery THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 17 stock of Col. Younger, consisting of thirty head of horses and several buggies and wagons. This act was bitterly condemned, but there was no other means of compromising the wrong than by avenging it upon the people of Kansas. From this time the members of the Younger fam- ily renounced their Union sentiments and enlisted their sympathy with the Confederate cause. A few weeks afterward Cole Younger sought and found Quantrell, whose force he joined and pledged himself to the fortunes of that dreadful black banner which two years afterward streamed through the bloody streets of Lawrence. COLE YOUNGER'S FIRST FIGHT UNDER QUANTRELL. Three is no reason to doubt Cole Younger's as- sertion that he joined Quantrell because of outrages perpetrated by jayhawking Federals upon his father, and it must be admitted that he did not renounce his manhood by so doing. It was terrible to see the property of the household confiscated, and other indignities suffered at the hands of those whose banner should have made them friends. Cole Younger was a young man of excellent character, refined by education and a training which made him devoted to his parents. Little wonder, then, that his nature became transformed by such cruelties upon 2 1$ THE BORDER OUTLAWS. those he loved so well, and when he allied his for- tunes with the most desperate man on the border, it was the preliminary step in a determination to have revenge. When Cole Younger volunteered his services Quantrell's force had but recently been collected and consisted of thirty-seven men, all of whom were resi- dents of Jackson, Clay and Cass counties. For sev- eral weeks this small company confined its adven- tures to the border counties of Kansas, taking horses and capturing ammunition trains. Capt. Peabody, with a full company of Federals, was sent out by Gen. Jim Lane, who was in command of the Kansas militia, with instructions to capture or kill Quantrell and his band. The trail was readily found and the guerrillas were followed to the house of John Flan- nery, in Jackson county, where a stand was male January 3d, 1862, and a bitter fight ensued. The Federals surrounded the house and then sent a de- mand to Quantrell for his surrender. The cunning guerrilla asked for a ten-minute parley with his men, which time being granted, he used it most advantag- eously in disposing his men so as to make them most effective. At the expiration of the time allowed, Quan- trell shouted defiance at his foes, at the same mom- ent discharging his double-barreled shot-gun, which was loaded with buck-shot, killing Peabody's lieuten- ant. The fight then began in earnest and for more than an hour it raged with increasing fury. Finding it impossible to dislodge the enemy by pouring shot THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 19 into the building, Capt. Peabody ordered the torch applied to the house, an act easily accomplished in the rear of the ell of the building, as there were no windows from which an approach from that direction WAITING FOR THE FLAMES. could be commanded. A large quantity of straw was carried fiom an adjacent stack which, being fired, soon «Mx V e?or,«<3 th» frame ell, but ere the flames 20 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. reached the main building they were quenched by the guerrillas. A second attempt resulted as the first, but the water in the house now being exhausted, the thfrd time fire was set to the building it roared and crackled like a fiend of destruction to be baffled no more. Smoke rolled through the windows and the hot flames came leaping into the rooms, driving the guerrillas from corner to corner and rapidly narrow- ing the space they stood on until, at last, they were forced to face their foe and stem the torrent of death without protection. By orders of Quantrell, dum- mies were hastily made of pillows and bed clothing and set in the windows to draw the fire of the Fed- erals, and then bidding his men follow, the desperate guerrilla dashed through the door and broke for the brush, every man emptying his gun at the enemy as he ran. Cole Younger displayed the most remark- able bravery throughout the fight, and at the retreat his recklessness caused him to separate from his command, and but for the operation of what seemed almost a miracle, he must have been killed. Being unacquainted with the place, Cole ran in a different direction from the others of his command and sud- denly found his course impeded by a strong picket fence which he could not scale, while the Federals dashed after and fired at him more than a hundred times. After running fully two hundred yards, with a large force in pursuit, he came to a defective place in the fence, and pushed through and started across a field. But, though he had distanced vV ; nfantry f THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 21 there were twelve cavalrymen who saw him, and to tear down the fence was the work of a moment and then the pursuit was renewed. Cole still carried his gun but it was empty, he having had no opportunity to reload, but from time to time he would raise the gun as if intending to fire at his pursuers, and this act would serve to partially check their rapid ride af- ter him. By recourse to such strategies Cole gained the woods and escaped, most singular to relate, with- out having received the slightest wound. In this fight the guerrillas lost ten men, but two of these refused to leave the burning building and therefore perished in the flames. The loss of the Federals was eighteen killed and nearly as many more wounded. None of the guerrillas were cap- tured but all their horses fell into the hands of the victors. THE DESPERATE FIGHT AT TATE'S HOUSE. The Flannery fight was repeated with remarkable similarity one month after that occurrence. The particulars of this combat, as related by Geo. Shep- herd, a participant, to the writer, are as follows : At this time Quantrell's force consisted of exactly fifty men and was on the march towards Sny-Bar, where it was learned a small detachment of Federals were operating. It was Quantrell's custom, while on the 22 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. march, to stop at farm-houses on the way, distribut- ing his men so that their accommodations might be provided for. While enroute for Sny-Bar, night coming on, Quantrell, with twenty-one of his men, stopped at the large farm-house of Major Tate, near Little Santa Fe, in Jackson county. The rest of the company, under Todd, found lodgings five miles further north. Hard riding had made Quantrell's men weary, and a fast since morning had whetted their appetites into unusual cravings. Major Tate was a friend of the cause, and a bounteous table, set with all the good things provided by a successful farmer, was the wel- come he extended to his guests. Without there was snow and whistling, frosty winds, while within was the crackling log-fire with its reflection of dancing images and warming cheer ; hunger-producing odors of fresh meats smothered in rich gravies ; smoking sweet potatoes, and the luscious condiments which a thrifty housewife had provided for special'occasions ; in addition to these seductive refreshments to the hungry there was the brown cruet of freshly drawn cider with its crest of breaking bubbles, and a pyra- mid of apples red as the cardinal's robe. It was supper time, and such a lordly feast the guerrillas had not partaken of for many months. After supper was over, every man, with distended stomach, uncomfortable from excessive fullness, gradually became languid until sleep stole upon them in spite of the good jokes which were passing around and being told with special zest by the jolly Major. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 23 The guerrillas were asleep, all save one who stood sentinel at the gate, his big coat muffling his face from the biting gusts of winter's winds. Slowly he paced a little beat, his dreamy eyes closing, at times, with fading resolution, but only to open wider when full consciousness was restored. Nine, ten, eleven o'clock, and not a sound to disturb the deep slumbers of the* guerrillas. The hour of midnight was ap- proaching, that mysterious time when the dead are permitted to catch glimpses of the earth they once trod in the flesh ; that period of brief space when graves open to disgorge their surfeit of dead men, and on which the shadows fall which margin the confines of death and life. Were these gloomy re- flections occupying the dreamy mind of that lone- some guard ; he who was called to slay and spare not; to hunt, to find, to kill? " Who are you?" The clock was striking the mys- terious hour, and the food for graves was being pre- pared, but the graves had not yet been dug. It was the voice of the guard who, startled by the tramp of horses' feet in the crisp snow, gave the guerrilla challenge, and as the road filled up with Federal cav- alry there was a single shot, and a rush by the guard into the house. A volley from carbines saluted his entrance, but the door was speedily barred against in- truders. Cole Younger, Geo. Shepherd and Quan- trell heard that first shot and intuition told them its full meaning: the enemy was without, two hundred strong, and a fight was unavoidable. Some one was 24 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. always on Quantrell's trail and the force which had now surrounded him had followed his track like a sleuth hound, and only waited for the deepest shades of night to fall upon and devour the little guerrilla band. The Federals understood the cunning and bravery of the twenty-two men in the building, and before making their presence known they had taken every precaution to prevent escape, by completely surrounding the house and guarding every door and window. The night was beautiful, with the sky as clear as the ether of heaven, from which a full, bright moon poured a flood of silver, pencilling the white earth and throwing dark, fantastic figures behind the woods and fences. A brave lieutenant was the spokesman of the Fed- erals, and with clanking spurs and saber he approach • ed the door, gave it a few smart kicks with his heavy cavalry boots, and then demanded an immediate sur- render. It was a moment when there was no need for orders ; every guerrilla understood his duty, for sleep is easily dissipated in moments of extreme dan- ger. Quantrell strode cautiously to the door, and, locating the lieutenant by his voice, fired a large navy pistol. The bullet cleft through the panel and struck the officer in the chest. With a gurgling moan the lieutenant fell, and with a few convulsive struggles died. The battle then began, with the Fed- erals pouring volley after volley into the building, which, though it was weather-boarded on the outside and had a filling of brick between the studding, yet THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 25 it afforded but slight protection against the minie balls that were poured into it. The guerrillas were divided, with Quantrell, Cole Younger and six others in the second story, while the first floor was occupied by Geo. Shepherd, Quantrell's lieutenant, and the re- mainder of the force. After the fight had progressed for a short time four of the guerrillas became so frightened that they wanted to surrender, and it also became important to extend some special protection to Major Tate and his family. Accordingly, Quantrell hailed the Feder- als and told them some of his men desired to sur- render, and that the family of the house wanted pro- tection. Permission for them to retire was therefore given and the four guerrillas, followed by Maj. Tate, much against his will, and his family, left the house, taking up quarters in the barn which stood some distance off. The fight was then renewed. Cole Younger, with the same reckless bravery which dis- tinguished him at the Flannery fight, took desperate chances and did terrible execution. The snow be- came crimson in many places and the cries of the wounded fretted the air. Time and again came the summons to surrender, but the only reply was a scorn- ful laugh. It was thus the combat continued for three long, terrible hours. No one had yet thought of the torch, though there was the same fatal ell with no window to guard it, as at Flannery's. It came, though, at last, and when the flames threw their lurid glare in through the crevices of the barri- 26 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. caded windows the guerrillas realized how near grim fate was approaching. Time was asked for, but the Federals refused to check their fire until terms of un- conditional surrender were agreed to. Quantrell, in last extremities, always proposing some desperate scheme, ordered all his men to stop firing and reload. When every pistol and gun was heavily charged, the guerrillas massed themselves, threw open the two doors and leaped upon their foes, pouring an un- ceasing volley into the Federals, cutting a bloody gap through which they passed to safety. Singular to relate, though none the less true, the guerrillas, besides losing their horses, had only one man killed, and none wounded. The Federal loss was a score killed and nearly twice that number wounded. A junction was formed the next day with Todd, and in a skirmish with thirteen Federals which occurred in the afternoon following the Tate house fight, horses sufficient were captured to remount Quantrell and his men. THE SLAUGHTER AT BLUE CUT. From the time of the fight at Major .Tate's house the guerrillas changed their methods of retaliation, and a fighting campaign was inaugurated which ceased only with the close of the rebellion. The militia of Missouri co-operated with the Federal forces of Kansas, and every highway in the border THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 27 counties became a battle ground. Quantrell's force was augmented by recruits from neighboring coun- ties, accessions being made at every camping place. Their arms consisted of such weapons as the new recruits brought with them or captured from routed foes. Horses were readily obtained by for- age upon stables and pastures, while ammunition reached them through the secret avenues of sympa- thizing friends. After his escape from Capt. Peabody's cavalry, Cole Younger went to the house of Jerry Blythe, a relative, located on the Independence and Harrison- ville road, and staid there two days before he could learn the whereabouts of Quantrell, whom he was anxious to rejoin. The Federals stationed at Inde- pendence learned of Cole's appearance at Blythe's, and a force of seventy-five mounted troops at once started out to effect his capture. News of the Fed- erals' intention reached Cole and Quantrell, and a plan was immediately arranged to intercept and give them battle, while a courier was dispatched to ac- quaint Mr. Blythe with the purpose of both Federals and guerrillas. By direction of Cole Younger Quantrell's force, now numbering fifty men, was stationed at a place called the Blue Cut, on the Harrisonville road, fifteen miles from Independence, through which the Fed- erals would have to pass on their march, or make a circuit of five miles by a bad road, to reach Mr. Blythe's house. The cut is about twenty-five feet in 28 THE BORDER OUTLAWS,. depth and of a width that will admit of the passage of not more than two wagons, while both sides of the summit are lined with a heavy forest in which it was an easy matter for Quantrell to secrete his horses and men. For some reason, doubtless to prevent the knowl- edge of their appearance in the neighboihood, the Federals chose the circuitous route and reached the Blythe mansion unperceivedby the guerrillas. They found no one at home except Mrs. Blythe and a young son not more than thirteen years of age, who was in the yard when the Federals rode up. They captured the young lad and tried to force him to dis- close the hiding place of Cole Younger, but he posi- tively refused to tell anything; and when they gave him a chance he ran into the house, seized a pistol, and while the troops were sacking the place he fired on them, killing one and severely wounding another. This unexpected attack from so youthful a source so enraged the Federals that, as the boy ran out at the back door, he was riddled with bullets, no less than sixteen striking him, extinguishing his young life im- mediately. After the commission of this deed and being satisfied that Cole Younger was not in any of the outbuildings, the Federals started back on the main highway, when they were soon seen by the guerrillas and preparations were at once made by the latter for the attack. Both ends of the cut, as well as the eminence on each side, were well protected by the guerrillas, whose fire was reserved until the un • THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 29 suspecting Federals had ridden well into the gap. With a wild yell from Quantrell the work of destruc- tion was begun, and the murderous streams of flame made the cut a hideous valley of death. From ev- ery side the deadly pellets poured upon the demor- alized Federals, not one of whom thought of any- thing but escape, while horses and riders mingled tsheir blood together until that terrible gap became red with the slaughter. Few lived through that de- structive fire, for when the whirlwind of death swept over the* band, nearly sixty corses lay still under the smoke which choked the cut. Cole Younger's aveng- ing hand had been laid heavily upon ten men, and he was satisfied with the work of that day. THE MOST REMARKABLE FIGHT DURING THE WAR. In the latter part of February, 1862, three weeks after the slaughter at Blue Cut, one of the most re- markable battles of the war was fought, between Quantrell's force of fifty men on one side and five hundred Federals under Cols. Buel and Jennison on the other, resulting in the defeat and rout of the lat- ter with a loss almost twice as great as the entire guerrilla force. Independence had become a supply post and dis- tributing center for the Federals in the west, and was garrisoned by a force of one thousand militia. Spies 30 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. were continually on the track of the guerrillas, but owing to the disbandments and reorganizations which occurred every few days to avoid pursuit, it was impossible for the Federals to determine the force of the enemy in any engagement, which gave to Quantrell a most important advantage. In the latter part of February, the weather being very cold, Quantrell went into camp on Indian Creek, in Jackson county, about ten miles from Indepen- dence, for the purpose of recruiting his force and watching the movements of the enemy. His posi- tion was soon reported and Col.Buel, at the head of two hundred men, at once drew out from Indepen- dence for the purpose of engaging the guerrillas, whose numbers were found to be small. By some means, never fully explained, Quantrell suffered him- self to be surrounded, though his defensive precau- tions were excellent; a large number of trees having been felled and breastworks made which no cavalry could penetrate. On the morning of the 26th, Quantrell was sur- prised by the shrill whistle of a shell as it came cut- ting through the trees and exploded overhead. His pickets were driven in and then he found that every avenue of escape had been closed, besides which the Federals had two pieces of artillery with which to shell the woods. The situation was critical in the extreme and Quantrell had grave apprehensions which he communicated to his comrades. At the suggestion of Haller, a brave fellow who saw the THE YOUNGER BROTHERS: 3i anxiety manifested by Quantrcli, Cole Younger was called into council because of his thorough knowl- edge of the country and the cunning and daring which had already distinguished him. His advice, undoubtedly, saved the command and turned what THE FEDERALS SURPRISE QUANTRELL WITH THEIR CANNON. at one time seemed certain defeat and inglorious sur- render, into the most brilliant victory of guerrilla warfare. Cole communicated to Quantrell the fact that in- side the Federal lines was a large farm-house with adjacent yards filled with cattle. His advice, there- fore, was to hold the enemy in check until night, make every indication of a stubborn resistance, and 32 THE BORDEB OUTLAWS. then stampede the stock, which would confuse the Federals, draw their fire and make escape possible, His suggestions were at once received with the great- est favor and, for the time being, he was practically placed in command of the force. All day the fight- ing was continued, but the loss of the Federals was quite severe, while the guerrillas suffered slightly, owing to the excellence of their fortification, and the difficulty of throwing shells through the heavy growth of timber. When night approached, the guerrillas made active use of the axe in felling more trees, os- tensibly to strengthen their position, but in reality to deceive the Federals, and the ruse was successful. The night was one of unusual darkness, as there was no moon and the heaviest clouds banked the sky. Out into the gloom crept Cole Younger, William Haller, Dave Poole and George Todd, four men whose hearts never harbored fear, and in a few min- utes after they left the quiet camp a terrible confusion was heard in the barn-yard ; chickens were cackling, dogs barking, and in the noise a score of affrighted cattle were heard running and bellowing, their speed being accelerated by several pistol shots, which, brought the Federal camp to arms in the belief that the guerrillas were upon them. The cattle were mis- taken for foes and a lively rattle of musketry told how successful had been the strategy of Cole Youn- ger and his aids. The confusion resulting from the stampede and the darkness permitted the guerrillas to withdraw from COLE YOUNGER' S CATTLE STAMPEDE. 33 o. 34 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. their beleaguered position and when morning broke they were in the rear of the Federals ready to make a bold stroke, which had already been agreed upon. Quantrell knew the position of the battery and that the line could hardly withstand a determined assault at any point. When the dawn came Quantrell followed Cole Younger in a desperate charge upon the surprised artillerymen, and the battery was captured with the least show of resistance. A large force of cavalry, under the command of Jennison, was seen rapidly approaching at this instant, and as they wheeled to the right for the purpose of forming a junction with Buel's infantry the latter officer mistook Jennison's force for Col. Upton Hayes, Confederates, and the greatest disorder was at once developed. Quantrell took advantage of the mistake, and in a moment he dashed among the demoralized infantry and turned loose the captured battery upon the now thoroughly routed foe. Seeing Col. Buel's infantry cut to pieces Col. Jennison concluded that the Confederates, or guerrillas, were massed in large numbers and that it was discretion on his part to withdraw. But he was not permitted to escape the fire of the guerrillas, who turned from the pursuit of Col. Buel's panic-stricken command and directed their guns upon Jennison. His cavalry never having been under fire before, were soon thrown into disorder, the horses being stampeded by the shells and whistling bullets, and but for the protection of a friendly corn-field the THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 35 havoc would have been terrible. The victory, how- ever, was complete, resulting in a loss of one hundred Federals, a large number of horses, twelve hundred rounds of ammunition — an ammunition train being at the time escorted by Col. Jennison — and a battery of two ten-pound guns. The loss of the guerrillas was only eight men. The cannon were spiked and then thrown into the Big Blue. In this battle the remarkable fortunes of war are manifested. The Federals were as brave and com- manded by as good officers as were the guerrillas, but the strategy which first permitted the latter to escape, and the determined charge, followed by a mistake on the part of the Federals, placed them al- most at the mercy of the guerrillas. It is little inci- dents which often win battles, not always bravery or larger forces. HISTORY OF THE BLACK FLAG. The circumstances which created the black ban- ner and made it the in hoc signo of the guerrillas, have never been related in history, important and in- teresting as they are. The facts which are herewith recorded were obtained from Geo. Shepherd, than whom no other man now living is so competent to give the truthful particulars. Living in Lafayette county, Missouri, in the sum- mer of 1862, was a family by the name of Fickle, 36 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. consisting of the old gentleman, whose first name Shepherd has quite forgotten, his wife, and a daugh- ter, twenty years of age, named Annie. The family were all of intense Confederate predilections, but while the old gentleman contented himself with giv- GEO. SHEPHERD. ing expression to his opinions only among his imme- diate friends, his daughter was virulent and overt in her sentiments and sympathies, which caused her father no little solicitude, for in those days men were killed for ooinion's sake. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 37 In May, one of Shepherd's guerrilla comrades was found in the house of Mr. Fickle, by a company of Federals, and was arrested. The guerrilla was a par- ticular friend — perhaps a lover — of Miss Annie's, and when the arrest was made she became so abusive to the Federals that she was also taken into custody and carried into Lexington, where she was imprisoned for a week, and then permitted to return home. The guerrillas were very anxious to secure the re- lease of their comrade, whose fate, if not averted by some special means, they could readily anticipate. To accomplish this Shepherd called on Miss Annie, through whose influence with a Federal lieutenant, who was her cousin, he hoped to procure an exchange of prisoners that would liberate his friend. Annie forthwith placed herself in communication with her lieutenant cousin and finally appointed a meeting be- tween Shepherd and the Federal officer. At this meeting the lieutenant agreed to effect the release of the captive guerrilla for the sum of #400, which being consented to, another appointment was made for the succeeding night, at which the money was-to be paid and the captive would be at a certain place to which they would ride and meet him. Shepherd had not entertained the slightest suspi- cion of treachery because of the supreme confidence he reposed in Miss Annie. True to the engagement, he met the lieutenant at the trysting place shortly after nightfall, and together they rode to the spot in- dicated. After passing several miles they came to 38 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. an angle where the road they were traveling united with another. At this point on one side was a stone fence and on the other a large pile of brush. As the two approached the brush-pile about twenty Fed- erals arose from the ambush and fired on Shepherd, killing his horse which, in the fall, pinioned one of his feet for a moment, but as horse and rider fell, Shepherd drew his pistol and killed the lieutenant, whose treachery was then apparent. By extraordi- nary efforts Shepherd released himself and darted for the stone fence, which he leaped amid a shower of bullets, and, being fleet of foot, ran rapidly along and behind the fence until he had outstripped his pursuers, who groped aimlessly in the dark, not be- ing able to discover which direction Shepherd had taken. Three weeks after this narrow escape, and two weeks after the execution of the captured guerrilla, who was shot, Major Blunt, commanding the post of Independence, (Shepherd is not certain, but believes Blunt was in command at the time, and that he was also the author of the order), issued an order which he caused to be printed in the Independence paper, to the effect that from the given date, guerrillas cap- tured would not be treated as ordinary prisoners of war, and that all parties found bearing arms against the United States of America, to the district speci- fied in the proclamation, would be regarded as guer- rillas and punished as such. The inference gained from reading the order was that thereafter all guer- u < -J CD LU Z o P < i- Z UJ CD ID ec THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 39 rillas or. armed forces opposing the United States would, in case of capture, be executed. The pur- pose of the order was, no doubt, to prevent by intimidation, the recruiting of Confederate com- panies in Jackson county, and hardly contemplated the harsh and cruel methods which inference had at- tached to it, for it was never put into execution. A few days after the issuance of this order, while Quantrell and his company, of about sixty men, were camped near the little church in Sny-Bar town- ship, the pickets reported the presence of Annie Fickle, who desired an audience with the command. She was, of course, admitted and her mission was to make a presentation. Under her left arm she carried a bundle wrapped in a newspaper, and in her left hand there was a strong, smoothly polished hickory pole. Annie, though born where nature was rugged in the wilderness of its untrained productiveness, was nevertheless of a romantic temperament. Plain of speech, she was, notwithstanding, gifted with lofty sentiments, and it was these she had gathered that day and arranged in a bouquet of fervid enthusiasm. Giving a courteous bow to Quantrell, she asked him to have his men assemble for a moment around her. I ler request being complied with, she unrolled the bundle and taking the paper which bound it, she read Maj. Blunt's order of " death to all guerrillas," then in a brief harangue she addressed the men in language, nearly as can be remembered, as follows; " It is a hard fate which awaits every brave Southern soul found in Missouri fighting for a cause as sacred 40 THE BORDER OUTLA WS. to every true man as is the love of God. To falter now, is to betray the holier instincts of love and lib- erty, and in the peril which this infamous and bloody order imposes upon the noblest sons of Missouri, I can see rising this oriflamme, (shaking out the folds of the black banner), which, though black as death, is purified by the righteous cause it represents. Life to life and blood for blood ; let the border ring with the cry of freedom, Quantrell and the sunny South, oae and indivisible forever, and to you, into whose hands I entrust this banner, let me nerve you with my prayers and entreaties never to lower it so long as there is a hand to clutch the staff, or until the principles of the Confederacy are decided by the sword and bayonet, when there is no longer hope for appeal. " And ever let your battle-cry be, Quantrell and Southern Supremacy I" While making this little speech Annie unrolled the black banner, which had been carefully bound up in the paper containing Blunt's order, and spread it up- on the grass. When her remarks were concluded, she produced a hammer and nails and fastened the flag to the hickory pole in a dozen places. The banner was made, by Annie's own hands, of quilted alpaca, four thicknesses, and its dimensions were three by five feet. In the center was deftly worked, in sombre colored letters, the name "Quan- trell," running endwise through the middle of the flag. The pole was eight feet in length. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 41 The donation was received in a demonstrative manner of approval, the men lifting their hats and giving three cheers for Annie Fickle, while Quantrell thanked her heartily and promised to carry and pro- tect the banner so long as he had life to do it Jim Little was chosen color-bearer, and he bore it con- spicuously, though not in every combat, until after the destruction of Lawrence. The flag was carried with Quantrell to Kentucky in # i864, torn as it was by a hundred bullets, and disappeared with the guer- rilla band in their last fight. Its remnants may still be preserved by some Kentucky relic lover, but if so, its owner is not known to Shepherd. THE PILLAGE OF OSCEOLA. Following the fight at Indian Creek came the pil- lage of Osceola, in St. Clair county, by Jim Lane. This act, though unaccompanied by horrors like those which distinguished the Lawrence raid, was equally as indefensible. Osceola was a flourishing town of about one thousand inhabitants whose peace- ful homes were not disturbed or threatened until the jayhawkers came down upon it like a wolf in the night and applied the torch to every building of any consequence in the place. By the light of the de- stroying flames stores were plundered and many out- rages perpetrated upon the defenseless citizens. It was the result of savage and dishonest natures re- 42 o. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 43 lieved of all legal restraint and encouraged to exer- cise their vandalism and thievish bents by unscrupu- lous and equally criminal officials. Osceola became the war cry of the guerrillas for years afterward, and to this day when the stigma of Lawrence is pointed out to the Younger Brothers they never fail to refer to Osceola as the prime cause for that dreadful holo- caust. THE SECOND FIGHT AT THE BLUE CUT. Cole Younger was appointed second lieutenant in Quantrell's command in April, 1862, and thereafter the squad fighting by guerrillas was begun. In June in- formation reached Quantrell that a company of fifty men, under Capt. Long, was on the Harrisonville and Independence road, foraging on the route to the lat- ter place. Cole Younger was given a detail of twenty- five men and ordered to ambush the detachment of Federals at the Blue Cut, an order which he exe- cuted with what success will appear. From spies sent in advance Cole learned that among the Feder- als was a former guerrilla by the name of Shoat, who had enlisted under Quantrell a few months previously and then deserted, carrying with him valuable infor- mation for the enemy. Cole had harbored the sus- picion that Shoat, was a spy and he therefore became specially anxious to kill him. Capt. Long, however, was an old acquaintance of Cole's, and in earlier days 44 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. the two had been boyhood friends, little recking how- destiny had linked them to antagonistic causes' in the desperation of guerrilla warfare. Having posted his men advantageously so as to sweep the cut with a galling fire when the Federals should enter, Cole spoke to his comrades and beg- ged of them, under no circumstances, to kill Capt. Long, whom he thoroughly described, but at all haz- zards not to allow Shoat to escape. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon of June 1 2th when the Federals rode into the cut unsuspi- cious of any lurking danger, when suddenly a volley from twenty-six pistols dissipated the good humor of that unfortunate command and a fight to the death was begun. Capt. Long was a man of extraordinary nerve, and by his heroic words and bravery rallied his surprised force and notwithstanding his disadvan- tage he stood for a time like a stone wall, giving shot for shot. The guerrillas, however, fought from the summit of the cut and it was therefore impossible for the Federals to reach them. Fifteen minutes of desperate fighting, with the havoc all on one side, caused a stampede and the de- moralized Union forces dashed over their dead and wounded comrades in determined effort to escape, des- pite the entreaties of their commander. When the rout became general Cole Younger ordered a pur- suit in which he shot Capt. Long's horse from under him, and then, espying Shoat, he gave chase and at the second fire from his heavy pistol shot the desert- THE -YOUNGER BROTHERS. 45 er in the back, breaking the spinal cord, from which death resulted in a few moments. Cole then rode back to Capt. Long, who had been made a prisoner, and greeted him in the same cordial manner as if the two had met after a long separation under happiest influences and unsevered friendship. A few moments were spent in conversation, after which a list of the dead and wounded was made, and then the prisoners, numbering ten, including Capt. Long, were released on parole. In this sharp fight the Federals lost twenty-seven killed and wounded, while the guerrillas suffered the loss of only three men killed and five wounded, one fatally. THE BATTLE OF WALNUT CREEK. In July, 1862, Quantrell's command had been in- creased to seventy-five men, an addition of twelve men having been made by a union with Jack Rider who had been ravaging the border counties on his own account. With this force Quantrell decided to make a retreat from the Sny hills and enter Harri- sonville, which at this time contained a large amount of provisions guarded by about one hundred raw Federals. His designs were frustrated, however, by his advance guards reporting large bodies of scout- ing militia on every side. The roads were, in fact, so well protected by the Union forces that Quantrell was forced to take to the woods, and even this course 46 THE^ BORDER OUTLAWS. did not exempt him from pursuit, for his trail was followed persistently and being unable to throw the enemy off his track he was compelled to retrace his steps and make for the Sny again. After several days of hard marching, Quantrell pitched his camp on Walnut Creek, in Johnson coun- ty, which he fortified by felling heavy trees and mak- ing his retreat inaccessible to cavalry except at passes left for the convenience of his own troops. Cole Younger was sent out on the 13th of July to reconnoitre and forage, taking with him twelve men well mounted. Upon reaching the house of Joe. Larkin, a detachment of fifteen men was espied rid- ing up the road in advance of a large force of Fed- erals. Cole and his men had dismounted and their horses were feeding back of the house. Hastily call- ing his squad together, he ordered them to hide be- hind some quilts, which had been washed that day and left on the fence to dry. Thus secreted, they awaited the approach of the Federal advance, until they were in the road immediately opposite, when suddenly the guerrillas arose as if from the ground and poured such a deadly fire upon the fif- teen astonished Federals that but one escaped. The main body was so surprised at this sudden and fatal attack upon the advance-guard, tha,t it halted and formed it line of battle in anticipation of a charge, as the Federals had no idea of the guerrilla force. At this juncture an additional force of two hundred Butler county militia appeared, and thus reinforced, 47 o. 48 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. the Federals advanced while Cole mounted his men and retreated to the camp, where preparations were made to receive the enemy. There was no delay, for Quantrell had scarcely time to close the passage through which Cole Younger and his squad had en- tered, before the Federal cavalry, now four hundred strong, made an impetuous charge, but they recoiled before the murderous fire of the well-protected guer- rillas. A second charge followed, led by as brave men as ever rode in battle, but again from the barri- cades streamed flames of death until the brook which babbled along the base of the hills was gorged with the dead. The baffled and distressed cavalry fell back in broken ranks and formed on a hill two hundred yards distant, evidently to hold a council. For two hours not a sound disturbed the stillness of the forest. The two armies were content to quietly contemplate the intentions and strength of each other. In. the afternoon, about four o'clock, the Federals were again reinforced by another body of two hundred men, and the attack was renewed. A force of one hundred deployed down the creek and another detachment of two hundred was sent to at- tack the guerrillas in the rear, but the bluffs pre- vented the latter force from reaching a point where they could be effective. A combined attack was agreed on, but when the charge from the front was made again, the main body was unsupported by the three hundred troops sent to attack the flank and rear, and a terrible repulse was the consequence. 49 o. $0 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. The several disastrous charges made by the Fed erals convinced them that the cavalry was useless against such a strongly fortified foe, and a new plan of attack was resolved upon. All the troops were dismounted and their horses secured in the ravine five hundred yards north of the battle-ground. The combined force then moved in infantry columns, and with solid phalanx ascended the hill, reserving their fire until the last moment. The sight now was a grand one. The guerrillas, with double-barreled shot- guns loaded deep with slugs and buck-shot, lay low behind their barricades and waited the approach of the enemy. Not a gun was fired, nor a word uttered until the Federals had almost reached the sheltering works and were preparing to scale them, when sud- denly there was a rattling peal which shook the sleeping forest and a cry of anguish arose which con- verted that spot into a place too horrible for nature. The line wavered under that mortal fire, but the rents were repaired in the attacking column, and the onset continued. It was almost a steady stream of deadly fire that poured over and through the crevices of the fallen trees and the havoc was too terrible for the bravest to stand. Despite their exposed position the Federals fought with a valor never surpassed ; though their ranks were melting away like a thin depth of snow before a warm sun, yet the survivors were men of steel and fought like heroes battling for life. Not- withstanding the protecting butts of large trees, the guerrillas suffered severely. Quantrell was shot THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 51 through the leg, but still he fought and cheered his men while the blood ran away and wasted his strength ; Cole Younger had his clothes riddled with bullets and his hat shot off; Geo. Shepherd was hit in the arm, and more than a dozen of Quantrell's men were lying here and there, in. pools of their own blood, never to fight again. To render escape more difficult, nearly half of Quantrell's horses were killed and the country was almost as thickly beset by large bands of scouting Federals as with trees, brush and lofty bluffs. The charging forces were four times beaten back from the impregnable barricade, tottering under the flying pellets of death, but rallying again and again until the dusky shadows of evening obscured foe from foe. The roar of battle ceased gradually and when the smoke uplifted nothing relieved the pain- ful quiet which succeeded save the shrill piping of summer insects and the distant monotone of a solil- oquizing owl. Late in the night Cole Younger, with two others, was sent out to locate the enemy for the purpose of ascertaining the safest avenue of escape. Quantrell's wound was now giving him much pain, his fighting force was seriously crippled and his ammunition al- most exhausted. To remain and risk the battle which was certain to be renewed on the morrow, he realized would be sure defeat followed by the most disastrous consequences. Directly after Younger and his two comrades left the camp to reconnoitre a heavy rain began to fall 52 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. which, rattling among the trees, permitted them to proceed with less fear of detection and indisposed the Federal pickets to keep vigilant guard, for they were already fairly exhausted from fighting, and nat- urally sought shelter and rest. It was nearly twelve o'clock, midnight, when the daring spy returned and made his report to Quantrell. Cole had crawled inside the Federal lines, located every squad and picket, and then found a clear pas- sage, but it was up a dreadfully steep hillside which only the surest footed animal could climb. But even this information was encouraging, and hurriedly yet silently the camp was raised, the wounded mounted with aids, and the tattered ranks of the guerrillas were put in motion. It occupied more than an hour's time to get the horses and men up the hillside, and in the confusion the Federal camp was aroused to Quantrell's intention. The darkness, however, was friendly to the guerrillas and protected them in their escape, many of them being compelled to ride double, owing to the scarcity of horses. The Sny hills were reached, the wounded were left at the houses of friends, and hastily separating the trail was broken. AMBUSCADES AND HARD FIGHTING. Quantrell and Shepherd received the best surgical attention, and as their wounds were slight they soon recovered sufficiently to resume active operations. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 53 Before calling the command together, however, Cole Younger and George Shepherd were sent into Kan- sas City with instructions to procure all the ammu- nition possible, while Quantreli went to St. Joseph to collect arms. The guerrillas being life-long residents of the neighborhood in which they fought, had many valuable friends who gave important aid in all their undertakings. It was not difficult to procure muni- tions of war in Kansas City, and in two days after entering the place a goodly store was secured, which was loaded into a wagon and the two guerrillas start- ed back to the appointed rendezvous on the Sny. Five miles from the city they put up at a friend's house for the night,but before bed-time they were surround- ed by a body of Federal cavalry who, by some means, learned of Younger and Shepherd's visit to Kansas City and had been placed on their trail by spies. Back of the house was a field of wheat al- most ready for the harvest, and in this the wagon was secreted, while the horses were larriated between two out-buildings, ready for emergencies which were anticipated. The Federals demanded an imme- diate surrender, accompanying the order with a threat to fire the house in case of a refusal. The position, critical in the extreme though it was, induced no thought of capitulation. Looking out of the win- dows the guerrillas discovered where the guard was weakest and drawing their revolvers they rushed out of the back door, killing four men as they ran, and gained their horses in a shower of leaden rain. Both 54 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. were struck, Cole being hit with three balls, which produced only flesh wounds, however, while Shep- herd was shot in the shoulder and thigh, which pre- vented him from keeping his horse, after riding a few hundred yards. Younger succored him with true comrade sympathy and under the cover of night the two made good their escape, and again Shepherd was given over to the care of friends until his wounds should heal. Younger, seeing his friend provided for, bandaged his own wounds and then joined Todd on the Big Blue, where, on the following day, with a squad of fifteen men they fell on the flank of a Federal scout- ing party which they routed, killing six of the num- ber. Three days after, the same guerrilla force came upon an ammunition and supply train under the con- voy of fifty Federal cavalry in the eastern part of Johnson county, Kansas. The meeting occurred on the banks of the Aubrey, and, fortunately for the guerrillas, they found the enemy powerless, owing to their intoxicated condition, as with the train were several barrels of whiskey. The attack was a slaugh- ter as of helpless brutes,, not a Federal escaping, and the atrocities of the murder are shocking to remem- ber even now. Men were shot down and then bay- oneted, their riddled carcasses being left to fester in the summer sun. The supplies captured were taken to the retreat in the hills, more than compensating for the loss of the wagon left by Younger and Shep- herd in the wheat field. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 55 Five days later, Todd and Younger with their de- structive squad of fijjeen, met nineteen Federals as they were crossing the Big Blue, in Jackson county, in a hand ferry-boat. Awaiting until they were near the shore on which the guerrillas were secreted, such a deadly fire was poured into the thoroughly sur- prised Federals that not a single one escaped. These fatal surprises made the Union forces more cautious and determined. Spies were sent out to lo- cate the guerrillas and an ambush was planned into which Todd and Younger rode without a suspicion of danger. Their cruel tactics were being played against them, and had the Federals exhibited the re- morseless nature of their enemies, not a guerrilla of that band would have been left to tell how desperate was the assault near Stoney Point. The place selected for the ambush was a rugged spot on the road between Pink Hill and Stoney Point, about one mile from the latter place. There was a shallow cut in the road and on each side was a heavy timber of oak and hickory, and many large rocks which afforded the most secure hiding-place for an enemy. The squad rode leisurely into the enfiladed passage with Younger and Todd at the head of the column, who were chatting humorously to- gether about their recent escapades. Suddenly, right ahead of them, they heard a shot and quickly following was a rattle of rifles and the whizz of bul- lets cutting through the guerrilla ranks, emptying several saddles and demoralizing even those who had THE FEDERAL AMBUSH 56 O THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. $7 faced death frequently before, when it stalked in their midst in more hideous aspect. The guerrillas dashed through the guarded road and with rare good luck escaped destruction. The Federals had not made the most of their opportunity. The first fire was given before the guerrillas were fully in the pas- sage, owing to the accidental discharge of a gun which gave warning to the guerrillas, and compelled the Fed- erals to deliver their fire prematurely. In addition to this mistake, instead of resorting to the destructive revolver and furiously charging the guerrillas after firing their carbines, the Federals waited to reload and this gave the enemy time to recover and return the fire, after which they dashed off towards the Blue with one hundred and twenty-five cavalry in hot pursuit. The chase continued for several miles, Todd and Younger hoping to reach Quantrell, who had re- ported his return from St. Joseph with a large num- ber of navy revolvers and one hundred carbines. When they reached the bridge over the Blue, on the Kansas City road, the situation became more com- plicated, for directly in front of them, Todd and Younger, who were in advance, discovered a body of mounted Federals whose carbines and sabres, glistening in the sunlight, bristled with preparation for murderous work. Enemies behind and in front, more than twenty times their own number, caused the bravest heart in that little band to sicken with gravest apprehension. There was no time to hesi- tate, it was of all others the moment for spontaneous 58 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. action. The charge was ordered at the enemy in front, but what could so small a force do against overwhelming numbers in an open fight? They fell back under the burden of that galling fire, with Younger's horse shot from under him ; Todd's cloth- ing cut to pieces ; Martin Shepherd killed, and Blunt, Yaeger and Bledsoe desperately wounded. Wheel- ing his horse, Todd shouted encouraging words to his comrades and Younger, with a pistol in each hand, fighting in his desperation, shouted to the band to follow him, and dashing toward the bank of the stream, which rose perpendicularly more than five feet, he leaped into the water followed by those on horseback. They crossed under an ineffectual fire and, with Younger mounted behind Todd, the shat- tered squad rode through the brush and gained Quantrell's retreat in the Sny hills. THE FIGHT AT INDEPENDENCE. Col. Upton Hays had been among the Sny and Blue hills for several weeks recruiting a Confederate regiment, and had collected a force of six hundred men. Having now the most effective arms and a good supply of ammunition, Quantrell sought an interview with Col. Hays, and the result was a de- termination to attack Independence, which was gar- risoned by five or six hundred Federals, under com- mand of Col. Buel. One of the prime motives of >. 3) 33 O < THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 59 the intended attack was to accomplish the deliver- ance of about thirty Confederates and guerrillas, who had been captured and were then confined in the In- dependence jail. To prepare for the fight, by locating and fixing the strength of the Federals in the immediate neighbor- hood, which might be available for reinforcements to harass his retreat, if such a movement became necessary, Col. Hays selected five of Quantrell's bravest men, Cole Younger, Yaeger, Miller, Young and Muir, and with these, made a detour of observa- tion, clothed in Federal uniform. When the squad reached Westport, they found the place held by twenty-five of Jennison's men against whom the guerrillas had sworn vengeance and a fight of extermination. In their uniform disguise, Col. Hays and his men had no difficulty in entering the place without molestation. Finding the jayhawkers unprepared for an attack, Yaeger shot one of the guards, which became the signal for a slaughter. At the first volley four of Jennison's men fell dead, and before the others gained their arms more than a dozen more were killed or wounded. One specially obnoxious German was chased to his house by Cole Younger, the door broken in, and in another moment his dead body was dragged into the street by Younger, who shouted : " Here is food for buzzards 1" The remaining jayhawkers had now reached the cover of buildings and procured arms. It was time for Col. Hays and his uninjured men to retreat, 6o THE BORDER OUTLAWS. which they did, galloping down the road rapidly- only to find the way obstructed by a body of fifty cavalry. A blind lane turned to the right and into this the squad dashed, bringing up suddenly against the fence with fifty sabers and carbines in their rear. Fortunately, for fortune seemed to favor the guerril- las, the fence was not very high and the rails rotten ; it was therefore easy for men so used to the saddle and desperate extremities to leap the barrier and fly over the field to safety. Much valuable information was gained by the detour, but the most important knowledge concerned Independence ; how the forces were stationed ; the strategic points in the place ; the location of the jail ; the exact force of the gar- rison and the preparations to resist attack from every side. Who should gather this information ? Upon whom the service would devolve was determined with the query, for who was so well adapted to such dangerous adventures as Cole Younger ? Who so fer- tile of resource, so cunning in conversation, so per- fect in disguise ? Cole was selected to perform the dangerous mission of a spy, and, with all its attend- ant perils, he was as happy in such a recognition of his abilities as «t school boy with his merit mark. Left to his own judgment, Cole procured an an- cient, home-spun linsey-woolsey dress, in which he had some alterations made to better accommodate his person. Next in importance was an old faded sun-bonnet wich yellow strings and broken pasteboard stiffening. His feet he encased in men's gaiters, THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 61 which were split up in the center to give them the appearance of women's shoes ; a rough wig with hair combed closely down over his temples, completed the personal outfit. For conveyance he rode a horse in whose eyes lingered an unchangeable disposition to sleep, but in his heels there was the speed of a hurricane. The saddle was for a man, which, in that section of country, performed duty for male and fe- male members of the family alike. The bridle was comical to look upon. It had originally been a blind-bridle, but now one of the blinds had fallen off; the throat-latch was a tow string, and the curb was of home-spun woolsey, while rope and tow- strings held many of the broken parts of the bridle together, and a piece of sea-grass rope answered the purpose of reins. Thus attired, with a large covered market basket on his arm, Cole Younger rode into Independence on the main highway. The pickets gave no heed to the ancient backwoods grandmother, and Cole rode up into the public square, where, after hitching his horse, he spoke kindly to many of the soldiers and gave them large red apples from his basket. A crowd of soldiers gafcjiered around him, to whom he gave all his apples and then began a conversation as follows: Said Cole, changing his voice to a tone suitable to his appearance : " I am nothing but a poor old woman with few years before me, but I've lived un- der this government a long time, and, do you know, I can't think about the effort that is now being made 62 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. to destroy it, without crying. You see, old folks don't like to change, and they are always anxious for their children to enjoy all the good things they have enjoyed." " Where do you live ?" interrupted one of the soldiers. "I live out near Pink Hill, about ten miles from here, right in a nest of the worst rebels in fifty miles of the Sny. Quantrell has been laying around there for these two months past ; has stolen all my chick- ens, taken the best hoss I had, and poor Johnnie, my baby, only fifteen years of age, he carried away and flogged him almost to death because he was my child and Union to the core." " Where is Quantrell now?" asked a soldier, evi- dently much interested in the old woman's honest and pathetic story. " Why, he's outen there somewheres about now, and I tell you, if I had two hundred brave men, old woman as I am and got no sense, I'd tackle Quan- trell if it was the last act of my life." This patriotic ebullition brought forth several ex- pressions of " good !" "good!" from the interested squad around her. One of the men thea asked the old woman if she knew anything about fighting. The reply was : " Well, nothing to speak of except what I inherited ; I used to be purty lively with my finger-nails when I was a young gal; we used to have some high times, you know, at corn huskin's and quiltin's, and I've seed the hull crowd gouging THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 63 and clawing wuss'n a pack of wild cats, and I was reckoned one of the most vigorous in the pack too." The crowd laughed and joked the old woman about her pluck, and then asked her if she knew how to handle a rifle or revolver. " I used to a leetle, but my eyes haint good any more, and I don't think I could knock a squirrel's eye out from the tallest branches of the big hicko- ries around here, any more, but twenty year ago I could." After some further joking on the old woman's prowess, she changed the subject back to Quantrell. " Well, what I'd like to know is, if the Federals about here can't kill that Quantrell and his cut- throats, and save our property. How many men have you got in this here place, anyhow, and how are you fixed for fighting?" The soldiers responded : " We've got nearly six hundred men here, but then we can't leave the place to pursue Quantrell, for if we did, the Rebs might turn on us and capture Independence." 11 What good would it do them if they did ? wouldn't you be doing better service by killing the infernal and thieving Rebels, than by staying in here doing nothing?" responded the old woman. " Yes, but then you should remember, we have a large amount of government stores here ; powder, rifles, provisions, etc., which might fall into the hands of the Rebels if we left them unprotected," was the soldier's reply. 64 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. " Well, I don't know nothing about war," remarked the old woman, " but I'd like to be edecated on it a leetle. This is the first time I've been in Indepen- dence since the troops took the town, and I'd like to see what you all fight with and how you live ; where you keep your prisoners; how many you've got, and, in short, jist how the hull thing is done." The soldiers very courteously told the old woman where the jail was, and that she could go all around the place and look at everything she pleased. The road was now clear to obtain what informa- tion was desired, and at every point where anything special was needed, Cole would engage some soldier in conversation and successfully obtain full explana- tions. About five o'clock in the evening, having made a thorough inspection of every spot in the town, Cole returned to his horse, which he backed up to the fence and mounted. He rode slowly out of town but upon approaching the outer picket a sergeant, seeing the covered basket on Cole's arm, and being suspicious that it contained some medicine or arms for the ene- my, as such smuggling was common, ordered the picket to halt and examine the old woman. Cole tried to parley with the picket, but finding all entreat- ies vain, and knowing the results of an investigation, instantly drew a pistol from beneath the folds of that ancient dress, and ere the guard anticipated the move* ment a ball went crashing through his brain. Cole then threw his right leg in proper position in the sad- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 65 die, gave his drowsy horse a jerk, which threw the lightning into his heels, and away he sped followed by three mounted soldiers who, however, were soon distanced, and the daring spy reached Quantrell and Hays in safety. In the gray of the morning of August nth, 1862, Hays and Quantrell with a combined force of over seven hundred men, nearly all of whom were, how- ever, raw recruits, led by the intrepid Younger, at- tacked the camp on the west side of town with a cav- alry charge. The first picket was killed and the Fed- erals surprised, though they were not demoralized. The roll was quickly beaten, Col. Buel dashed the sound slumber of the morning from his eye-lids, and the line of battle was formed with extraordinary celerity. The guard fired on the swiftly approaching enemy and then retired in good order to the buildings. Nearly every picket was killed, but when Hays and Quantrell poured their troops into the public square they met with a reception little expected. From every window there were puffs of smoke and red flames. Hays was compelled to dismount his men and seek the protection of walls and fences. He then attacked the camp while Quantrell struck at Buel in the houses. But he had a force to contend with that was steel to steel. Hays carried the camp and then joined Quantrell in the onslaught against the building occupied by Buel and a hundred of his men. Muskets and revolvers could not dislodge them, but fire could. A farmer's wagon, loaded with hay, stood 66 The Border Outlaws. in the square, and this was drawn along-side of the doomed building and set on fire. The swift flames shot upward and their malignant tongues soof licked the cornice and roof, eat up the shingles and fastened on the rafters. Superhuman exertions and consum- mate bravery could not extinguish fire guarded as it was by death dealing carbines and revolvers. Buel fought like a tiger at bay until the fierce heat scorch- ed his face, and to hold out longer meant death too terrible to meet. The white flag had to be unrolled and flung to the breeze, and Buel, the bravest of the brave, was forced to capitulate unconditionally. After the capture came the pillage. The wounded were cared for, and the dead, winrows of which lay around the square, were buried, after which all the prisoners in the jail were liberated, the Federals pa- roled and the stores confiscated. The price of vic- tory and defense was great, more than one hundred Confederates being killed and wounded, while the loss of the Federals was fifty-seven. THE BATTLE OF LONE JACK. Jackson county had become an active volcano, pouring down from its sides searing lava and filling every village, hillside and valley with woe. It was the fighting and recruiting ground of guerrillas, Con- federates and Union men, neighbor against neighbor, schoolmate against schoolmate, and war to the knife. The Younger Brothers, 6y Every rivulet had a bloody tinge, every home its victim. Five days after the capture of Independence came the dreadful fight at Lone Jack, a hamlet in Jackson county, twelve miles from Independence, consisting of two country stores, a saloon, blacksmith shop and a dozen other buildings. Col. Joe Shelby, Col. Ward Cockrell and Col. John T. Coffee, each at the head of a few hundred men, had come into Missouri from various points, all with the same intention, to recruit their respective com- mands and then begin an active campaign through Missouri and Arkansas, and drive Gen. Curtis out of the former State, who was doing the Confederate cause much damage. The three commands formed a junction two miles north of Lone Jack, and went into separate camps on the evening of Friday, Au- gust 15th. By a singular coincidence Major Emory Foster, a brave and able officer in command of one thousand Federal cavalry and supported by two pieces of artillery, entered Lone Jack on the same night and went into camp. Maj. Foster's purpose was to strike Quantrell, who was located by Federal spies in that section, not for a moment anticipating a meeting with a full regiment of regular Confederates. The few residents Lone Jack contained were in full sympathy with the South, and word was speedily communicated to the Confederates of the Federal's proximity, their strength, equipment, etc. Cockrell and Foster had, at one period of their 68 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. lives, been residents of Warrensburg, and the former knew that in the fight which could not be avoided, nothing but good luck and brave men could save him. Long rides had jaded the Confederates' horses and a rest was necessary ; this was the reason an at- tack was not made during the night, but this excuse is hardly pardonable under the circumstances, when the advantages of attacking an enemy, unconscious of lurking danger, are so conspicious and invaluable Quantrell would scarcely have waited until the camp had become quiet, ere he would have plunged in, heading a charge like the mad dash of ocean break- ers and irresistible as the lightning's bolt. But Quan- trell was not there, neither was the intrepid Shelby, for on the morning preceding the battle he had de- parted for Waverly to meet a force of Confederates awaiting him. But leading the troops by platoons were Jackman, Tracey, Rathburn, Hunter, Bohannon, Hays and Coffee, the latter, however, being too far to the south (where, with nearly two hundred men he was scouting) to participate in the fight. Col. Cockrell had command, and shortly after re- ceiving the report of the Federals' position he called his men to arms and formed in line of battle on the main highway to Independence, one-half mile from the enemy's outposts. The line of battle was main- tained for nearly an hour, when it was decided to break ranks, sleep on their arms and make the attack early in the morning. This action of Col. Cockrell has been severely criticised by Confederate officers, THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 69 but criticism is no part of faithful history, and com- ments and conclusions are therefore left for the reader. Cockrell's bravery, it is but proper to add, never was nor can it be questioned, for it was thor- oughly tested in the battle of which we write. Lone Jack lay sleeping in the prairie, with a corn- field and heavy hedge rows on the east side, and a growth of timber lined the murmuring brooklet which curved a half-circle of the town on the west. In the place was a two-story frame building called the Cave House, an old-fashioned country inn. This house was Foster's headquarters, and from an upper window floated the stars and stripes. The hamlet took its name from a large and lone black-jack tree which stood like a sofitary sentinel at the apex of a prairie knoll, two hundred yards south of the Cave House, but like many of those who fought around its trunk on the 16th of August, it is now in the process of decay. At four o'clock in the morning the Confederate bivouac was raised and the hurry and bustle of pre- paration for the early battle was begun.' The horses were placed in charge of a guard of fifty men, and the regiment, consisting of a few less than one thou- sand men, was disposed, by orders of Col. Cockrell, as follows : Jackman, with a force of three hundred, was stationed near the steam mill south of town; Tracey, with a like number of men, took up a posi- tion in the cornfield east of town, while Bohannon stretched his line on the south-west with instructions 70 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. to drive in the pickets and the first shot should be the signal for a combined movement and general at- tack. When the positions were taken it was not yet day, but the eastern portals of light were flecked with an aureole of beautiful red, signaling the ap- proach of a cloudless day. It was six o'clock before the quiet of early morn- ing was broken by the signal gun, much unnecessary delay having occurred, and before the attack was be- gun, the Federals had discovered the enemy and were ready for the onset. When Tracey's line ad- vanced rapidly, expecting to meet a surprised foe, ere he reached the limits of the town, a raking fire was poured into his astonished ranks, which caused much confusion, but his men soon rallied. Tracey, however, was shot in the foot and had to be taken from the field, but his place was quickly filled by Hunter. Jackman and Bohannon were slow in com- ing up, but when they struck the enemy's flank, they drove the Federals from the hedge rows, and the fire from three sides soon drove them into the buildings. The artillery could not be made effective because of the proximity of the Confederates, and the fire which drove the gunners back under shelter, and af- ter a most desperate and stubborn fight the guns were captured. At this juncture, Cole Younger, with forty mounted guerrillas, hearing the fighting, came dashing into the rear and reported to Col. Cockrell. Cole was sent into the action without any delay, and THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. yi the fighting grew hotter. Maj. Foster, seeing his ar- tillery in the hands of the Confederates, and being planted beside the blacksmith's shop where it could batter down his defences, rallied his forces, and placing himself at the head of three hundred men, swept down upon the enemy with such resistless fury, that the Confederates were forced to retreat and permit the Federals to recover the guns. From this time Foster forced the fighting and the hand-to-hand encounter in the street became terrible. A hundred men held the hotel, and from their position did dread- ful execution, killing Captains Bryant and Bradley, J and preventing, for a long time, the approach of the Confederates up the street. Something had to bo done and that quickly ; it was either a retreat or drive the enemy from the hotel. Cole Younger was the first to suggest fire, but who so rash as to drive through the fatal hailstorm of bullets and apply the torch ? The answer came from the guerrilla hero. Turpentine balls were a part of the guerrilla's equip- ment, and at the head of a dozen men, ten feet apart. Cole rushed through the deadly volleys and flung the burning balls in and against the building, leaving half his men dead in the effort, but escaping himself un- hurt. The dreadful scene before became appalling now. The roar of crackling flames mingled with the rattle of musketry and the death cry ofvictims. Driven from that furnace of destruction, the Federals poured out of the doomed building, shooting as they ran, but few lived to find another shelter. Among the 72 o. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 73 slain was the lady of the house, who fell, pierced with a dozen balls, on the very threshold ; bullets are no respecters of persons ; it was her misfortune and the regrets of the Confederates could not infuse life again into that innocent and bleeding body. Driven from the buildings, the Federals fought with the fierceness born of desperation ; the streets were fairly choked with the dead ; hand to hand and hilt to hilt, saber and bayonet, pistol and gun, blood for blood, and thus the fight continued for more than three hours. Younger was here, there, everywhere ; the keen crack of his pistol was the cradle which har- vested death. The fight progressed with the Federals giving way inch by inch, and moving slowly southward, which was now the only by-way of escape. Maj. Foster was wounded in six different places, and Capt. Fos- ter, his brother, shot to death ; still the brave Fed- erals would not yield so long as there remained a fighting force. At noon, when the hot sun beat down upon that field of carnage and the exhausted, sorely stricken Major saw the bloody heaps of his fallen comrades, and the few brave men of his command, battling against hope, it was only then that he yielded, brave even in the last act. In this terrible battle the Federals lost two hundred killed and more than five hundred wounded, and the Confederates suffered a loss somewhat greater. Two hundred of Foster's men made their escape and reached Lexing- ton four days after the fight, while those captured were paroled and sent to their homes. 74 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. ASSASSINATION OF COL. HENRY W. YOUNGER. On the 20th of July, 1862, Coi. Henry W. Younger, father of the Younger Brothers, was way- laid and assassinated, five miles from Independence, while driving in his buggy towards Harrisonville. He had a large sum of money on his person at the time, being the proceeds of a sale of cattle made in Independence the previous day. When the body was found, the pockets were turned inside out, about four hundred dollars having been taken. The assas- sins, however, failed to find the larger sum, several thousand dollars, which Mr. Younger had placed in a belt he wore around his body beneath his under- clothes. Cole Younger was soon made acquainted with the tragic death of his father and at once returned home to be present at the funeral services, regardless of the danger encountered in so doing. It was reported that the assassins were Jennison's Red Legs, but of this there is no proof, though Cole harbored suspi- cions, and he never rested until the last person whom he suspected of complicity in this crime was dead, and his revengeful hand murdered not a few. Mrs. Younger was naturally a very delicate woman with the hectic flush of consumption coming and go- ing in her cheeks. Trouble, which laid its hand heavily on her when the eagles of war spread their pinions, gave food to the insidious disease and mel- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. ?$ ancholy marked her for its own. Cole looked into the dear eyes of his anguished mother and the re- venge in his bosom was bent even against nature, to lift that dreadful burden from off her precious heart. James and John were almost ready to join the banner of the prairie vulture, but there were sisters, and her whose support had just been broken, needing protec- tion, and desire for revenge could not break the seal of duty. The property of the family had been greatly wasted by foraging parties of jayhawkers, who had come to regard Cole Younger as the incar- nation of atrocity and murder, and were determined to punish the family for his crimes. Not a week passed but the house of Mrs. Younger became the objective point of a squad of militia or jayhawk- ers in seach of Cole. Indignity after indignity was perpetrated and the most cruel means re- sorted to in the endeavor to extort information of his whereabouts. It was thus the horrors of war fell athwart the Younger's household, making the very air they breathed pestilential. SKIRMISHES, AMBUSCADES AND EXECUTIONS. In the latter part of September, Quantrell's forces were called together for the purpose of reorganiza- tion. The policy of the guerrillas was to fight, dis- band and reorganize ; cemented in their fellowship ;6 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. by oaths and obligations, whether separated or united their hearts and arms were ever ready to respond to the needs of their cause. When the winding horn reverberated through the forests it was Quantrell's call to the rendezvous, and when the roll was read every name responded with a cheerful " on duty." One hundred and twenty men, well armed and mount- ed, were ready to begin active offensive operations against militia, pillage unguarded posts, capture pro- vision trains and kill — kill — kill. The guerrillas rode out of Missouri to leave their bloody trail through Kansas, and make reprisals of men and chattels. At Shawnee Quantrell found a half-hundred undrilled militia who surrendered to him without firing a shot; two miles below there, on the route to Olathe, seven mounted men were captured, and ill was the hour of their birth, for the decision was that they belonged to Jennison's band. That decision meant quick death. To his men, " bring the ropes ;" to the captives, " pray," were all the words spoken by Quan- trell. Among the number was a young man, only a lad in fact, with black eyes full of courage. He had but one request to make : " Let it be the rifle instead of the rope," and tire last wish of his life was granted. From a broad-reaching oak limb six bodies hung side by side among the dying autumn leaves, and at the root of the tree one face looked upward into the un- known with the stare of death in his eyes. From Shawnee the guerrillas sped on to Olathe, twenty miles further south, where they captured THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 77 seventy-five more militia, men unused to war, who never thought of resistance ; they performed the part of a sham battery, or, like sentinels of straw, to intimidate only by appearances. All these were pa- roled, and after feeding their horses and appropriat- ing needful provisions, Quantrell turned to the east, passing through Aubrey and over ground made familiar to him by previous expeditions. Reaching Cass county, in the northern part, the guerrillas learned of a convoy of one hundred and fifty Federal cavalry with ten heavily loaded wagons of government stores, enroute to Kansas, City. It was the time for an ambush. The pick and shovel, in many expert hands, soon made convenient rifle pits along the road and then, secreting their horses back in the woods, the guerrillas patiently awaited the approach of the cavalry. Quantrell was on the left, Todd on the right, and Younger in the center of the ambushing file. It was on the 2nd of October when the doomed convoy came slowly up the road with the wagons in the center, creaking under the heavy loads. On each side of the road there ap- peared nothing but the natural stillness of the woods. For a hundred yards the trenches extended along the highway and the command was given not to fire until the convoy had ridden abreast the complete line of the pits. There was breathless silence, as every man re- solved himself into an engine of destruction, paus- ing, like a tiger, before the dea|h spring on its vic- tim. Unconsciously the train wended slowly along yS The Border Outlazvs. over the road of bloody fate, the men laughing, sing- ing love songs, passing jokes, talking of loved ones at home and repeating stories of Quantrell's deeds of murder. When the convoy came abreast of the ambushed line, without a word of warning, the gates of hell seemed to open on the left, and over the sides of the masked trenches poured a stream of flame, smoke and lead, starting at the lower end of the line and running its length, like a trail of powder touched by a spark. It was a work of murder, the surprise was so complete, and as dead men fell with the autumn leaves, fire was applied to the wagons, and the terrors of that seething hell were thus multiplied. More than seventy of the Federal column lay in the highway with only heat from the burning train left to give them burial. The rest of the convoy broke with the first fire and by desperate riding reached Kansas City. The woods were now resonant with the crack of the rifle, and human game was easily found by the opposing forces. Every hillside was a redoubt, ev- ery ravine a rifle-pit ; a foe seemed lurking behind every tree and death held his revel in the border counties. The Harrisonville and Kansas City road was a principal highway along which Federals, Confeder- ates and guerrillas were daily traveling. The ample preparations made at the slaughter-pits were too ad- vantageous to be readily abandoned, and on the fol- lowing day it was decided to hold a second carnival The Younger Brothers. 79 at the same place. Accordingly, the guerrillas took up a position in the commodious trenches, while Cole younger, Gregg, Geo. Shepherd and Scott, were sent out to deploy down the road and, if possible, decoy another body of Federals inside the masked dead line. Several hours elapsed ere there were any indications of a " find," and the patience of the anx- ious ambuscaders was becoming restless. Dave Poole rose up from his sitting posture in the pits and put- ting his hands behind his ears, to better catch the j-ound waves, waited a moment, and then in a low voice asked : " Did you hear that shot ?" " No, from what direction?" u A little to the west, I think," was the reply. " There ! three more in quick succession. Boys, they have struck them, sure !" Poole and Quantrell then put their ears to the ground. " Look out, they are coming on a dead run, for 1 can hear the clatter of horses' feet," remarked Quan- trell. " Get ready, every man, it's a chase, for they are firing on the retreat." Sure enough, there was a pursuit, the sound of horses feet, and the rattle of pistols and guns could not be mistaken. On they came at the bent of their speed, the pursued, with nearly two hundred Federal cavalry thundering in their rear, not two hundred yards behind. At the pits there was a quick turn in 8oa .fltM LOUNGER BROTHERS. Si the road and, hidden for a moment from the charg- ing cavalry, the four intrepid decoys dashed into the woods behind the trenches, leaped from their horses and rushed to the slaughter which had now begun. A sheeted flame broke from the pits as the Federals breasted the line, and horses and riders plunged into the dust, while the air was rent with cries of the wounded and made stifling with powder smoke. Birt the fight did not end with the first volley, for, although fifty saddles were emptied, the Federals quickly comprehended the situation, and with reck- less bravery, dismounted and began an onslaught on the works. Fighting from behind trees, on the flank, front and rear, the carbines did dreadful execution. Within an hour the Federals were reinforced by Col. Hubbard's Sixth Missouri cavalry, of three hundred men, and then the tables of death were turned on the guerrillas. A desperate charge was hurled against the entrenched enemy, which swept up to the very muzzles of the guns, but a tornado of bullets hurled back the column and left the ground strewn with dead men. Hubbard's bravery was equalled only by the fanatic martyr. "To the front, Charge !" again came the command, and again the blue line advanced with fixed bayo- nets into the very face of the guerrillas, but again that sheet of flame burst from the trenches and the stricken Federals trembled, then fell back in confu- sion. Charge after charge was made, but each time repelled by that storm-burst of leaden hail. It was 82 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. folly to fight longer against such disadvantages. Night had approached, but the round, full moon and a star-decked canopy lighted up the battle-ground, and Col. Hubbard, unwilling to give up the contest, fell back for the purpose of surrounding the guer- rillas and holding them until the morrow. His inten- tion was, however, anticipated and the ambushers drew off at the first opportunity, carrying their wounded with them, and retreated into the Blue hills where they camped and rested for two days. In this engagement the Federals lost nearly one hundred killed and the guerrillas twenty-two, and as many more severely wounded. After resting and receiving several new recruits Quantrell divided his men into squads and sent them in different directions to harass the Federals and confuse his pursuers. Younger, with twelve men, took the route toward Little Blue, and it was not long before he had work for his revengeful hands. At a bridge, over Little Blue, the guerrillas met a mounted squad of twenty Federals and the passage had to be made by one party over the dead bodies of the other. To meet an enemy meant a furious charge to Younger, and his tactics were put into execution at the bridge. Giving the enemy no time to consider, Younger shouted " to the charge/' and at the head of the hurricane he rode into the ranks of the Federals, shouting and slashing like hunters in a herd of buffalos. Two alone of the twenty es- caped, each because of some favor shown Youngei THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 83 in earlier days, and not one of the guerrillas was even wounded. But fortune did not always favor the fierce fighters, for the Federals multiplied, and to slay a detachment was like killing flies in summer time, the number seemed undiminished. Pressed on every side, con- fronted in every road and by-way, driven from every shelter, the guerrillas began to tire ; squad-fighting was too dangerous, the pursuing forces of the Fed- erals too numerous, and Quantrell again ordered a meeting at the old rendezvous on the Sny. Every man was there whose body was intact ; some there were in the garrets of their friends' homes, with wounds like church doors ; others were bleaching in public roads, in lonely ravines, or sleeping in the noisy woods — noisy not with the melody of plumed warblers, but the crack of the carbine and clash of the saber. Some came to the trysting, bleeding from bullet sores that had not yet healed, and when the roll was called again there were still more than a hundred names on the list ready for duty. Peabody, Burris, Hubbard, Jennison, Montgomery, Anthony and a score of others had entered into a war which thought not of the subjugation of the South, only the annihilation of Quantrell and his ter- rible band. On the first day after leaving the ren- dezvous, Quantrell met the foe ; with the first dis- charge of pistols and bullets his enemies multiplied by a rush of reinforcements. The retreat was a run- ning fight through Jackson, Cass, Johnson and a 84 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. dozen other counties. There was no time to cook or forage, except as they gathered on the constant watch. Younger, Shepherd and Gregg became the reliance of Quantrell, without these he could have done nothing but surrender or fight, and fighting die with empty pistols in his grasp. These three men, whose unparalleled heroism was their armor, rode in advance or to the rear, wherever their services were most needful, now checking a pursuit by some clever strategy or discovering an ambush, gathering forage for the horses and food for the men, they were the fortune and succor of Quantrell's army. Near Wellington the guerrillas met three score Federal militia in the highway, and with the first sight came the cry from Younger to " charge." The retreat which the militia sounded only helped the slaughter. A few fired at the avalanche and the in- trepid Scott was struck badly in the thigh, but he did not leave the saddle. On, on the charge swept, and when the contact became too close for the pis- tol the saber took its place ; cuts to the right, left, and thrusts to the front, the fleeing ranks grew thin- ner until not a life was spared, and strung along the road for four miles were bleeding corses, the only product of that retreat. Wheeling to the right to avoid a large force of Fed- erals in the front, Quntrell crossed streams, burning bridges behind him, breaking the trail by riding in branches, and using every precaution to elude pur- suit ; still he could not rest. Foes were everywhere THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 85 and no strategy could steer him clear of destined tribulations, fierce fights and disastrous results. Be- tween the Sny and Big Blue, with retreat to the rear prevented by destroyed bridges, Quantrell rode into the clutches of Col. Burris, a brave Kansas Federal, with three hundred men. There was but one way of escape, and that lay in a desperate fight, with the chances three to one against him. Desperate ex- tremities can best be met by desperate acts, and Quantrell was the first to sound the charge with Younger, Shepherd, Todd and Gregg in the advance. Col. Burris was in the valley while Quantrell was coming down the hillside in that wild, impetuous, running sweep so irresistible that when he struck the solid Federal column the momentum broke Burris' ranks and left a bloody gap, but at such dreadful sacrifice to the guerrillas that out of nearly one hun- dred two-thirds of them were killed and hardly a man got through without a wound. Quantrell was hit 'in the shoulder, George Shepherd, Harrison, Todd, Poole, Gregg, and in fact all the best fighters except Younger were wounded more or less severely. The stroke was too heavy for the guerrillas to bear and maintain their organization, and another total disbandment became imperative, every man able to ride selecting his own method for escape. Many hid for days in caves among the bluffs of the Sny, whilst others moved like shadows, at night, through the forests, and slept like bats in the hollow of trees and other dark shelters during the day. It was thus that the campaign on the border closed in 1862. 86 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. THE SEPARATION AND COMBATS IN DIFFERENT FIELDS. Quantrell with a few followers, bade farewell to Cole Younger and started south to join Shelby and renew the campaign where the winds of winter blow like mild and cooling zephyrs, and where pinching frosts never visit to bite and wither the swee't smell- ing verdure of the evergreens and magnolias. Cole Younger remained to scout and watch in Jackson and Cass counties. He was not long quiet, for the charm of guerrilla life, like the odors of the poppy, lured him back again into the old paths consecrated by the sacrifices of direful war. Gathering together a dozen farmer boys, who had escaped the conscrip- tion of Federals and Confederates, he first taught them how to ride and shoot, and appealing to their softer sentiments in the inspiriting words of chivalry and patriotism, made of them knights of the high- way exalted with an ambition to fight and kill. To get them into practice, Younger led them into am- buscades from whence mail couriers were shot, and lone travelers, suspected of Union sentiments, were cruelly massacred. They soon learned to smother their conscience, and then to fight small squads caught foraging on barns and granaries. The force gradually grew larger until on the first of December Younger found himself at the head of twenty-five amateur guerrillas, which number was further in- creased by a union with Todd, who returned from THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 87 the south with fifteen men. The company was again ready for active service, though no important engage- ments took place until January, 1863. The militia were constantly in search of Younger; baffled in their efforts more than a hundred times, they became desperate and resorted to desperate expedients. A Federal force of fifty men went to the home of the Youngers, in Cass county, and sur- rounding the house in which they felt certain Cole was secreted, made a rush, and with cocked guns and drawn swords were ready to. kill and quarter their victim. A diligent search failed to discover Cole, but that the long ride from Independence might not prove entirely fruitless, thre^of the Misses Younger were placed under arrest and carried to "Kansas City, charged with aiding and concealing their guerrilla brother. They were confined in an old guard house, which being undermined by rats and natural decay, during a high wind was blown down, and in the fall two of the sisters were killed and the other seriously injured. The arrest and death of his sisters converted the cruel guerrilla into a veritable fiend, and made Cole Younger as voracious for blood as the hungry tiger. \Wio can say that his revenge, if not entirely sati- ated, was not terrible to contemplate ? but, to his credit let it be recorded, he never killed a woman. About the middle of December, Younger and Todd made a trip into Kansas for the purpose of collecting horses and fighting detachments of Jenni- 88 THE BORDER OUTLA WS. son's men, who were reported as operating at various points in companies of fifty and one hundred. Scarcely had they entered Wyandotte county, ten miles from Little Santa Fe, when they met a force of jayhawkers, numbering sixty, and a fight was the re- sult. It was on the open prairie, and bringing into execution the old tactics of the guerrillas, a charge was made, in a swift run, with a pistol in each hand, and the bridle-rein in their teeth, firing rapidly; the onslaught was terrible, but the charge was. met by the jayhawkers with a bold front and steady aim. The guerrillas were beaten back and divided. Cole Younger, with a handful of desperate fighters, was singled out, aiftt the enemy literally rode him down, wounding him and every one of his men. JohnMc Dowell was struck hard in the shoulder and his horse shot from under him, holding his foot between the saddle and ground. He called to Younger for help, and his cry was not in vain, for, though it seemed that certain death followed a return, Younger called on Todd to charge, and through the driving hail of bullets, Cole rushed back, bleeding as he was, from a flesh wound in the arm, and released his comrade, lifting him into the saddle and mounting behind. The fight continued furiously for about twenty min- utes, when the jayhawkers, though holding their own, were reinforced by another detachment, and then Younger and Todd were driven precipitately across* the prairie and into the woods, when superior riding enabled them to escape, but not without serious loss. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 89 The guerrillas returned to Missouri, and at the crossing of Big Blue, where the charred timbers of the old bridge gave evidence of Quantrell's visit and line of retreat, they caught six militiamen and made quick work of them ; after shooting their bodies full of bullets, a large pole was cut and stretched across the road, resting in the forks of a tree on each side. The dead militiamen were then hung to the pole, their bodies dangling over the road, as a warning that the guerrillas were on active duty again in Jack- son county. . COLE YOUNGER'S ESCAPE THROUGH THE STRATEGY OF A NEGRO WOMAN. His first wound giving him some trouble, Cole Younger determined to visit his mother, who needed the comfort of her son in the new sorrow which had just fallen so heavily upon her in the loss of her daughters. Accordingly, he left his men in charge of Todd and, unaccompanied, rode into Cass county, reaching his home, under the cover of night, on the 13th of January. Notwithstanding the secrecy with which he made the visit, there were so many spies on his track, that, scarcely had he entered the house, be- fore his presence became known to the militia sta- tioned at Harrisonville. One hundred men quickly surrounded the house and, conducting their move- ments with much caution, they were climbing the 90 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. fence before their approach was suspected. Cole was in a trap, and through his brain coursed the events of a life, forced by what he believed was im- pending death. Hope for once had entirely forsaken him, and he thought of nothing save his pistols, which he might empty in the face of his execution- ers before his arm became paralyzed by a fatal bul- let. Living with the Younger family was an aged colored woman, who had been a second mother to all the children and whose love for Cole was as warm as ever mother gave her child. With the intuition of a woman in moments of great peril, the old aunty became equal to the emergency, and, with the ce- lerity of youth, she gathered a bed-quilt and flung it about her, concealing Cole beneath it and her ample crinoline. A loud knock at the door brought a response from the old colored woman who, in an unexcited tone of voice, and with confidence in her ability to perform her strategy successfully, asked what was wanted. " Open the door and we will tell you," came a voice from the outside. Without manifesting any tripidation, old aunty opened wide the door, to admit the heavily armed and prepared men, a dozen of them. The night was dark and cold, but the honest face of that aged col- ored savior, in the light which shone from the little lamp on the table, gave no appearance of cunning or suspicion. Cole's thoughts, however, were burning his very brain, as he crouched under the convoluted protection of the old negress' skirts and blanket. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 91 Where is Cole Younger? We know he is in the house, and it would save us time and yourselves trouble, if he would deliver himself up to us," said the lieutenant in charge of the men now in the house. Edging herself up between two chairs, the old colored mother, by proxy, responded : " Bress de Lawd, honeys, Mars' Cole haint been in dis house fer mor'n six months; and is it him you want? and the old negro laughed heartily. Well, you am de warst mistaken men dis side ob Gilhead. Mars' Cole here ! why, dat does beat de Jews ob Jerusalem ; now, if you can't beleebe dis old nigger jes look de house ober an ef you fines him you can take de wool offm my head." Notwithstanding the earnest words of aunty the Federals made a search, and while they were lifting the feather beds and peering into closets, the old negro remarked: " Well, I'll jes step on de outside and see who's aroun'." Suspicion never attaching to the jolly old black soul, she was enabled to make her deception thorough, and though her appearance was rather bulky about the extremities, darkness did not reveal it. Moving in a straddling gait, which would have been certain to suggest an investiga- tion had it been day, the aunty and her charge reached the outbuildings, she talking all the time as if anxious to engage some of the Federals in con- versation, but in reality to locate the outer line of the guards. It was a clear passage now, and when they reached a place of safety, Cole arose from his cramped 92 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. position and actually kissed his colored deliverer, but he had done that a thousand times before, a habit acquired in infancy. His horse was hitched back of the orchard, two hundred yards from the house, and fortunately the Federals had not found it. Mounting quickly Cole rode away in the darkness for the old haunts in Sny hills, which he reached without further adventure. CHRISTMAS FROLIC IN KANSAS CITY. Christmas was coming on apace, and as it was impossible for the guerrillas to celebrate it while surrounded by thousands of Federals, Cole Younger decided to commemorate the day by revenging his father's death. Although it was never absolutely known who composed the party who so cruelly as- sassinated Col. Henry Younger, yet Cole was always satisfied that certain persons whom he knew had some connection with that crime. Among those thus suspected was a young lieutenant named Wal- ley, whom Cole hated with a prejudice blind as re- venge. They had been enemies, in fact, since boy- hood; dividing their feelings over the smiles of a school girl whose childish favors were reserved for Cole. Kansas City was in the hands of the Federals^ twenty-five hundred strong, and every road leading thence was picketed so strongly that cunning and extraordinary bravery could alone pierce the lines. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 93 Through friendly sources Cole Younger learned that Walley and his company were in Kansas City, and would spend the holidays enjoying the good things of the place. He immediately formed a plan to reach that city and glut his vengeance on all he could find whom he had believed participated in the assassination of his father. Accordingly he com- municated with Todd, Taylor, Cunningham, Traber and Clayton, of his command, and acquainted each with his daring scheme. Each man signified his willingness to follow Cole and execute his orders. On the 23d of December, the six guerrillas clothed themselves in Federal cavalry uniforms and set out for Kansas City. They had no difficulty in passing the pickets, as squads were continually coming in without the countersign. When they reached the town, which was after dark on Christmas eve, they dismounted in the south-east part of the town and left their horses in charge of Zach Traber. The five then made an examination of all the haunts of the place with the hope of locating Walley or his command. The crowded condition of the saloons, and revelry in the fast houses near the levee, gave the guerrillas an excellent opportunity to discover the place of their victims. On the south side of the public square there were a number of low dives and gambling dens, which Cole and his men did not visit until nearly midnight. They entered one of the saloons which occupied a central position in the block, and 94 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. no sooner had Todd's eyes taken an inventory of the occupants, than he whispered : " Cole, here are six of the fellows you have been looking for so anx- iously." " So they are," responded Cole, " I should like the privilege of killing them all myself." "Be quiet," said Todd, " and let me arrange this little Christmas frolic; you shall have your revenge." The guerrillas walked in, laughing, and strode up to the bar. " Come up, gentlemen, and have some- thing with us," said Todd. The six Federals were engaged in playing seven- up, three being at two different tables. They were all perceptibly under the influence of liquor, and in a condition to speedily accept Todd's invitation. After drinking, the Federals resumed their games, and the guerrillas went over into a corner of the sa- loon by themselves, to agree upon the plan of exe- cution. Seated together, Todd was the first to speak : " We want to do this job scientifically and cause as little excitement as possible. There are six of them and only five of us, so we will accord you the honor, Cole, of killing two. Let the signal be : First, 'Let's have a drink.' When this is said, we will each move up behind our victims with pistols under the capes of our coats. The second word will be : ' Who said drink ?' at this every man shall draw and fire, and see to it that we have no misses." "That is good," responded Cole, "and it shall be carried out to the letter. The point o'f the whole THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 95 thing, however, is how to get out and avoid arrest ; I think I can plan that satisfactorily. The moment our pistols are discharged we will move out of the saloon together and, without hurry, separate and mix with the crowd on Main street. Each man will then use his own judgment in reaching Traber and the horses, but every one will be expected to meet there within fifteen or twenty minutes after we leave here." Everything was now fixed for the terrible deed. " Let's have a drink !" said Cole Younger. At this the five guerrillas arose and walked to- ward the six doomed Federals ; the latter merely looked around to see if the invitation extended to them, but nothing further being spoken, they re- sumed the game. "Who said drink?" came from the lips of Todd, and at the same instant there was a crack of pistols, only one shot being fired out of time, and the deed was accomplished. Six souls launched so suddenly into eternity ! It was a game with Death in which the cunning old reaper held all the trumps. The moment the shots were fired, the bar-keeper raised the alarm, but the guerrillas stepped leisurely onto the sidewalk, and from those they met running to the scene the murderers eagerly inquired the cause of so much excitement. The city was soon in arms ; every soldier was called into Line, the patrols sent out in trebled force, and hurried orders were is- sued to arrest every man found on the streets. 9 6 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. The guerrillas made their way separately, but rapidly, to the spot where Traber was holding their horses, and mounting, they rode swiftly out upon the Independence highway. To every command " halt," they replied with their pistols and, though pursued and shot at, every one of the guerrillas reached a place of safety without having received a scratch. MRS. YOUNGER FORCED TO FIRE HER OWN HOME. The wild fever of war, in its desperate rage, caused the perpetration of such horrors, that a reference to them makes the heart grow sick. But in all the in- tense agony suffered by so many thousands, whose ill fortunes threw them across the pathway of that demon of slaughter, none were more bitterly visited with sorrow, than Mrs. Younger, and the hand bf af- fliction, which was laid upon her, was never raised until it banked the earth over her grave. In the early part of the great sectional conflict, her devoted husband was sacrificed upon the altar of desperate passion and remorseless greed. The main support of the stricken family she then saw leave the desolated roof and creep out into a very wilderness of devastation, where, instead of the sweet cry of song-birds, there was the shrill whistle of death, and the soughing trees became funeral dirges. But these were but initiatory sorrows, preparing the way f®r THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 97 advanced degrees of intensified distress. She was doomed to receive the mangled forms of three loving daughters, their fair faces and bodies torn to death by the falling timbers of their demolished prison. Still her afflictions grew on apace. A brutal soldiery learned what she had given up in the mad fury of war, and then they added persecutions to her other griefs. The boys left to comfort her, were hunted, although they had committed no crime ; John was hung and James chased at the point of the merciless bayonet into the fastnesses of the bluffs ; her har- vests were confiscated and at last she was forced to flee into Cass county, with the accumulations of honest labor dissipated like the winds. But she found no rest in her new abode ; the brutal instincts of her persecutors followed her like a hound, snuff- ing blood, pursues the wounded deer. Here, in a little home, without either the power or disposition to avenge the cruelties she had so long suffered, a party of twenty-two Federals appeared suddenly, on the 9th of February, 1863, and commanded her to tell the hiding-place of her son Coleman ; she did not know, and had she known, what mother would have betrayed her own boy ? Threats accomplishing noth- ing, this brave squad, with cocked and pointed car- bines, compelled Mrs. Younger to set fire to her own house and she was then held a captive until the last timber was consumed. There was a deep snow on the ground at the time, and through this the poor woman trudged three miles to a neighbor's house for shelter, 7 98 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Some time after the burning of her house, Mrs. Younger removed to the home of her brother-in- law, Lycurgas Jones, in Clay county. Stung to desperation by such persecutions, James Younger, though only fifteen years of age, joined Quantrell, with the ho*pe of being able to avenge his mother's wrongs. But this only resulted in addi- tional sorrow, for, in the following year, James was captured at the fight in Kentucky, where Quantrell met his death, and was confined in the military prison at Alton, Illinois, until June, 1866. The exposure and dreadful suffering Mrs. Younger had endured for more than two years completely wrecked her health, and she fell a prey to that in- sidious monster, consumption. Cole went to Texas, after the war, for the purpose of preparing his mother another home, but she was too feeble for removal, and the closing scene of her latterly wretched life occurred on the 10th of May, 1870. A BITTER WINTER AND PERSISTENT SKIRMISHING. The winter of 1862-3 will exist in chronology as one of the most bitterly cold periods of history. Everything was literally frozen up, and north^of the Mason and Dixon line the militia lay in enforced in- activity. Cole Younger, with forty of his men, hi- bernated in the Sny hills with " dug outs " for THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 99 protection. These buildings consisted of an exca- vation in the ground, covered with ridge-pole and brush supporting a layer of earth. Here the month of January was spent, predatory incursions being made every few days for forage and provisions; but in February the weather moderated to such an extent as permitted the guerrillas to resume operations. Quantrell visited Richmond and applied for a com- mission, which the Confederate Secretary of War refused on account of the reputation the renowned guerrilla had acquired by his merciless warfare. Upon his return to camp offensive measures were renewed. On the 8th of February, Cole Younger and his command fell on thirty Federal cavalrymen under Lieutenant Jefferson, three miles west of Pleasant Hill. The fight was a terrible one, notwithstanding the superior force of the guerrillas. Younger led the attack and struck the Federals furiously, but Jefferson proved a hero and stemmed the onslaught so bravely that the guerrillas were checked, but only for a moment, when Bill Hulse, one of the best car- bine shots in the service, shot the heroic lieutenant and the impetuous charge which followed swooped up and swept out into eternity all but four of the Federals, who escaped by superior horsemanship. The guerrillas' loss was only five men. It was this year, 1863, which gave to the war Bill Anderson, a name clustering with terrors like Medu- sa's head, and Frank and Jesse James threw off their ioo THE BORDER OUTLAWS. youth and leaped into the dreadful vortex of battle and slaughter. Long fighting with no source from whence to re- cruit, gradually reduced the guerrillas, and their policy was changed from attacking superior forces to waylaying squads, shooting pickets, capturing mail couriers, and harassing the enemy without exposing themselves. The unmerciful, inhuman cruelties per- petrated by the guerrillas during this year can never be measured. Anderson taught his men that mercy wa.s unmanly, that compassion was a crime in the eyes of heaven. Meeting non-combatants, couriers, or furloughed militia, it was an inflexible rule to kill them ; every cross-path had its victim, and the high- ways were fairly drunk with blood. Near Westport, in the latter part of June, Jarrette and Gregg, with ten men, approached an old-time country tavern kept by a good-natured old man named Hudson. It was after dark, and Gregg was the one to raise the landlord. " Hello 1 " shouted the stern guerrilla. Old man Hudson got up and appeared at the door in his night-gown. " Hello ! " responded the land- lord. " We want to stay all night, old man, and being very tired and hungry we would like some supper," spoke Gregg. " Well, gentlemen," replied Mr. Hudson, " I can have some supper set for you, but I am very sorry to say that every bed in my house >is occupied, and even the barn loft is full." THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 101 At this the guerrillas passed around the house and soon found that the old man was entertaining a dozen Federal cavalrymen. Proceeding cautiously, four of them climbed up into the stable loft and there found three sleeping Federals. It was the work 6f a mo- ment to cut their throats and consummate the dread- ful deed before an alarm was given. The guerrillas then went to the house, and being admitted, they seized old man Hudson and cut his throat, after which they found their victims sleeping soundly, and like cattle led to the slaughter every Federal in the house was mercilessly murdered and left in that dreamless sleep, flooded with their own blood. What a direful sight, and what anguish was that which fell upon the family of that hospitable old man! Alone in their solitary habitation with none for company save the now bloodless corses of father, husband and twelve clothed in the uniforms which proved their funeral cerements. Added to this the torch was applied with the double hope of hiding the crime and de- stroying that whereby the others left of that house- hold lived. It is proper to state here, however, that Cole Younger had no connection whatever with this infamous outrage, and that he condemned the perpe- trators as violently as human being could. Following fast upon this massacre came many others. Bill Anderson, the prairie vulture, was in the saddle and killing defenceless men everywhere. He neither asked for quarter nor gave any ; his mis- sion was to slay and spare not. No ropes were 102 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. required, the pistol was quicker, or the knife more certain. Near Olathe Anderson struck a squad of infantry, and by surprising them put to death every one. Two days afterward he came upon twelve men driving wagons loaded with corn ; they were not told to pray, nor would time have been given had they asked it; twelve men tumbled Off their wagons and fell in the roadway with pistol balls in their heads. The corn and wagons were burned and the horses appropriated. But the killing was not all on the side of the guer- rillas; the Federals adopted a similar mode of war- fare and the policy was to kill man for man. Philip Bucher was shot at his home in Westport by order of Maj. Ransom, the wife of the doomed man clinging to his neck begging for his life. Henry Rout was hung in plain view of his house ; and then the shoot- ing and hanging continued without the straining of mercy even by either side. The execution of men, and women too, had be- come so common that both sides seemed to vie with each other in the demonstration of their brutal in- stincts. It was this unmerciful warfare which led at last to the holocaust at Lawrence. More than three hundred rnen had been gathered together by Quan- trell for the express purpose of desolating that town and capturing the vast wealth known to be accumu- lated there. That the acquisition of this treasure was the prime object of the attack, was frankly ad- mitted to the writer by one of the chief participants in that matchless raid. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 103 It was on the 21st of August, 1863, that the chief of evil, Quantrell, descended upon that peaceful Kansas tewn, and with pistol, sword and torch massacred the defenceless inhabitants, plundered homes, banks and stores, filled the streets with blood, and then to complete the desolation applied the fire brands until the streets blended with the buildings in one vast block of lurid flames. The very soul grows sick at the contemplation of such infamies, such crimes as pollute the very name of humanity, and make us almost wish we were not men, to have to bear the odium which such dreadful deeds imposes on our race. After the terrible work was completed, Quantrell, gathering all the money and valuables he could se- cure, turned his face again towards Missouri ; but the return march was accompanied by hardships scarcely anticipated; the militia swarmed on his trail and struck him right and left ; his columns were broken and scattered ; not a moment for rest was permitted, and he gained Missouri only by separating and let- ting each man look to his own safety. Many of the guerrillas never returned to their homes again, for in the continued retreat and fighting, more than a score were left dead on the prairies. When the guerrillas left Lawrence, they carried with them money and valuables estimated at #3,000,000 ; this is the sum fixed by George Shepherd, but they reached Mis- souri with less than one-half that amount, the bal- ance being lost, in the retreat, out of saddle bags, sacks, etc., in which the treasure was carried, and on the persons of those killed. •otoi THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. to$ After Lawrence came the famous order of Gen. Ewing, requiring all the men in Bates, Vernon and Cass counties to abandon their property and report at once to the nearest military headquarters for ser- vice. The force of Federals increased rapidly through the instrumentality of this order, and Quan- trell found himself in desperate quarters, day and night. The warfare became even more cruel than before ; revenge was not satisfied by the mere killing, but extended frequently to the mutilation of the vic- tims. Squads were massacred almost daily, and life went for naught wherever found. The days of the guerrillas were numbering fast ; one by one they were shot out of the ranks, and gradually Quantrell felt the Federals, like the folds of the constrictor, gathering around him with more certain grip to crush his life out. On the iotll Oi' September, three weeks after Lawrence, the now straggling band was called together, and being clothed in the uniform of Federals, marched away from the old haunts to the South. On that march Quantrell had a brush at Baxter Springs, and drew off on account of superior forces; but, on the follow- ing day, he met Gen. Blunt with two hundred men, and being disguised, the guerrillas had an advantage which they made the most of, riding upon the unsus- pecting Federals and putting them to rout with se- vere loss. Lieutenant Cole Younger reported to Gen. E. Kirby Smith and, with a company of fifty men, went 106 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. into quarters at Bastrop, Louisiana. In the spring of 1864, he co-operated with a large force and did effective service for the Confederates in attacking small convoys and capturing supply trains. In the'early part of 1865, Cole Younger was com- missioned by the Confederate Secretary of War, to recruit a regiment in California. He took a small squad of men with him and on the route encountered some bands of Apache Indians, with whom he had several severe fights, losing half his men. When Lee surrendered, Cole was at Los Angeles'and, tak- ing that act as a final culmination of the war, he re- mained in California for several months, and then re- turned to Texas. James Younger joined the guerrillas in 1864, and was one of the command under Lieutenant George Shepherd. He was a brave soldier, and like Cole, preserved his honor by ever refusing to ill-treat a prisoner or commit a wrong on a woman ; both boys defended and assisted females, regardless of circum- stances, and their generosity and mercy is gratefully remembered by hundreds to-day, whose lives were spared and property saved, by the intercession of the Youngers. The history and remarkable adventures of the Younger Brothers since the war, will be found narra- ted in chronological order in the succeeding chapters. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 107 PROGRESS OF CRIMES WHICH THE WAR INAUGURATED. The evils begotten by intestine wars, like those of a seductive habit, increase by gradual insinuation until normal human nature is masked by a decision of character, whose prominent propensity is always evil. The bivouac on the field, the ambuscade, and the battle, with all its horrors of soul-sickening car- nage, do not represent the product of these multi- plied scourges of human life; they are often but the prelude to more desperate tragedies. The most sen- timental heart becomes calloused by contact with cruelties, and in the mellow days of innocence, the eye that would veil itself with the tears of compas- sion at the slightest object of suffering, may become so familiarized with the sight o/' crime, that at last, with clear and steel-cold vision, it springs to the aid of the hand that plunges a fatal dagger through the most guiltless heart. This is one of the consequen- ces of civil war. When the g§?at armies of the two estranged sections folded away their tents, replaced their weapons in the armories of the nation, and re- turned to the maize fields, that had grown tangled with the briers and growth which neglect cultivates, there were those in whose ears the tocsin of war echoed, like fresh peals, and those refused to aban- don an occupation of pillage and destruction, made congenial by long pursuit. It was the guerrilla and 108 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. jayhawker during the great conflict, who now created new fields of operations, and carved a highway to the scenes of fatal greed and bitter vengeance. Among this class, over whose head no longer floated a banner as an emblem of their principles, were the Younger Brothers. John and James had not reached a mature age, when the antipodal war closed its hor- rors and was hidden away under the sweet canopy of peace, but they had matured the wayward hopes of border heroism, and when the new time, or after- math of unlawful cruelties, was at hand, they joined their fortunes with those over whose persons there was no protecting panoply, and boldly took the step which, soon after, made them hunted outlaws. THE TERRIBLE "BLACK OATH." In the early organizations of the guerrillas, Quan- trell, whose shrewdness and military tact, find few parallels in history, adopted a measure which, though terrible in some of its« aspects, was like a salvation clause in his desperate warfare, and saved him and his band from extermination more than a hundred times. Quantrell would have been a Union man, so some of his comrades declare, but for the murder of his brother and almost fatal wounding of himself by a company of jayhawkers, in 1856, as he was traveling overland through Kansas for California. After Quantrell recovered from his deep and dread- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 109 ful wounds, thenceforth he sought for nothing except revenge ; his life he never cast up in the reckoning of his adventure, and extremities he cared nothing for. When men were enlisted under his command, by a magnetic power for dissipating fear and hero- izing the lovers of unmerciful warfare, he taught them how to play with dead men, and crave the most daring and hazardous undertakings. As a cap- sheaf of his instructions he invented the " Black Oath," black being the color he admired, because it suggested danger and death. It was never adminis- tered except after night, when the stars were faded and the sky hung heavy with ominous clouds ; or, when nature refused to lend her stygian curtain to such a drama, those qualified to administer the obli- gation repaired to the deepest shades, with the can- didates, and there imposed the ceremonies. The oath was as follows : " The purpose of. war is to kill ! God himself has made it honorable, in the defence of principles, for did he not cast Lucifer out of heaven, and relegate rebellious angels to the shades of hell ! The love of life cannot be measured, under two conditions : one is, when our surroundings are happy and our attachments numerous ; the other is, when our liberties are subjugated, peace destroyed, and every- thing we hold most dear torn from us, until we realize that contentment, love, hope, have forever vanished. We fight that the former condition may be regained, and we fight because the latter leaves us no other occupation. " You have voluntarily signified a desire to cast your fortunes with us ; by so doing remember that our purpose is to tear down, lay waste, despoil and kill our enemies ; mercy belongs to sycophants and emasculated soldiers, it is 1 10 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. no part of a fighter's outfit ; to us it is but a vision repug- nant to our obligations and our practices. We recognize but one power to separate us in the hour of peril, and to succor one another at all hazards, we have pledged our- selves more sacredly, and are bound by ties much stronger than honor can impose. With this understanding of what will be required of you, are you willing to proceed ? [The candidate assenting, the following oath is administered, be- ing repeated by the candidate as the initiatory officer speaks it slowly by broken sentences:] " In the name of God and Devil, the one to punish and the other to reward, and by the powers of light and darkness, good and evil, here, under the black arch of heaven's avenging symbol, I pledge and consecrate my heart, my brain, my body, and my limbs, and swear by all the powers of hell and heaven to devote my life to obedience to my superiors ; that no danger or peril shall deter me from exe- cuting their orders ; that I will exert every possible means in my power for the extermination of Federals, jayhawkers, and their abettors ; that in fighting those whose serpent trail has winnowed the fair fields and possessions of our allies and sympathizers, I will show no mercy, but strike, with an avenging arm, so long as breath remains. " I further pledge my heart, my brain, my body, and my limbs, never to betray a comrade ; that I will submit to all the tortures cunning mankind can inflict, and suffer the most horrible death, rather than reveal a single secret of this organization, or a single word of this, my oath. " I further pledge my heart, my brain, my body, and my limbs, never to forsake a comrade when there is hope, even at the risk of great peril, of saving him from falling into the hands of our enemies ; that I will sustain Quantrell's guer- rillas with my might and defend them with my blood, and, if need be, die with them ; in every extremity I will never withhold my aid, nor abandon the cause with which I now cast my fortunes, my honor and my life. Before violating a single clause or implied pledge of this obligation, I will pray to an avenging God and an unmerciful devil to tear THE YO UNGER BR O T1IERS. 1 1 1 out my heart and roast it over flames of sulphur; that my head may be split open and my brains scattered over the earth ; that my body may be ripped up and my bowels torn 'out and fed to carrion birds ; that each of my limbs may ' be broken with stones, and then cut off, by inches, that they may feed the foulest birds of the air ; and lastly, may my soul be given unto torment, that it may be submerged in melted metal and be stifled by the fumes of hell, and may this punishment be meeted out to me through all eternity, in the name of God and devil, Amen." At the conclusion of the oath, the candidate was turned successively to the east, west, north and south, while four men, clothed in red and black suits, and wearing hideous masks, representing the devil, drew their long, keen swords and presented them at the newly-made guerrilla, one pointing at his heart, another at the head, another at the abdomen and the other shifting his weapon from the arms and feet. This completed the ceremony and thenceforth the accepted comrade went forth on his mission of mas- sacre. THE FIRST BANK ROBBERY— AT LIBERTY, MISSOURI. The war had made the guerrillas expert in massa- creing repugnant citizens, and in appropriating the property of their victims. Many of the old crowd were banded together by the sinews of the "black oath," and scarcely had the smoke of battle been lifted up and assimilated with the refreshing dew 1 1 2 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. clouds of heaven before plans were matured for the robbing of country banks. On the 20th of January, 1866, the sheriff of Harri- son county attempted to execute a capias for the ar- rest of Bill Reynolds, in Pleasant Hill, who was under indictment for crimes committed during the war. Geo. Maddox and N. P. Hayes were in town at the time, and as the three were members of the same organization, resistance to the officer was made. It became necessary for the sheriff to summon a posse of citizens to his assistance. A fight in the opei street then ensued, ending in the death of Reynolds and Hayes and the capture of Maddox. Threats of an attack on the town by guerrillas were rumored, and for several days nearly every male citizen was bearing arms in anticipation of an attempt being made to liberate Maddox. The excitement was unabated in Pleasant Hill un- til the T4th of February, when the robbery of the Clay County Savings Association at Liberty, Mis- souri, was reported. The reason why rumors were so persistently circulated of an intended attempt to deliver Maddox, was now clearly understood to be for the purpose of making the surprise on Liberty more complete. Early in the morning of St. Valen- tine's day, a squad of the old guerrillas, numbering an even dozen, rode into Liberty from different direc- tions and meeting in the public square they disposed themselves as follows : three of the robbers were stationed some distance from the bank at eligible po- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. HJ sitions, which would most readily detect any central- izing attack or suspicious movement of the citizens ; the other nine rode directly up to the front of the bank, where two of the number dismounted and en- tered with drawn revolvers. The hour being early, luckily for the bandits there was no one in the bank except the cashier, Mr. Bird, and his son. A pistol was presented at the head of each, and under threats of instant death in case of refusal, Mr. Bird opened the bank vault from which the sum of seventy-two thousand dollars was taken and crammed into a pair of saddle bags carried for the purpose. As the rob- bers were regaining their horses for flight, Mr. Bird thrust his head out of a window and called to a little boy by the name of Wymore, whom he saw passing, telling him that a robbery had been committed and to raise the alarm. As the little fellow, not more than twelve years of age, raised the cry of " robbers ! help !" he was fired on by the bandits and fell dead with five fatal bullets in his body. The robbers then began firing indiscriminately and yelling with savage fury, so that for some time after the bandits had de- parted the citizens were too badly intimidated to think of pursuit. A posse, under the leadership of the sheriff, was organized about one hour afterward, however, and started out on a spirited chase. The trail led to Mount Gilead Church, where the evi- dence of bank-paper showed that the robbers had tarried a few moments to divide the spoils. It was also evident that the band had separated and taken 8 1 14 THE BORDER UTLA WS. various directions so as to elude pursuit, which they accomplished so effectively that not one of the bandits was apprehended. Jim White and J. F. Ed- munson were arrested in St. Joseph a short time afterward on suspicion, and a warrant was issued for Bill Chiles, their partner, but he escaped. The pre- liminary examination failed to disclose any evidence showing their complicity in the robbery, and they were promptly released, though to this day there are hundreds of good citizens who feel that Edmunson, Chiles and White were members of the gang. Among the bandits, positively recognized as partici- pants in the robbery, were Oil Shepherd, Red Mon- kers and Bud Pence, but they eluded the officers cleverly, and very soon the chase was abandoned. The excitement subsided and the event was partially for- gotten by the citizens, nearly all of whom were afraid to manifest any particular anxiety to bring the rob- bers to justice, because assassinations on the high- way, and even by the fireside, had become too familiar. The majority of Clay county residents believe that Cole Younger and the James Boys were the ones who conceived the robbery, and that it was under their orders it was perpetrated. It would be transgressing the duties of the writer, because preju- dice would be manifest, to unhesitatingly declare that the Younger Boys are responsible for the rob- bery. The trail is given and the reader left to draw his own conclusions, understanding that these out- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 115 laws deny any and all knowledge of the persons who committed the robbery. The sack of the Liberty bank was the first of the second series of guerrilla crimes, and being accom- plished with such perfect success, and the collection of a booty so considerable inspired many other sim- ilar surprises which will be related in their regular order. JOHN YOUNGER'S FIRST FIGHT. There never was a Younger, perhaps, who did not possess great courage, and this spirit was manifested in each of the boys at a remarkably early age. The brothers all matured rapidly, however, and in the years of adolescence, they were considered men be- cause of their size. In January, 1866, Cole Younger, while remaining near the scenes of his childhood, but yet ostracised, because of the part he took dur- ing the furious years of 61-65, had occasion to send his pistol to Independence for repairs, as the dog- spring was broken. John Younger, his brother, who was then only fourteen years of age, hitched up a team and drove to Independence, taking the pistol with him. The weapon was loaded, and in repair- ing it, the gun-smith allowed the loads to remain. Some time in the afternoon of the day in question, the exact date being forgotten, John got the pistol, paid for the repairs, and then walked up the street 1 16 THE BORDER O UTLA tVS. fronting the public square, where he entered a store, which already contained about a dozen country peo- ple. Among the number was an Irishman, named Gillcreos, who had only recently been released from jail, where he was confined for some offence. Gill- creos had been a Union soldier, and was nearly al- ways boasting of his soldier record. During the general conversation John Younger's name was called, and when Gillcreos learned that the boy be- fore him was a veritable brother of Cole Younger, he at once opened his batteries of abuse. John acted as though completely frightened, returning no answer to the epithets flung at him by the Irishman, and using every means to avoid a difficulty. Find- ing John so passive to insults, Gillcreos at length, without the slightest provocation, administered a se- vere kick to the peaceable boy. This was too much to bear. John showed the temper that was slumber- ing by saying : " If you do that again I'll kill you." Gillcreos immediately kicked John again, much harder than before. In an instant the pistol was out and fired, the ball striking the insulting Irishman directly in the heart and killing him, without a groan pro- ceeding from the victim's lips. After the shooting, John ran out of the store and, reaching his team, he quickly cut the lead-horse loose and mounting, rode away. On the following day, however, he was captured and taken back4:o Independence. Upon examining Gillcreos, after his death, a large THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 117 slung-shot was found on his wrist, and it was conclu- sively proven, at the preliminary trial, that the vic- tim, laboring under great excitement without proper cause, manifested a determination to kill John Younger, and would, undoubtedly, have killed the boy, had John failed to fire at the moment he did. The proof of justification was so overwhelming, that the youth was exhonorated by the coroner's jury, and the grand jury refused to review the evi- dence, considering the original verdict eminently just DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT JAIL DELIVERY. Joab Perry, an ex-guerrilla and notorious law- breaker, was arrested on the 10th of June and lodged in the jail at Independence. His character and as- sociations were such that an attempt at delivery was anticipated, and a strong guard was maintained about the jail. On the 14th, succeeding, five well-armed and mounted men rode into the town and proceeded directly to the jail, on which they made a desperate attack, and at the second fire the jailer was killed, while the bullet marks on the doors and windows about the jail, bore evidence of the skilful marks- manship of the attacking party. After firing about twenty shots, all of which were ineffectual, save the fatal bullet which killed the jailer, the party wheeled 1 18 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. their horses and rode swiftly out of town, having failed in this purpose to liberate their companion. The names of the five men were never given to the public, for the reason that every man in that section knew the desperate character of the Younger and James boys 'and their comrades; to have manifested any officious interference with these men was to in- vite their vengeance. It was this reason which pre- vented active measures, looking to the apprehension of the guerrilla, now outlaw band. THE LEXINGTON BANK ROBBERY. At high noon, on the 30th of October, 1866, five determined men visited Lexington, Missouri, and leisurely hitched their horses in an alley near the banking-house of Alexander Mitchell & Co. Two of the men walked into the bank, meeting the cash- ier, J. L. Thomas, in the door-way, who went behind the counter, to attend to the wants of the strangers. One of the men handed a #50 7-30 bond to the cashier with the request to have it changed. As Mr. Thomas* opened the cash drawer, two more of the robbers appeared at the door with drawn revolvers, the fifth man being left in charge of the horses. It was quick work now, for looking into the muzzles of four deadly pistols, the cashier was compelled to hand over all the money in the bank, #2,000, which being placed in a sack, the robbers coolly walked THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 119 out of the bank with a parting admonition to Mr. Thomas, that, if he raised any outcry, they would kill him. Mounting their horses, the robbers rode swiftly away, and it was more than an hour after the robbery before a pursuing party was organized. Twelve well-armed citizens started after the bandits and spent two days in a fruitless search for the despoilers. People began to consider the insecurity of country banks and the means for apprehending the daring outlaws ; meetings were held and various plans discussed, but in two weeks' time the outrage was almost forgotten. THE BANK ROBBERY AT SAVANNAH, MO. Six months had expired after the Lexington rob- bery, before another attempt was made to crack a bank and outrage the citizens of a village. The scars produced by the battles on the border were healing, and over the deepest wounds was forming a cicatrix of forgetfulness. Savannah is the capital seat of Andrew county, a thrifty little place, of twelve or fifteen hundred in- habitants, that had suffered but little from the blight of war. The place contained a small banking insti- tution, under the proprietorship of Judge McLain, with small capital. / On the 2nd of March, 1867, five ex-guerrillas, J. F. Edmunson, Jim White, Bill Chiles, Bud McDan- 120 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. ids, and a fellow named Pope, rode into Savannah in such a manner as indicated they were on import- ant business. It was nearly high noon, and no one was in the bank except the Judge and his son. The bandits rode up and four of them dismounted, leav- ing their horses in charge of the fifth man. As the four entered the bank with drawn pistols, the Judge looked earnestly over his spectacles, and at once comprehended the character of his customers. He slammed the door of the safe shut, and seizing a re- volver, which lay on the .bank counter, he met the bandits half-way, but his shots proved ineffectual, while a big navy pistol ball went tearing through his breast which made him sink to the floor as one death- stricken. Young McLain ran into the street and gaye the alarm, which brought many citizens to the rescue. The robber left in charge of the horses shouted for the return of his companions, who find- ing their position becoming very serious, mounted the ready horses and fled. A posse of twenty-five citizens went in pursuit of the bandits, a few minutes after their hasty depar- ture, and trailed them for a great distance. In the extreme north-west part of Missouri, the citizen squad definitely located Chiles and White, but the indica- tions were also too apparent that others of the band were in the same .neighborhood, so that, the posse did not have courage sufficient to attempt the capture. Pope and McDaniels were arrested near St. Joseph, Mo., on the 18th of March, but they were both so THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 121 well fortified with witnesses, who swore an alibi, and thus their release was accomplished, but despite the alibi, there were conclusive circumstances disclosed which left scarcely a possibility of doubt that they were members of the gang, and were accomplices in the attempted bank robbery at Savannah. Judge McLain's wound, though a desperate one, fortunately did not prove fatal, and, after*several weeks' suffer- ing and close confinement, he was enabled to resume his duties. THE ROBBERY AND BITTER FIGHT AT RICHMOND, MISSOURI. Comparative little excitement having been occa- sioned by the futile attempt to rob the Savannah bank, and finding their funds low, a plan was formed for the pillage of the bank at Richmond, Missouri. Accordingly, on the 23d of May a band of outlaws numbering fourteen men, made a descent on the place, headed by Peyton Jones, a well known guer- rilla during the war. They charged the place, shout- ing and firing their pistols at every person they could see. Six of the number, under the sheltering arms of their comrades, forced an entrance into the private bank of Hughes & Mason, from which they secured the sum of four thousand dollars. Mayor Shaw, a brave and efficient officer, seized a pistol and ran across the street where he hoped to concen- 1 22 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. trate a posse of citizens and give battle to the out- laws. The moment he was discovered, three of the bandits rode swiftly upon him, and though the brave mayor fired with what aim he could command, it was too imperfect, however, for execution, and he fell fighting in the street, with four bullets in his body. The robbers next began an attack upon the jail, which at that time held a number of prisoners whose arrest, it was claimed, was due to the expression of secession sentiment. The jailer, B. G. Griffin, and his son fifteen years of age, were at the jail, and they received their assailants with remarkable bravery. The boy stationed himself behind a tree and was emptying a revolver in the face of the outlaws, when he was. surrounded and shot to death. Mr. Griffin, seeing the fate of his brave boy, rushed up and standing over the lifeless body fought like the fren- zied man he was until, pierced by seven bullets, he fell dead across the bleeding and lifeless body of his son. By this time the citizens recovered their lost nerves, and from a score of windows there poured the rifle and pistol flame, yet throughout the combat not a single robber was harmed. This more desperate outrage than any previous- ly committed by the banditti, aroused the citizens of Richmond like a tocsin of war. A number of the outlaws had been recognized, and the sheriff and one hundred volunteer deputies determined to capture the gang. Business was entirely suspended for three days, until after the burial of the victims, and the THE YO UNGER BR O THERS. 1 2 3 heaviest capitalists in the district subscribed means and lent every possible influence to the effort devel- oped to apprehend the murderous robbers. War- rants were issued for the arrest of Jim and John White, Peyton Jones, Dick Burns, Ike Flannery, Andy McGuire and Allen Palmer. Why the name of the latter was included, it is difficult to tell, be- cause Palmer was at that time in Kansas City work- ing for J. E. Shawhan & Co. Neither the Yourtger nor James Boys were included in the capias, though that one or more of them were in the fight seems certain from the later testimony of reputable citizens of Richmond. Kansas City sent out a squad of eighteen men in pursuit of the robbers, and on the 26th, three days after the fight and robbery, they learned that Peyton, or Payne Jones,' as he was called, was stopping at the house of Mr. Evans, two miles west of Inde- pendence. The squad decided to capture Jones at night, that under cover of darkness they might sur- round him before discovery. When the shades of dusk appeared, the posse, taking Dr. Noland's little girl along as guide, proceeded cautiously on the highway to Mr. Evans' house. It was raining very hard and the darkness was almost impenetrable. Marshall Mizery, in charge of the squad, disposed his men around the house and was just about giving the word " close up," when Jones, aroused by some means not understood, as the squad had preserved the most perfect quiet, flung open the door and 124 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. leaped into the yard with a double-barreled shot-gun and two revolvers. The moment he struck the ground Jones discharged both barrels of the gun, killing a young man named B. H. Wilson and fatally wounding Dr. Noland's little daughter. After firing the gun Jones threw it away and made a rush for the woods one hundred yards distant. The extreme darkness and knowledge position of the surrounding men compelled the posse to withhold their fire lest they might kill some of their own number. Pur- suit was, however, given, and continued for more than two miles, but the extreme darkness only served to di- vide the party, and the fifty or more shots they fired might as well have been aimed at the inky clouds over- head. It was afterward claimed that Jones had re- ceived a slight wound in the shoulder, but this report was doubtless circulated to create a belief that the expedition had not resulted entirely fruitlessly, espe- cially as they were compelled to return to Kansas City with the dead, bodies of two of their own number. On the night following the attemp to capture Payne Jones, another party, of ten men from Rich- mond, caught Dick Burns, and without giving him time to pray, with reckless haste they hung him to a large tree in a lonely spot where it was thought the buzzards and crows would pick him before the vigi- lante's work was discovered, and so it transpired. Andy McGuire eluded pursuit for several weeks, but his time came at last. He was caught not far THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 12$ from Warrensburg by a small posse who knew him too well to allow any intercession of the law. They only decorated Andy with a new grass rope and hauled him skyward over the branch of a big oak, with the usual manifestation of sympathy. Although considerable time had elapsed after the attack on Richmond, yet the people did not allow their desire for revenge to cool ; they continued the pursuit, and every few days they learned the names of others connected with the daring and desperate outrage — there was hope for capturing the entire band. Tom Little was chased from cave to cave, over hills, into lonely places, and driven, at last, to take passage on the Fannie Lewis at Jefferson City. When the boat reached the warf at St. Louis, the chief of police, having been previously notified, grasped Little and kept him in the St. Louis jail for some time, for fear of lynching, if he were returned to Richmond. Afterward he was taken to War- rensburg, where, the citizens still remembering how Little and Bill Greenwood had, during the previous spring, robbed some of the largest stores and defied arrest, they took him from the jail and left his body oscillating from a large tree, as an example to law- breakers. Jack Hines and Bill Hulse were also suspected of complicity in the Richmond robbery, and they were so persistently haunted, that it became necessary for them to leave the country. So many were now de- 1 26 THE BORDER UTLA WS. clared connected with the robbery, and the efforts to accomplish their arrest were«o determined, that two or three counties became so excited, that it appeared, for a time, that another guerrilla war was to be in- augurated. The bitterest feelings prevailed and wayside assassinations became so frequent as to put every man in jeopardy. This condition of public insecurity continued for many months, and until sev- eral of the leading men of the affected counties or- ganized an effort for pacification, and made such ap- peals to the different elements as produced, at last, the desired effect, and ended a veritable vendetta. There were many persons, of course, who asserted that Cole Younger was in the robbery, and some even declared thai: he was in command of the band, but there is every evidence to show that he was in Texas at the time and was neither connected with, nor had any knowledge of the outrage. He was, in fact, preparing a home for his mother, where she might live so far removed from the scenes which bur- dened her with sorrows, that the memory of those dreadful deeds might not haunt her so vividly. THE RUSSELLVILLE BANK ROBBERY. The excitement in Missouri over the bank robber- ies and other outrages, known to have been perpe- trated by the same organized band of outlaws, kept the officers of country banks in a state of anxious THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 127 anticipation for a considerable period of time. This fact being realized by the bandits, they concluded to carry their adventures into other fields. Kentucky, therefore, became the objective point, the selection being made because of a residence in that State by some of the outlaws, which familiarized them with many sections, and thus enabled them to strike with better results and with surer chances for escape. Accordingly, the band left Missouri in the early part of 1868, and took up quarters in Nelson county, Kentucky, where a plan was formed to rob the bank at Russellville, the county seat of Logan county. This place is located in a very rich district in the State, and has a population of about three thousand souls ; the country around was known thoroughly to George Shepherd, one of the band, who resided near the town at the time and for two or three years be- fore the robbery was committed. The particulars of the bank plundering are graphically given by a cor- respondent in the Nashville Banner of March 22d, as follows : "About ten days ago, a man calling himself Col- burn, and claiming to be a cattle dealer, offered to sell to Mr. Long a 7-30 note of the .denomination of #500. As none of the coupons had been cut off, and the stranger, who pretended to be from Louis- ville, where the notes were worth a premium, offered it at par and allowed interest, Mr. Long became suspicious and refused to take it. On the 1 8th he returned again and asked Mr. Long to change him a 12$ Tff£ BORDER OUTLAWS. $\00 bill. He was accompanied by a man of forbid- ding aspect, and suspecting the note to be counter- feit, Mr. Long declined changing it. On the 20th, about 2 P. m., as Mr. Long, Mr. Barclay, clerk in the bank, and Mr. T. H. Simmons, a farmer living near Russellville, were sitting behind the counter, Colburn and another man rode up to the door, hitched their horses and entered the bank, three companions re- maining outside. They asked for change for a $50 note. Mr. Long pronounced it counterfeit, but was about making a more careful examination, when Col- burn drew a revolver, placed its muzzle against his head, and cried out, * Surrender !' Mr. Long wheeled around and sprang toward the door leading into a room in the rear of the banking office. He hoped thus to make his exit from the building and give the alarm. He was, however, anticipated by one of the robbers, who intercepted him at the door already mentioned, placed a pistol within six or eight inches of his head and fired, without having uttered a word. The ball did no greater injury than grazing Mr. Long's scalp for about two inches, tearing away the hair and flesh, but not fracturing the skull. Mr. L. seized hold of the weapon, and made an effort to wrench it from his assailant, but the robber succeed- ed in regaining possession of his pistol. He imme- diately commenced to beat Mr. Long over the head with the butt, and, after a few furiously dealt blows, felled him to the floor. The latter, however, sprang to his feet and again got hold of the pistol, just as THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 129 the robber was about to cock it for the purpose of giving him the finishing touch. During the scuffle which now took place, Mr. Long managed to reach the back door of the rear room. Here he concen- trated his almost exhausted strength into a final ef- fort, freed himself from the clutches of the robber, sprang through the door and closed it after him. He then ran around toward the front part of the build- ing, shouting for assistance. When he reached the street, he found two men sitting on their horses be- fore the entrance to the bank. They were all armed with Spencer's rifles and pistols, and were shooting up and down the street at all citizens who came within range. As Mr. Long ran by, they also fired twelve or fifteen' shots at him, but, fortunately, with- out effect. " Inside the bank, while Mr. Long was struggling with the fellow above mentioned, and before Messrs. Barclay and Simmons could rise from their seats, the latter were confronted by Colburn and his compan- ion with cocked revolvers and threats of instant death in case the least show of resistance was made. Neither of the gentlemen was armed and they had to accept the situation with the best grace they could command. As soon as Mr. Long made his retreat by the back door, his antagonist returned to the banking office and assisted in the work of plunder. One of the robbers stood guard over Messrs. Bar- clay and Simmons, while Colburn and the other proceeded to clean out the establishment. They 9 1 30 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. appeared to have an exact knowledge of its re- sources. As was afterward ascertained, Colburn had made some cautious inquiries as to its capital, de- posits, etc., and we have already shown that his previous visits had enabled him to make a thorough inspection of the interior. In the cash drawer they found over nine thousand dollars in currency. From the vault, the door of which was standing open, they took several bags of gold and silver. This specie consisted principally of dollars, half-dollars and quarters, and had been placed in the bank on special deposit by several of the neighboring farmers. The amount has never been ascertained, but it will not, we understand, exceed five thousand dollars. Sev- eral private boxes which were on a shelf in the vault and contained bonds were broken open, but none of the bonds were carried off — doubtless because of a fear that they had been registered and would lead to the detection of the robbers. Two robbers kept guard outside while the work of pillaging was going on, and, though the alarm had spread, kept the citi- zens at bay until a Mr. Owens had the courage to begin firing upon them with a pistol. He was seri- ously but not dangerously wounded. Finally the sentinels became alarmed and called for their ac- complices inside to come out. They quickly com- plied, bringing^with them saddle-bags crammed with gold and greenbacks. " They were greeted with a heavy volley by a squad of citizens who were advancing up the street. All THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 131 were soon in their saddles, and, at a signal from Colburn, the party dashed at full speed out of town by the Gallatin pike. Many a leaden missile was sent after them, but beyond the report that one had his arm broken, there is no ground for supposing that any of the shots took effect. Ten minutes later, some forty citizens, mounted on such animals as they could collect from buggies, wagons and hitching- posts, started in hot pursuit. All the advantage, except in point of numbers, was with the robbers. They rode splendid horses, and were as completely armed and equipped as the most daring and accom- plished highwayman 1 >uld desire. Five miles from Russellville the trail was lost in the woods, nor was anything heard of Colburn and his men until the 2 1st, when a dispatch was received here stating that they had crossed the Louisville and Nashville Rail- road early in the morning, near Mitchellsville. "Detective Bligh, of Louisville, was called into the case, and he followed the trail away to the south for seventy-five miles, where it suddenly vanished in Nelson county. One or two of the gang had been recognized by parties on the road, and it took but a very little time to ascertain their associates and friends. Bligh, with another officer named Wm. Gallagher, and some Nelson county people, first raided the house of George Shepherd, who was liv- ing in Nelson county. George surrendered after a fight, seeing that he had no chance for escape. He was taken back to Logan county, convicted and 132 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. served three years. The arrest of George Shep- herd had been first made because he was by him- self, the others of the gang having been traced to another part of the county. On gathering a posse to capture them, it was found that news of George Shepherd's arrest had gone ahead, and his cousin, Oil Shepherd, had immediately started for Missouri with two or three comrades. Inquiry easily devel- oped information that Jesse James and Cole Younger went with him. It was then satisfactorily shown that Cole must have been the man who called him- self Colburn at the bank. It was also found that Jesse James had been "visiting " in Logan county a few weeks before. At that time Jim Younger and Frank James were a hundred times more notorious in Kentucky than Cole and Jesse, because the latter two had not done the State with Quantrell. It was a natural thing then on finding that Jesse and Cole had gone with Shepherd, for the detectives to claim that the other boys were in it too, especially as no trace of a James or Younger could be found any- where in Nelson county where they had been stop- ping off and on for a year. So the cry of the ' Jamses and Youngers ' was raised. More careful investiga- tion developed the fact that on the day of the rob- bery, Jesse James was at his hotel in Nelson county. He was slowly recovering from an old wound which would not heal and made it imprudent for him to ride on horseback on any violent trip. " The romantic version of the raid is that it was un- THE YO UNGER BROTHERS. 1 33 dertaken to procure funds to send him on a sea voy- age. Frank James had gone to California some months before." " Bligh followed the retreating raiders till he was satisfied of their destination, and then sent word to the Jackson county, Missouri, authorities to look out for them. Oil Shepherd made a quick trip of it and on arriving, was waited upon by a sheriffs posse. As they summoned him to surrender he broke for the brush and got about twenty bullets, which finished him. The rest of the party were heard from a day or two later and as better informa- tion had then been obtained, Bligh and Gallagher went over with requisitions for Cole Younger, Jesse James, John Jarrette and Jim White, who were claimed to be the active assistants of the Shepherds. However, the news of Oil Shepherd's death had given them warning to keep out of the way. The Younger residence was raided, but only the young- sters, John and Bob, were found at home. The bal- ance of the band were never arrested. Bligh still holds that Jesse James was accessory to the job, though he admits he was 75 miles away when it oc- curred." There are several facts connected with the Rus- sellville robbery which the correspondence, quoted above, perverts. Colburn, as he rightly suspicions, was Cole Younger, but whatever detective Bligh ad- mits, respecting Jesse James' absence at the time, it is now positively known that both Jesse and Frank 1 34 THE BORDER UTLA WS. James were active participants in the pillage of that bank. George Shepherd, while he would not positively state who his accomplices were in the robbery, yet gave the writer some information from which conclu- sions were readily reached. Instead of being cap- tured at his home in Nelson county, Shepherd states that he was chased nearly seven hundred miles ; that he believed pursuit had been abandoned, and upon going into a drug store in a small town in Tennes- see, three men jumped upon him suddenly and pin- ioned his arms before he could make any resistance. Shepherd further told the writer that, before this capture, he had resolved never to be taken alive, but that, the peculiar circumstances of his arrest pre- vented him from carrying out his resolve. During the period of his penitentiary service, Shepherd made his escape and succeeded in getting nearly thirty miles from the prison, but was recaptured and compelled to serve his time. The Russellville band consisted of Cole and Jim Younger, Jesse and Frank James, and George and Oil Shepherd. KE TRAGIC RESULTS OF A HORSE RACE. After the escape from Russellville the band di- vided up and Cole Younger went to Bastrop, Louisi- ana, where, for a time, he was stationed during the THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 135 war, and had a few acquaintances. He took with him South a blooded horse which, though ill in ap- pearance, had developed extraordinary speed. Cole was a horse racer, and, in fact, he never hesitated to lay a wager on either cards or horses, having a marked penchant for gambling. While spending a few months in Louisiana among the sporting fraternity, a horse race was proposed ; in fact, it was an every Saturday recreation, and Cole was there with his long-coupled, limber-legged, swaggering-gaited horse. Out of derision, several sports bantered Cole for a race, to which he readily consented, amid the hoots of the crowd. A long- haired, wealthy planter, with a clean cut and noted racer of the neighborhood, was Cole's antagonist. The amount of the stakes was #1,000 which was de- posited with a man on the ground, an entire stranger to Cole, but he never anticipated any unfairness. Everything being in readiness, the horses were brought up to the starting point,* Cole riding his own horse, and they were sent off fairly together. It was a half-mile stretch over an excellent track and for the first quarter the animals kept neck and neck, but on the last quarter Cole's horse gathered up his coup- ling, straightened himself, and was throwing dust in the eyes of his antagonist, winning in fine style, when a fellow jumped out in front of Cole's horse and threw a red blanket across the track. The re- sult was, what the fellow anticipated, Cole's horse broke the track and cut across the open field, thereby losing the race. 136 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Cole did not say a word to the jockey, but, reining up his horse, he rode back to the starting point and claimed a foul. The crowd made sport of his claim, derided his horse and flung epithets at him. Seeing that it was the intention of the racers to defraud him, Cole first appealed vainly to the judges and then to the stake-holder ; the latter party laughed in his face and then delivered the stakes to the Southerner, whose horse had won by such outrageous trickery. Cole's face grew paler than usual, his brow lowered and his lips became nervous ; it was evident there was a struggle within him and that there was just a moment of irresolution. He remained perfectly still on his horse for nearly a minute, receiving the de- risive banters of the crowd, and then he turned part- ly in the saddle, drew two navy revolvers and opened fire ; the first shot killed the stake-holder, and the two judges fell next under his steady aim, while in quick succession, five others received terrible wounds, from which three of them never recovered. The laugh quickly faded from the lips of those who thought they were plucking a harmless and ig- norant Missourian, and in the place of funds for a rollicking spree, there were dead men awaiting bur- ial, and others ready for the surgeon's care. After the slaughter Cole rode swiftly away, with none to pursue him, and made direct for Missouri, which he reached in the latter part of June, and di- rectly thereafter went to California in company with Frank James. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS, 137 ROBBING THE GALLATIN, MISSOURI, BANK. More than eighteen months elapsed after the Russellville robbery before the desperate bandits were again heard of by the public. Cole Younger and Frank James spent more than one year of this time in California with their relatives. Their deeds were so far forgotten as to be remembered only in the traditions of what were called " stirring times." The country banks had relaxed their vigilance, and detectives, anxious to pluck honors by bringing noted criminals to justice, looked no longer toward the border bandits. Suddenly, and with a surprise which shook society like a social earthquake, the outlaws returned to their old haunts in Missouri, and descended like some terrible avalanche upon the Daviess County Savings Bank at Gallatin. It was but a fragment of the old crowd, however, Cole Younger and the James Boys, the most desperate trio that guerrilla warfare ever gave birth to. It was on the 7th of December, 1869, when the three rode leisurely into Gallatin and stopped in front of the bank. Cole and Jesse dismounted, leaving Frank with the horses and to keep the outside clear of interference. In the bank, at the time, was a young man named McDowell making a deposit, and Capt John W. Sheets, the cashier. Jesse James threw a one hundred dollar bill on the counter and 1 38 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. asked the cashier to give him small change in return, Capt. Sheets took the bill, walked back to the safe, took out a handful of money, and, returning to the counter, was in the act of counting out the change, when Cole Younger suddenly thrust a navy revolver forward and commanded the cashier to surrender to them the keys of the inner cjoors of the safe, the outer ones being open. Before the startled McDow- ell could recover from his astonishment, he found the deadly revolver of Jesse James covering his person, and was forced to consider himself a prisoner. Cole Younger went behind the counter, plundered the safe and till, and secured in all about seven hundred dollars in currency. After rifling the safe, there was a whispered consultation, and the next moment Jesse James turned and deliberately shot Capt. Sheets dead. Meantime one or two persons who had come to the bank on business had been driven away by the confederate outside, and this, together with the sound of the pistol shots, had caused an alarm to be given. The whole transaction occupied but a few minutes, but by the time the robbers emerged from the bank, a dozen citizens had snatched up various weapons and were moving up the street toward the bank. Frank James called out to his comrades, his cry being answered by the immediate appearance of Jesse and Cole, who rushed out of the bank. The horses, spirited animals, were headed for flight, and affright- ed by the shouts of the advancing crowd, Jesse's horse gave a plunge just as he, with one foot in THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 139 he stirrup, had made an effort to mount. The sud- denness of the horse's movement completely dis- comfited the robber, who fell to the ground and was dragged about thirty feet head downwards with one heel fast in the stirrup. By that time, however, he succeeded in disengaging himself. For a second he lay prone on the ground, while the fractious steed went careering away in the distance. The crowd of citizens began to open a lively fusillade, but Frank James instantly wheeled and rode back to his dismounted brother, who leaped up behind him, and away they went together. Less than ten minutes had elapsed when the citizens were mounted in pur- suit, and they must soon have overtaken the over- loaded horse that was carrying double. It so happened, however, that about a mile southwest of town the fugitives met Mr. Dan Smoot riding an ex- cellent saddle-horse. Without a moment's hesitation they rode up to him, and with the muzzle of a re- volver an inch from his nose, requested him to dismount. Of course he took to the bush with great alacrity, and the three bandits were once more thor- oughly equipped. They appeared to have had little fear for the result after this. Between Gallatin and Kidder they talked with several persons, boasting of what they had done. On nearing Kidder they met Rev. Mr. Helm, a Methodist minister. They pressed him into service by the use of the usual persuasion, the revolver, and made him guide them around so that they could avoid the town. On leaving him 140 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. one of them told Mr. Helm that he was Bill Ander- son's brother, and that he killed S. P. Cox, if he hadn't made a mistake in the man. He claimed that this was an act of vengeance for the death of his brother Bill. The pursuing posse followed hot upon the heels of the fugitives, who were once or twice almost in sight. About six miles south of Kidder they took to the woods, going toward the Missouri river, and there their woodcraft and the approach of night enabled them to escape. The horse which had escaped and so nearly killed Jesse in front of the bank, was held by the sheriff of Daviess county. The escaping rob- bers were traced across into Clay county, and the abandoned horse, according to an account in the Kansas City Times, of December 16, 1869, was fully identified as the property of "a young man named James, whose mother and step-father live about four miles from Centreville, Clay county, near the Cam- eron branch of the Hannibal and St. Joe Railroad." The account adds that " both he and his brother are desperate men, having had much experience in horse and revolver work." The most careful inquiry was made in order to leave no question as to the identity of the robbers, and it is still held that there was no doubt about Frank and Jesse James and Cole Young- er being the trio. As soon as it was definitely ascertained who the men were and where they lived, two of the citizens of Gallatin, thoroughly armed and mounted, rode THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 141 away to Liberty, Clay county, where they called on Mr. Tomlinson, the deputy sheriff, and stated what they knew about the three outlaws, and what they had done in Gallatin. Tomlinson, accompanied by his son and the two pursuers from Gallatin, started at once for Dr. Samuels' house, the step-father of the brothers James. This house is some 20 miles from Liberty. Approaching it, some strategy was displayed. The Gallatin detachment watching it from the side next the woods, the Liberty detach- ment — father and son — dismounted at the gate in front of the house and walked very deliberately up to the door. Before reaching it, however, a little negro boy ran past them and on to the stable, and just as he got there, the door opened suddenly, and out dashed the two brothers on splendid horses, with pistols drawn, and took the lot fence at a swing- ing gallop. The Gallatin party, from the fence above, opened fire on sight ; the sheriff and his son followed suit ; the brothers joined in at intervals, and then the chase began. To mount and away in pursuit was with Tomlinson but the work of a few seconds, and he dashed on after the robbers. His horse alone of all the horses ridden in pursuit would take the fence, and so while the rest of the party were dis- mounting and pulling off top rails, Mr. Tomlinson was riding like the wind after the two brothers. He gained upon them, well mounted as they were. He fired several times at them and they at him, but the rate of speed was too great for accuracy. Carried 142 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. on by the ardor of the chase, Mr. Tomlinson soon found himself far in advance of the supporting col- umn and, in fact, hotly pursuing two desperadoes with no weapon to rely upon except an empty re- volver. Just what happened will probably never be known, as there were no witnesses except the princi- pals. A short time afterward, however, Mr. T. came back to Dr. Samuels' house on foot, having evidently made a forced march through the brush. He bor- rowed a horse and started for Centreville. He had hardly been gone ten minutes,' when the two James boys returned to the house, and on learning that he had had the cheek to come back there, they went after* him, swearing they would kill him. They missed him, however. The horse he had first ridden was afterward found shot dead. Tomlinson reached Liberty about ten o'clock that night, and found the town in considerable excitement over the report that he had been killed. His posse having lost track of him, had returned to Liberty and circulated the re- port. Tomlinson's story about the affair was that he found he could not hit the boys from a running horse, and so he dismounted to get one deliberate shot. The outlaws subsequently told some of their friends that when they found only one man close to them they turned on him and killed his horse, where- upon he plunged into a thicket, and they were will- ing enough to let him get away, but they had no idea he would go to their home for a fresh horse. Of THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 143 course the whole country turned out after this, to catch the Jameses, but they were not caught. The robbery was, perhaps, the most remarkable of all that have been done by the Missouri bandits, partly because only three men were engaged in it, and part- ly, because of the utter wantonness of the murder committed. In justice to Cole Younger, let it be said, that he not only denied any participation in this outrage, but there are hundreds of persons who have announced their readiness to make oath that Cole was not in Missouri at the time of the robbery. Both the James boys also offered to prove alibis, but it is almost cer- tain they were the perpetrators of the pillage and murder. The proof is much less convincing respect- ing Cole's participation. The account of the rob- bery as here given, is in conformity with the gener- ally accepted belief of the people in and about Gal- latin. THE HANGING OF JOHN YOUNGER. After the first charges of robbery were preferred against Cole and James Younger, there was no time in which they could neglect a vigilant watch, for de- tectives were in constant pursuit, and armed bands of vindictive border residents were almost constantly prowling about the Younger residence, with the hope of catching Cole, especially. In the early part of 144 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. 1870, only a few months before the death of Mrs. Younger, a squad of twelve men, supposed to be Kansas vigilants, stole upon the Younger residence during the night, in pursuance of information re- ceived that Cole and Jim were at home. Upon for- cibly entering the house, they found only John Youn- ger and his sisters ministering to the needs of their dying mother. The scene was one of extraordinary sadness and would have caused, it would seem, the most callous heart to bleed with sympathy. Mrs. Younger had suffered so much by the havoc of war and the passions of infamous men, that her health gave way and she fell a victim to that slow, but cer- tain destroyer, consumption. When the squad en- tered the house with rattling spurs and aspects fiercer than the arms they bore, the wretched mother lay like one in the grasp of death ; the sunken eyes t hectic cheeks and emaciated form, around which gathered those who realized how soon they would be motherless, was that " touch of nature which makes the whole world kin." Singular as it appears, the armed posse took no heed of the tread of death which might have been heard in the room ; their aspects were not softened by sympathy, and their purpose was inflexible ; they meant to kill. The house was examined but no traces of Cole or Jim Younger were discovered ; de- mands made upon John and his sisters respecting the whereabouts of their outlaw brothers, were, of course, treated with ignorance. But the squad, determined T//E YOUNGER BROTHERS. i 4 J not to be deceived, forcibly took John away from the bedside of his mother and carried him to the barn ; here they attempted to extort from him the informa- tion they sought, first by threats, and failing in this they resorted to torture. A noose was thrown around the unfortunate boy's neck and run over a rafter; he was then drawn up and left suspended until his face grew black. The poor fellow was then let down and again asked to reveal the hiding place of his brothers. Still declaring that he did not know, the squad again suspended him as before; three times this cruel treatment was repeated; the last •time he was allowed to hang so long that the rope lacerated his neck, and when they let him down he was unconscious. After recovering somewhat, the now infuriated mob had recourse to their knives; with these they cut and slashed the boy, finally leav- ing him apparently dead. For several hours he lay unconscious and bleeding in the barn before his sis- ters discovered him, they being compelled to remain in the house when their brother was carried away. It was several weeks before John recovered from the wounds he had received, and during his conva- lescence Mrs. Younger died, and then the family was indeed wrecked. To escape further persecution, John Younger went to Texas where his other broth- ers had preceded him some time before, and for a short time he clerked in a grocery store in Dallas. 10 146 THE BORDER QUTLAWS. THE MURDER OF SHERIFF NICHOLS. During his residence in Texas, John Younger formed the acquaintance of a large number of ques- tionable characters, and under their influence he was led into the commission of a crime which he has bitterly repented of a thousand times. The particu- lars concerning the murder of the sheriff of Dallas county, by John Younger, have been given so many times and with such variance that it is impossible now to relate the circumstances without incorpo- rating some mistatements. John Younger's story makes the deed one of justifiable homicide, while others declare it to have been a cold-blooded mur- der. In the absence of a reasonable motive, it is impossible for the writer to believe that the murder was committed without cause. Following is be- lieved to be the most reliable version: On the night of January 15, 1871, John Younger, in company with several associates, was in a saloon in Dallas kept by Joe Krueger; the crowd had been drinking rather freely, and their conversation finally turned on who was the best pistol shot in the party. In the saloon at the time was an old besotted wretch who went by the euphonious title of " Old Blue ;" whiskey had destroyed his manhood and produced a physical wreck. His only desire was for whiskey, and to obtain this he would hesitate at nothing. John Younger professed to be a crack shot with a pistol, and at length bet the crowd a treat that he THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 147 could shoot a pipe out of " Old Blue's " mouth at the space of ten steps. The old fellow was sitting in a chair half drunk when the proposition was made, and shook his head in doubt but, said noth- ing. One of the men accepted the bet, and to get " Old Blue " to stand the fire, he was given two glasses full of whiskey. The space was measured off in the saloon, and the old sot was propped up in the corner witft a pipe in his mouth, his head had been steadied by lying back between two beer kegs. John Younger then took position and, aim- ing as deliberately as his condition would allow, fired. " Old Blue " gave a snort as the bullet cut off the end of his nose and the blood streamed from the wound in great profusion. He yelled murder, and nothing would pacify him, not even the offer of a barrel of whiskey. The crowd soon after broke up and went home, leaving the old man to take care of himself. On the following day, at the suggestion of some official persons, " Old Blue " swore out a warrant against John Younger, charging him with attempt to commit murder. The sheriff of the county, Capt. S. W. Nichols, who was a former resident of Mis- souri and an officer in*he Confederate service, took the warrant himself and served it on Younger. John received the sheriff very affably, but when the war- rant for arrest was read, he began to reflect seriously about submitting. The reputation of the Younger Boys was well known in Texas, and John concluded T48 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. at once that if he became a prisoner that other charges would be preferred against him by his ene- mies. Contemplating his position for a moment, John Younger made answer : " All right, Captain, just as quick as I get my breakfast I'll come over to your office." This reply did not exactly satisfy the sheriff, though he said nothing, concluding to remain and watch the house until Younger came out, at the same time entertaining fears that some trouble was immi- nent. Back of the place where John was boarding, there was a livery stable, and after eating his break- fast, he passed out at the back way and had reached the stable, where he inquired for a horse, when the sheriff espied him. As he ran, Nichols drew his pis- tol and commanded John to halt, but, instead of obeying, Younger ran through the stable and was passing out at the rear door, when the sheriff fired at him. Finding himself headed off by a blind alley, John turned and, drawing his pistol, forbid the fur- ther approach of the. sheriff. By this time consider- able excitement had been created and a merchant of the place seized a loaded shot-gun and joined in the pursuit. Finding escape imr*>ssible, while the sher- iff was shooting at him from time to time, Younger at length put out his pistol and shot Nichols through the heart, killing him instantly; the merchant, whose name cannot now be recalled, then discharged his gun at John, sending a load of fine shot into his THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 149 shoulder. The next moment the merchant lay writh- ing with a pistol ball in his breast, while John ran back through a small crowd and, taking a horse that was standing hitched to a fence, he mounted and rode off. Some hours afterward a posse of citizens went in search of the fugitive and followed him for more than one hundred miles, but he escaped and came north to St. Clair county, Mo., where, after obtaining some money, he went to California. He remained in Los Angeles for several months, unable to find any profitable employment, and receiving a request from his brother Cole to return, he started back by rail. On the route home, a detective sought to accomplish his arrest and there was an exchange of shots in the car when the train was twelve miles west of Laramie. The detective was shot through the arm, while John, be- ing unhurt, leaped from the running train, seriously spraining his right ankle in the fall. He made his way on foot for several miles and finally fell in with a wagon train for Denver. From that city he reached home after a journey replete with misfor- tunes, for, having no money, he was repeatedly put off the train and more than one-third the distance he was compelled to walk in shoes so badly worn that they could scarcely be kept on his feet. After reaching home, John joined his two broth- ers, Cole and Jim, and afterward was with them in their raids until his death in 1874. 150 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. THE CORYDON, IOWA, BANK ROBBERY. The bank-raiding outlaws went into seclusion af- ter the Gallatin robbery, spending another eighteen months in Texas and their impregnable cave in Jack- son county, Missouri. They had a*well-defined pol- icy of action by which they were guided in their so- cial intercourse as well as in their dangerous adven- tures. Secret communication was kept up when the band was divided, and each one was always on the alert for special opportunities in the practice of their peculiar profession. After a long period of idleness and plotting, the reorganized band, consisting of the two James boys, Cole and Jim Younger, Clell Miller, Jim White and one other, whose identity has never been conclusive- ly established, seven in all, decided to visit Iowa and plunder the bank of Obocock Bros, in Corydon. On the 3rd of June, 1871, the seven outlaws, well mounted and armed, came trooping into the town, like so many countrymen hastening to the political meeting then in progress in the public square. They halted before the bank and three of the party dis- mounted, while the remaining four stood guard on the outside. The dismounted trio entered the bank, very quietly, and, find ng no one inside but the cash- ier, it being high noon, he was confronted by three heavy revolvers and then bound hand and foot. This was a singular act which the bandits never be- fore or since attempted, and their purpose is not yet THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 151 apparent, for they obtained the keys of the safe without trouble, and plundered it of nearly #40,000, one of the largest hauls, if not the largest, they had ever made up to that time. After completing the robbery and placing their treasure in a sack, the three emerged from the bank and, mounting their horses, the entire party masked themselves with handkerchiefs and rode over to the political meeting, which was being addressed by Henry Clay Dean, where Jesse James asked pardon of the speaker for interrupting him a few moments. Mr. Dean graciously gave way when Jesse, still sit- ting astride his horse with the other bandits by his side, spoke as follows : " Well, you've been having your fun and we've been having ourn. You needn't go into hys- terics when I tell you that we've just been down to the bank and robbed it of every dollar in the till. If you'll go down there now you'll find the cashier tied and then if you want any of us, why, just come down and take us. Thank you for your attention." At the conclusion of this strange speech the seven dare-devils set up a wild yell, lifted their hats and sped away southward. The crowd thought the con- fession was only a plan to break up the meeting, but a few minutes served to prove the truth of Jesse's words. After discovering the robbery there were hasty preparations for pursuit, and a posse of a dozen men, headed by the sheriff, dashed off in reckless haste to capture the bandits. On the second day 152 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. the outlaws were overtaken in Daviess county, Mo., and a fight ensued, but the citizens were forced to give way without inflicting any damage on the bold marauders. Others joined in the chase, however, and the trail was followed into Clay county and then into Jackson, where the track faded out suddenly. The Kansas City detectives continued to search for the perpetrators of the robbery and two months afterward they arrested Clell Miller in Clay county and took him back to Iowa on a requisition. He was tried at Corydon in November, 1872, the court proceedings lasting from Monday, November loth, until the Friday following, when, owing to the insuf- ficiency of the identification evidence, he was dis- charged ; the mask he wore had saved him. The Younger and James Boys stoutly protested their innocence and referred to scores of parties in the counties of Clay and Jackson to prove their presence in certain places, at the date of the rob- bery. The accepted belief, however, is that the out- rage was perpetrated by the individuals named in this account ; the alibi had become a subterfuge al- together too flimsy. THE COLUMBIA, KENTUCKY, BANK ROBBERY. The outlaws spent several months in their well- furnished cave in Jackson county, living a life of THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 153 elegant ease, enjoying all the comforts liberal wealth could purchase. Tired, at last, of hilarious idleness, the James and Younger Boys concluded to pay an- other visit to their friends and relatives in Kentucky. Having plenty of money they divided with their poor- er kinship in Nelson county, and sporting until their natures grew restless for new adventures, they planned the pillage of the Deposit Bank at Colum- bia. First providing themselves with the purest blooded horses they could purchase, and completing every detail for a profitable ride, the three Younger brothers and the James Boys set out for Columbia. On the 29th of April, 1872, the five daring out- laws rode into Columbia by different roads, coming together in the public square at 2:30 o'clock in the afternoon. Scarcely had they met when John and Jim Younger dashed down the street yelling and firing their pistols at every person seen abroad, while Cole and the two James Boys rode directly to the bank and entered with drawn pistols. In the bank at the time was the cashier, Hon. R. A. C. Martin, James Garnett and Mr. Dalrymple. A demand was made on the cashier for the safe keys, which being refused, one of the outlaws shot him dead. The other gentlemen in the bank made a hasty exit, leaving the bandits in undisturbed possession. Be- ing unable to effect an entrance into the safe, the robbers were compelled to content themselves with the currency they found in the drawers, amounting to about two hundred dollars; they then remounted 1 54 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. their horses and the gang galloped away southward. On the same afternoon of the robbery, fifteen men, with such horses and arms as they could hastily secure, started out after the bandits, while telegrams were sent in every direction with the hope of head- ing them off. Others joined in the chase, and the trail was followed pertinaciously through Kentucky and several hundred miles in Tennessee, but the out- laws gained the dense coverts and recesses of the Cumberland Mountains where pursuit ended. The shooting of the cashier has been charged to Frank James, but this is merely supposition. It is almost certain that Cole Younger did not commit the mur- der, because of his well known aversion to the adoption of such expedients to effect a robbery ; Cole would try intimidation, but his nature revolted at murder except where the conditions were equally divided, and it was life staked against life. A DARING RAID AT THE KANSAS CITY FAIR. The outlaws returned to Missouri after their last raid in Kentucky, and spent several months in their comfortably fitted up cave in Jackson county. Jesse and Frank James were frequent visitors at their mother's house, and Cole and John Younger were not infrequent guests at the same residence. All the Younger brothers were seen together when they at- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 155 tended the Sny Bar church on the second Sunday in August, and they took no means to hide their iden- tity. In the September following, 1872, the Kansas City Fair was held, beginning on the 23d ; the attend- ance was very large, one of the special attractions being the renowned horse Ethan Allen, which was advertised to trot against a running mate on Thurs- day, the 26th. At this time the writer was a report- er on the Kansas City Journal, and was performing special duties at the fair, occupying a position which afforded every facility for learning full particulars of the incident about to be related. When Thursday, which is always the "big day" of the Exposition, arrived, every incoming train poured hundreds of new arrivals into the city. The streets were literally jammed during the early morn- ing hours, and by nine o'clock the stream of human- ity began to flow toward the fair grounds. It was, indeed, a big day for both the city and the fair as- sociation. By one o'clock in the afternoon there was scarcely standing-room about the race course or the buildings containing exhibition articles. Ethan Allen was brought out and shown to the thousands occupying the amphitheatre, and then the pool sell- ing began on the other races to take place after the noted horse had exhibited his speed. I can never forget the excitement manifested by the crowd ; not that there were any rows or disturbances, but the gathering was so great, and there was such an unus- ual disposition to bet, both on Ethan Allen's time, 156 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. and the combinations in the pool, that the noise was like Pandemonium on election day. At three o'clock the great horse appeared in har- ness in the ring, and when he was sent off the most deafening cries arose from the crowd and continued until the mile was finished, in 2:18, I believe. After this there was a gradual dispersion of the vast as- semblage, numbering more than thirty thousand persons, and the streets leading to the city were filled with returning people. At four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Hall, the secretary and treasurer of the Fair Association, com- pleted counting the receipts of the day and, in re- sponse to a question from the writer, he stated that the day's revenue was only a fraction less than #10,000. This money he placed in a large tin box, which he instructed his assistant to carry to the First National Bank for deposit. The young man left the secretary's headquarters about ten minutes after four o'clock, and in fifteen minutes afterward a big rush * toward the gates indicated that some unusual inci- dent had occurred. The writer ran rapidly in the di- rection taken by the crowd, and at the entrance gates, which are more than a quarter of a mile from the main buildings, he soon learned the cause of so much excitement. As the young man with the treasure box was passing through the gate, three horsemen rode swiftly up to him, and one of them leaping to the ground, snatched the box and handed it to his mounted companion. The young man > z en > H 3 1 THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 157 shouted lustily for help, and though he was sur- rounded by dozens of men leaving the grounds, no one seemed to think of attempting to arrest the rob- bers. The three mounted outlaws rode through the crowd with such recklessness, that a little girl, about ten years of age, was badly trampled, but not fatally injured, her left hip being lacerated severely. As the bandits repeatedly fired their pistols, for a time it was thought the little girl was struck by a bullet, but this accident was the only casualty. Before the hundreds of surprised witnesses of the struggle could recover from their fright, the three daring highwaymen sped away like the wind, carrying the #10,000 with them. The excitement following the robbery was intense, and every one seemed to have distinct suspicions as to who the bandits were. The police, detectives, and the sheriff with several deputized citizens, went in pursuit of the robbers before night approached, and they had no difficulty in following the trail for a distance of ten miles, when the tracks faded like fog lifted by a heavy wind ; the outlaws had entered their mysterious cave and, while counting their sud- den gain, laughed at the foiled pursuers. From confessions since made by members of the gang, it has been definitely ascertained that the three desperate outlaws were Jesse and Frank James and Bob Younger, and that the party who dismounted and grabbed the cash box, was Jesse James. Some time after the robbery, the latter wrote a 158 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. card, which was published in the Kansas City Times, denying his connection with the robbery, and ac- cused Cole Younger of acting the principal part in the daring outrage, "but regardless of his proffered proof of an alibi, the perpetrators were certainly the three named ; at least the most satisfactory evidence obtainable so indicates. THE STE. GENEVIEVE, MO., BANK ROBBERY. Every robbery thus far had been consummated with such signal success, that the outlaws could not long remain idle, for the love of money increased with its accummulation, just as the love of adventure grew greater with successful accomplishment. Be- fore the winter ended, Jim Younger and Frank James left their hiding place in Jackson county and made a trip through the northwest, going through Omaha and as far west as Cheyenne, where they remained for a considerable time prospecting for opportunities. They both had relatives in California, and as ship- ments of gold over the Union Pacific Railroad from San Francisco were frequent, the purpose of the two bandits was, doubtless, to ascertain the date of contemplated express shipments of treasure. Dur- ing their stay in Cheyenne, Cole and Bob Younger, Jesse James, Bill Chadwell, alias Styles, and Clell Miller, conceived and definitely arranged a plan to THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 159 rob the Savings Association at Ste. Genevieve, Mis- souri. In pursuance of their arrangements, the five bandits left Jackson county about the 1st of May, 1873, and stopped a short time at a country place a few miles south of Springfield. From here they went to Bismarck, on the Iron Mountain Railroad, but remained there only one day. From this latter point they rode through Ste. Genevieve county and on the morning of May twenty-seventh, the five out- laws appeared in the old Catholic town, three enter- ing from the south and two from the north. It was shortly after nine o'clock when the bandits made their appearance, and as three of them entered the bank they found no one inside except the cash- ier, O. D. Harris, Esq., and a son of Hon. Firman A. Rozier, the president. No time was given for par- ley ; the robbers presented their pistols at the cash- ier and comrrianded him to open the safe. Young Rozier comprehended the situation at once, and as none of the pistols were covering him, he ran down the steps and through the street rapidly, calling for help. The two bandits who stood guard outside fired three times at the fleeing boy, one bullet pass- ing through his coat, but doing no bodily injury. Mr. Harris appreciating the critical position he occu- pied, accepted the more sensible alternative and opened the safe door, permittingthe outlaws to se- cure all the funds then in the bank, amounting to four thousand one hundred dollars. This money, much of which was silver, they threw into a sack, 160 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. and mounting their horses decamped. Before get- ting out of town the bandit who carried the sack, by some means, let his treasure fall to the ground, which necessitated his return for it. All the five robbers came together here, and four of them halted in the road while the fifth one dismounted for the treasure sack; in the attempt to remount, his horse became frightened and broke away, running some distance north. At this juncture a German came riding into town, and the mounted bandits by direful threats compelled him to ride after and secure the fugitive horse, which he accomplished after considerable de- lay. In the meantime a posse of citizens gathered, and obtaining horses quickly, they went in pursuit of the robbers, whom they came up with within a mile of the town. There was an exchange of shots which halted the citizens, and after this the outlaws were not again approached. The bold desperadoes, in order to exasperate the authorities, it would appear, marked their trail by leaving sign boards in their wake on which they would inscribe the day and hour they were at the spot indicated by the board. On the 30th of May the robbers rode into Hermann, Missouri, and stopped for dinner, telling the people of the place who they were, and performing other dare-devil acts which set the authorities after them in a state of fury. The chase continued for weeks, it being joined in by several detectives from Chicago and St. Louis, who arrested dozens of " suspicious characters," only to find they THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 161 had the wrong men. It was thus the chase ended, as all the other attempts to arrest the bandits had ter- minated. The Savings Association at Ste. Genevieve was one of the strongest banks- in the State, carrying a deposit of over one hundred thousand dollars con- tinually during the period of its active existence. At the time of the raid the bank was winding up its business, and to facilitate this, the capital and funds were deposited with the Merchants' Bank of St. Louis, and all the deposits had been drawn out. But for this fact the robbery would have resulted, as the bandits, no doubt, anticipated, in a magnificent ap- propriation. ROBBING A TRAIN IN IOWA. When the five outlaws reached Jackson county from Ste. Genevieve, they found Frank James and Jim Younger in waiting with a plan perfected for collecting treasure which they had learned would be shipped over the Union Pacific Railroad, reaching Omaha on the morning of July 2ist. How they obtained this information can only be conjectured from facts already given. Their trip to Cheyenne, therefore, had resulted very satisfactorily, and the band made immediate preparations to profit by the news. Accordingly, on the 1 2th of July, the party of seven left their secret haunts and mounted 911 11 162 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. excellent horses, they set out for the neighborhood of Council Bluffs, reaching their destination about the 1 8th. Frank James and Cole Younger visited Omaha to learn what they could respecting the treas- ure which was expected, and by what road it would be sent east from Council Bluffs. They returned to their waiting comrades on the 2 1st, and in the after- noon arrangements were made for wrecking the evening passenger train on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad. The spot selected for this pur- pose was about five miles west of Adair, a small town in Adair county, where there is a sharp curve in the road which obscures the rails sixty yards in advance of the engine. The outlaws hitched their horses some distance from the track out of sight from the train, and procuring a spike-bar loosened one of the rails. To this loose rail they tied a rope leading several yards out into the grass, where they concealed themselves. The passenger train consist- ed of seven coaches, including the two sleepers, and was due at the point of ambush at 8:30 p. m. John Rafferty was in charge of the engine and was look- ing sharply along the curve when he saw the rail move out of place. He instantly reversed the lever, but the distance was so short, while the momentum of the train was so great, that the engine plunged through the break and turned over, while the coaches piled on top of one another in direful confusion. The engineer was instantly killed and a dozen passengers seriously injured. Notwithstanding this result, the THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 163 robbers quickly boarded the wreck, two of them en- tering the express car, while the others forced the excited and demoralized passengers to deliver up all their money and valuables. The express messenger was made to open the safe and give the bandits what money he had in charge, but the amount was small, consisting of about three thousand dollars. From the passengers nearly as much more was ob- tained. This was a bitter disappointment to the out- laws, for they confidently expected to find not less than fifty thousand dollars in gold, as reported. Fortunately the bandits were twelve hours too soon, as on the following day the express carried over the same road seventy-five thousand dollars in gold. After securing all the booty possible, the seven daring wreckers waved their hats and shouted fare- well to their victims, and gaining their horses, they rode away to the south. The excitement created over this dreadful outrage was very great and hundreds volunteered to assist in apprehending the desperadoes. The trail led straight through Missouri and to the Missouri river, where there was unmistakable evidence that the outlaws swam the stream with their horses. Following the track on the other side, the band was followed into Jackson county, where, as usual, every trace disap- peared. A party of detectives went down to Mone- gaw springs in search of the outlaws and found Jesse James and two of the Younger Boys, but they made no effort to bring them away and were glad to es- cape themselves alive. 164 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Cole Younger has always strenuously denied any participation in the wrecking of the train, and the writer confesses to a reluctance in believing he was present. The facts, as gathered from available sources, sometimes doubtful, are given here without any pretention to positiveness. The narrative is in accordance with the generally accepted belief. On the day after the robbery five of the bandits, or, at least, believed to be them, took dinner at the house of a farmer named Stuckeye, in Ringgold county. He described these men as follows: No. I. Seemed to be a kind of leader; five feet seven or eight inches tall, light hair, blue eyes, heavy sandy whiskers, broad shoulders, short nose, a little turned up ; high, broad forehead ; looked to be a well-educated man not used to work; age, thirty-six to forty. No. 2. Tall and lithe, with light complexion, high forehead, light brown hair, long, light whiskers, al- most sandy, long, slender hands that certainly had not done much hard work, nose a prominent Roman. He was very polite and talked but little. Looked thirty-six years old. No. 3. Slender, five feet nine or ten inches tall, hair cut short and of a light brown color, straight nose, uncouth and sarcastic in speech, brown eyes, and wearing a hard, dissipated countenance. Mid- dle-aged, and wore dark clothes. No. 4. Dark complexion, dark hair, clean shaved, five feet eight inches tall, heavy set, straight, black THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 16$ eyes, straight nose, good looking, but appeared dis- sipated. Middle-aged, and wore light pants, hat and vest and dark coat. No. 5. Five feet ten inches tall, large, broad shoulders, straight, blue eyes, reddish whiskers. Roman nose. Middle-aged, and very pleasant in appearance. These descriptions answer for Frank and Jesse James, Clell Miller and Jim and Bob Younger; where the other two bandits were at this time, it is difficult to surmise, especially since it is positively known that the seven were together when they rode through Missouri. Jack Bishop, in a card in the Kansas City Times, accused Ike Flannery of being one of the band, but this accusation might have readily proceeded from some prejudice or other motive. The public will, perhaps, never learn positively each member of the band that wrecked the passenger train, for the act was so disgraceful and monstrous, displaying neither bravery nor cunning, that circumstances can hardly induce any of the party to make a confession of the crime and name his accomplices. THE HOT SPRINGS STAGE ROBBERY. After the train wrecking in Iowa there was an- other long period of inactivity among the bandits. The James and Younger Boys were frequently seen 166 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. by Intimate acquaintances in Jackson and Clay coun- ties ; they also spent a considerable time in Texas, but committed no new depredations until the beginning of 1874. By this time their money was probably well nigh exhausted, as all the band were known to be high livers during their periods of plenty. Dur- ing the holidays of 1873, the outlaws proposed other schemes for plunder, and by New Year's day of 1874, they had perfected their plans for three robberies, which were accomplished according to programme. When they left their haunts, Bob Younger and Jesse James went to Louisiana, while Frank Ja.mes, Cole and Jim Younger, Arthur McCoy and Clell Miller remained together to carry out their designs for rob- bing the stage running between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas. On the 15th of January, the Sve bandits left Hot Springs, where they had re- mained the previous night, and secreted themselves near the stage roadside, five miles east of the town. At eleven o'clock in the forenoon, the heavy Con- cord stage with two ambulances and fourteen passen- gers, came lumbering over the rough road enroute for the Springs. When the stage came nearly abreast of the robbers, they suddenly rose out of their hid- ing-place and, presenting their pistols, sternly com- manded the driver to halt. Frank James acted as leader and was the one who gave the order. The driver, thoroughly frightened by the appearance of the bandits, drew rein quickly and became a quiet spev tator of the proceedings that followed. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 167 The outlaws soon informed the astonished passen- gers the occasion for such authoritative actions on their part, by ordering the immediate vacating of the vehicles. Obedience became a stern necessity under the pressure of so many deadly appearing weapons, and when the passengers stepped out, they were or- dered to form a line along the road, then the most interesting part of the programme began to take place. Jim Younger and Clell Miller acted as examining experts, while the other outlaws maintained guard. To more thoroughly intimidate the already almost insensible travelers, a conversation was carried on between the bandits, well calculated to freeze the slow-flowing blood of their victims. Each individual was robbed of every cent that could be found and their watches were also appropriated. A Mr. Tay- lor, of Boston, who had the unmistakable appear- ance of a " down easter," was persecuted by the threats made against his life, and ex-Governor Bur- bank, of Dakotah, was about to be executed on the suspicion that he was a detective, but bloodshed was averted; it may never have been contemplated, and the threats were probably intended only to frighten. One of the passengers betrayed a Southern nativ- ity by his speech, and one of the bandits asked him if he had been in the Southern army ; receiving an affirmative reply, together with satisfying informa- tion concerning his regiment and company, the out- laws returned the money and valuables taken from 1 68 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. him. After completing the robbery and securing about #4,000, Cole Younger made a brief explana- tion of the causes which led the band to the com- mission of such iniquities. He referred to the re- morseless manner in which he and his parents had been harassed and despoiled by jayhawkers, and how he had been pursued after the war until forced to become an outlaw. The entire band spoke very vindictively about Pinkerton's detectives and made many threats of vengeance. They then very cour- teously bade their victims an adieu, mounted their horses and soon disappeared over the hills. When the stage reached Hot Springs, a full re- port of the robbery was made, but owing to the al- most inaccessible condition of the surrounding coun- try, little or no effort was made to capture the high- waymen. ROBBING A TRAIN AT GAD'S HILL. Finding that the stage robbery had created little excitement, the band did not delay long in accom- plishing the second plan they had arranged one month before in Jackson county. After taking a northwest direction and going into a familiar settle- ment in southern Missouri near the Arkansas line, they took a resting spell of nearly two weeks, and then rode to Gad's Hill, a small station on the Iron Mountain Railroad in Wayne county, Missouri. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 169 They made hasty preparations to rob the Little Rock express train, which was due at Gad's Hill shortly before six o'clock p. m. The station contained a population of not more than a dozen persons, and the country about was very sparsely settled, so that no danger of interference was anticipated from the neighborhood. Their first precaution was to make a prisoner of the station agent and the five other men found about the station. The switch was then turned so as to force a stoppage of the train should it at- tempt to pass by. Clell Miller then secured the signal flag and planted it in the center of the track, after which the bandits awaited the coming of their victims. Promptly on time the train rattled along the track, and the engineer seeing the flag closed the throttle valve and brought the heavy passenger coaches to a standstill alongside the little platform- The conductor, Mr. Alvord, stepped off one of the cars to ascertain the cause of the signal, but at the same moment he was confronted by a revolver in the hands of Frank James and made to surrender. The outlaws were then posted, one on each side of the train, another covering the engineer and prisoners, while the other two went through the coaches, and by fierce threats and more dangerous revolvers com- pelled all the passengers in the first-class car and the sleepers to disgorge their money and valuables. Af ter completing the robbery of the passengers, the express car was next raided, obtaining from the safe one thousand and eighty dollars, and then the mail 1 7 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. bags were cut open and rifled, one registered letter being secured which contained two thousand dollars in currency. The money and valuables obtained ag- gregated nearly twelve thousand dollars. None of the bandits entered the second-class cars, saying they were only after the " plug hat " crowd. South- ern men, they also passed over, when convinced of the fact. During the robbery the band talked con- stantly, but were always vigilant. All of them wore masks made of calico with holes cut for the eyes. Only one of them had an overcoat, and it was this one who attended to the switch and guarded the prisoners. When he fixed the forward switch he had thrown his overcoat down on the track. After the robbery was over they brought the train men out, put them on the train and told them to pull out. After the train started, one of them happened to dis- cover that the overcoat was still lying on the track, when he instantly made the engineer stop until the fellow could go and get it. The amount obtained from the passengers was nearly two thousand dollars. As usual, there was a great deal of guessing as to who the robbers were. Entirely reliable parties who had known all the men named, declared positively that two of the Youngers, that is, Cole and Bob, or Cole and Jim, were with Arthur McCoy and Bill Greenwood and another man in the vicinity for a day or two before the robbery. That they were the same party who had been chased up from Hot Springs, and that an hour before they went to the station they THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 171 all had blue overcoats on. Other circumstances strengthened the belief that these were the men, and of course, one of the James Boys was put in for the fifth man. Before leaving, the robbers left the following flash account of the affair with one of the train men : " The most daring on record — the southbound train on the Iron Mountain Railroad was robbed here this evening by five heavily armed men, and robbed of dollars. The robbers arrived at the station a few minutes before the arrival of the train, and arrested the station agent and put him under guard, then threw the train on the switch. The robbers were all large men, none of them under six feet tall. They were all masked and started in a southerly di- rection after they had robbed the train. They were all mounted on fine blooded horses. Tnere is a hell of an ex- citement in this part of the country. " [Signed] Ira A. Merrill." Later information shows that Clell Miller and Ar- thur McCoy were members of the band, but there is still much dispute about the presence of Cole Younger, though the preponderance of evidence points to him as being one of the band. THE DEATH OF TWO DETECTIVES. Plundering the train at Gad's Hill created an ex- citement never before equalled in eastern Missouri ; armed bodies of men from nearly every point along the Iron Mountain road went out in pursuit of the marauders, stimulated to the greatest activity by 1 72 THE B ORDER UTLA WS. large rewards offered by the railroad and express companies for the apprehension of the robbers. Sev- eral St. Louis detectives engaged in the search, and Pinkerton dispatched two of his best men to the haunts of the bandits. These officers were known as Capt. Allen, alias Lull, and James Wright, the lat- ter having been in the Confederate service and claimed to be acquainted with the Younger boys. At Osceola, Missouri, the two detectives engaged the services of an ex-deputy sheriff named Edwin B. Daniels, and together the three penetrated the Mon- egaw Springs settlement, where the Youngers spent much of their time. After leaving Osceola the official trio assumed the character of cattle dealers, and on March 16th, they set out on the road for Chalk Level, a little place about fifteen miles northwest of Osceola. On the route Lull and Daniels stopped at the farm-house of Theodore Snuffer, a distant relative of the Youngers, and asked for directions to widow Simms' house. Wright did not stop with his companions, but rode on, intending to spend a few moments with an ac- quaintance two miles west of Snuffer's. By chance John and Jim Younger were stopping with Mr. Snuffer at the time, but did not show them- selves. They listened intently, however, and after the directions were given as requested, they saw the detectives take a contrary road; this excited the suspicion of the two Youngers, and they decided to watch the strangers. For this purpose they mounted THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 173 their horses and followed after Lull and Daniels for nearly a mile before coming up with them. The authentic particulars of this meeting are best given in the ante-mortem statement made by Capt. Allen, alias Lull, and subscribed to before justice of the peace St. Clair. It is as follows: Yesterday, on the 16th of March, 1874, at about half past two o'clock p. m., E. B. Daniels and myself were riding along the road from Roscoe to Chalk Level, in St. Clair county, which road leads past the house of one Theodore Snuffer. Daniels and myself were riding side by side, and our companion Wright was a short distance ahead of us ; some noise behind us attracted our attention, and looking back we saw two men on horseback coming toward us ; one was armed with a double-barrel shot-gun, the other with revolvers ; don't know if the other had a shot-gun or not ; the one that had the shot-gun carried it cocked, both barrels, and ordered us to halt ; Wright drew his pistol but then put spurs to his horse and rode off; they ordered him to halt, and shot at him and shot off his hat, but he kept on riding. Daniels and myself stopped, standing across the road on our horses ; they rode up to us, and ordered us to take off our pistols and drop them in the road, one of them covering me all the time with his gun. We dropped our pistols on the ground, and one of the men told the other to follow Wright and bring him back, but he refused to go, saying he would stay with him ; one of the men then picked up the revolvers we had dropped, and looking at them, remarked they were damn fine pistols, and that we must make them a present of them ; one of them asked me where we came from, and I said M Osceola ;" he then wanted to know what we were doing in this part of the country; I replied, "Rambling around." One of them then said, " You were up here one day before/' I replied that we were not. He then said we had been at the Springs. I replied that we had been at the Springs, 174 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. but had not been inquiring for them, that we did not know them ; they said detectives had been up there hunting for them all the time, and they were going to stop it. Daniels then said, " I am no detective ; I can show you who I am and where I belong." And one of them said he knew him, and then turned to me and said, " What in the hell are you riding around here with all them pistols on for ? " and I said, " Good God ! is not every man wearing them that is traveling, and have I not as much right to wear them as any one else? " Then the one that had the shot-gun said, " Hold on, young man, we don't want any of that," and then lowered the gun, cocked, in a threatening manner. Then Daniels had some talk with them, and one of them got off his horse and picked up the pistols ; two of them were mine and one was Daniels' ; the one mounted had the gun drawn on me, and I concluded that they intended to kill us. I reached my hand behind me and drew a No. 2 Smith & Wesson pistol and cocked it and fired at the one on horseback ; my horse became frightened at the report of the pistol and turned to run ; then I heard two shots and my left arm fell ; I had no control over my horse, and he jumped into the bushes before I could get hold of the rein with my right hand to bring him into the road ; one of the men rode by and fired two shots at me, one of which took effect in my left side, and I lost all control of my horse again, and he turned into the brush, when a small tree struck me and knocked me out of the saddle. I then got up and staggered across the road and lay down until I was found. No one else was present. W. J. ALLEN. Subscribed and sworn to, before me, this 18th day of March, 1874. JAMES ST. CLAIR. The statement of Capt. Allen was used at the coroner's inquest over the bodies of Daniels and Younger, and the examining physicians gave the fol- lowing testimony: o X z -< O c z . THE YOUNGER BROTHERS, 175 All we know concerning the death of the two men, being the same that the inquest is being held over, is that the one, John Younger, came to his death from the effects of a gun- shot wound, which entered the right side of his neck, touching the clavical bone, on the upper side, and about two inches from the meridian, went nearly straight through the neck ; the orifice is small, indicating that he was shot with a small ball. The other man, Edwin B. Daniels, came to his death from the effect of a gunshot wound, which en- tered the left side of the neck, about one inch from the meridian line, and about midway of the neck, opposite the aesophagus, and as per examination, went nearly straight through the neck, striking the bone; the orifice was pretty large, indicating that the ball was of a pretty large size. A. C. MARQUIS, M. D. L. LEWIS, M. D. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 18th day of March, 1874. JAMES ST. CLAIR, J. P. The jury, with A. Ray as foreman, submitted a verdict to the effect that Daniels was killed by James Younger, and that John Younger met his death at the hands of W. J. Allen. Capt. Allen was struck very hard in the left side, two inches above the hip ; he was carried back to Roscoe, where he lingered for a period of six weeks, and then died, surrounded by his family that had come to him from Chicago directly after the shoot- ing. His remains were enclosed in a metallic case and returned to Chicago, where they were buried with Masonic honors. Ed. Daniels was laid away in the little churchyard at Osceola,' while John Younger sleeps under a neglected mound in old man Snuffer's orchard. 176 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. ROBBING A TEXAS STAGE. On the 7th of April, 1874, less than one month after the killing of John Younger, the stage running between Austin and San, Antonio, Texas, was robbed under the following circumstances : On the day in question, the regular mail stage, carrying eleven pas- sengers, was stopped by five masked bandits, at seven o'clock in the evening, twenty-three miles from Austin. They advanced to meet the stage and each of them presenting a heavy pistol, forced the stage- driver to halt, leave his seat and open the door of the vehicle. Among the passengers was Mr. Breck- enridge, president of the First National Bank of San Antonio, who had one thousand dollars on his person. Bishop Gregg, of the same city was also in the party, and three ladies, whose fright at seeing such a display of fire-arms, produced a panic inside the stage. The robbers were very courteous, but exacting, forcing an immediate compliance with their every request. All the passengers were made to get out and form in line, in the rear of the stage, where they were examined for money and valuables by two of the bandits, while the other three stood guard over their victims. The ladies, aside from the re- spectful language used toward them, were not par- tially treated by the outlaws, but, like their male com- panions, they were persuaded, by the peculiar means of the robbers, to give up all their money and THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 177 watches. The total amount secured, including that gathered from the mail-bags, was about #3,000. Havi'ng appropriated all the valuables the passen- gers possessed, the bandits cut out the lead span of horses and taking these with them, they rode away rapidly toward the north. The loss of two horses so delayed the stage that it was not until four o'clock on the following morn- ing that it reached Austin ; this prevented an early report of the robbery, so that fully eighteen hours had elapsed after the perpetration of the outrage, before the sheriff, with ten men, went in pursuit. The search for the robbers was fruitless for more than two weeks, the trail, seemingly, being thorough- ly covered. After the sheriff returned home, a re- ward of #500 was offered for the capture of the ban- dits, and some time afterwards several detectives came upon a party by the name of Jim Reed, whom they suspected of having been one of the robbers, and in their efforts to arrest him, he fought his would-be captors until mortally wounded. Before dying, it is claimed, that he confessed to a participa- tion in both the stage and Gad's Hill robberies. In the latter, it is said, his companions were Arthur McCoy and Jim Greenwood, but he refused to di- vulge the names of the two others. It is more than probable, however, judging from later circumstances and confessions, that. Jim Reed was not one of the stage robbers, and there is a pre- vailing suspicion that he never made any such con- 12 r;8 THE BORDER OUTLAWS, fession as that attributed to him. There are hun- dreds who maintain that the robbers were Jesse and Frank James, Clell Miller, Cole Younger and Arthur McCoy. The facts, however, are involved in such a confusion of contradictory claims and statements that it is impossible to fix the robbery, positively, on any special persons. The same stage was robbed again two years later in almost the identical spot and manner as in 1874, the robbers securing #2,000 and escaping without leaving any clue of their identity. COLE YOUNGER'S EPISTOLARY VINDICATION. In the absence of positive testimony connecting the Younger brothers with all the robberies charged to them, and in order to avoid even a suspicion that intentional injustice is done them in this record of their lives, the writer, in a special correspondence with Cole Younger, asked him to make a written statement embodying his proofs and denials of any and all the crimes with which he and his brothers stand charged by current report, offering at the same- time to publish it in full in this work. A very cour- teous reply was received, in which reference was made to a letter written by him to his brother-in-law Lycurgus Jones, of Cass county, and published in the Pleasant Hill Review, November 26th, 1874. It is THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 179 but an act of justice that the letter be reproduced in this connection. It is as follows : Cass County, November 15, 1874. Dear Curg: — You may use this letter in your own way I will give you this outline and sketch of my whereabouts and actions at the time of certain robberies with which I am charged. At the time of the Russellville bank robbery I was gathering cattle in Ellis county, Texas : cattle that I bought from Pleas Taylor and Rector. This can be proved by both of them ; also by Sheriff Barkley and fifty other re- spectable men of that county. I brought the cattle to Kansas that fall and remained in St. Clair county until February. I then went to Arkansas and returned to St. Clair county about the first of May. I went to Kansas where our cattle were, in Woodson county, at Col. Ridge's. During the summer I was either in St. Clair, Jackson or Kansas, but as there was no robbery committed that sum- mer, it makes no difference where I was. The gate at the fair grounds at Kansas City was robbed that fall. I was in Jackson county at the time. I left R. P. Rose's that morning, went down the Independence road, stopped at Dr. Noland's and got some pills. Brother John was with me. I went through Independence, and from there to Ace Webb's. There I took dinner and then went to Dr. L. W. Twiman's. Staid there until after supper, then went to Silas Hudspeth's and stayed all night. This was the day the gate was robbed at Kansas City. Next day John and I went to Kansas City. We crossed the river at Blue Mills, and went upon the other side. Our bus- iness there was to see E. P. West. He was not at home, but the family will remember that we were there. We crossed on the bridge, stayed in the city all night, and the next morning we rode up through the city. I met several of my friends, among them was Bob Hudspeth. We then returned to the Six-Mile country by the way of Independ- ence. At Big Blue we met Jas. Chiles and had a long talk with him. I saw several friends that were standing at or near 1 80 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. the gate, and they all said they didn't know any of the party that did the robbing. Neither John nor I was ac- cused of the crime for several days after. My name would never have been used in connection with the affair, had not Jesse W. James, for some cause, best known to himself, pub- lished in the Kansas City Times, a letter stating that John, myself and he were accused of the robbery. Where he got his authority I don't know, but one thing I do know, he had none from me. We were not on good terms at the time, nor haven't been for several years. From that time on mine and John's names have been connected with the James brothers. John hadn't seen either of them for eighteen months before his death. And as for A. C. McCoy, John never saw him in his life. I knew A. C. McCoy during the war, but haven't seen him since, notwithstanding the Ap- pleton City paper says he has been with us in that county for two years. Now, if any respectable man in that county will say he ever saw A. C. McCoy with me or John, I will say no more ; or if any respectable man will say that he ever saw any one with us who suited the description of A. C. McCoy, then I will be silent and never more plead in- nocence. McCoy is forty-eight or forty-nine years old ; six feet and over high ; dark hair and blue eyes, and low forehead. Poor John, he has been hunted down and shot like a wild beast, and never was a boy more innocent. But there is a day coming when the secrets of all hearts will be laid open before that All-seeing eye, and every act of our lives will be scrutinized, then will his skirts be white as the driven snow, while those of his accusers will be doubly dark. I will now come to the Ste. Genevieve robbery. At that time I was in St. Clair county, Missouri. I do not remem- ber the date, but Mr. Murphy, one of our neighbors, was sick about that time, and I sat up with him regularly, where I met with some of the neighbors every day. Dr. L. Lewis was his physician. As to the Iowa train robbery, I have forgotten the day, I was also in St. Clair county, Missouri, at that time, and had THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 181 the pleasure of attending preaching the evening previous to the robbery, at Monegaw Springs. There were fifty or a hundred persons there who will testify in any court that I and John were there. I will give you the names of some of them : Simeon C. Bruce, John S. Wilson, James Van- Allen, Rev. Mr. Smith and lady. Helvin Fickle and lady of Greenton Valley, were attending the Springs at that time, and either of them will testify to the above, for John and I sat in front of Mr. Smith while he was preaching, and had the pleasure of his company for a few moments, together with his lady, and Mr. and Mrs. Fickle, after service. They live at Greenton Valley, Lafayette county, Missouri, and their evidence would be taken in the Court of Heaven. As there was no other robbery committed until January, I will come to that time. About the last of December, 1873, I arrived in Carroll parish, Louisiana. I stayed there until the 8th of February, 1874. I and brother stayed at Wm. Dickerson's, near Floyd. Dickerson was Master of a Ma- sonic lodge, and during the time the Shreveport stage and the Hot Springs stage were robbed ; also the Gad's Hill robbery. Now, if the Governor or any one else wants to satisfy himself in regard to the above, he can write to the Masonic Fraternity, Floyd, Carroll parish, Louisiana. I hope the leading journals will investigate the matter, and then, if they find I have misrepresented anything, they can show me up to the world as being guilty, but if they find it as I have stated, they surely would have no objections to state the facts as they are. You can appeal to the Governor in your own language, and if he will send men to investigate the above, and is not satisfied of my innocence, then he can offer the reward for Thos. Coleman Younger, and if he finds me to be innocent, he can make a statement to that effect. I write this hur- riedly, and I suppose I have given outlines enough. I want you to take pains and write a long letter for me and sign my name in full. THOMAS COLEMAN YOUNGER. 1 82 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT MUNCIE, KANS. Remaining in Texas until late in the fall, the out- laws finding no special divertisement or opportunity to enrich themselves, decided to return north and put into operation plans for robberies which would yield large results. Through their communications with one another and, especially, it would appear, with accomplices in the extreme West, it was learned that a large amount of money and gold dust would be shipped from Denver to the east, via the Kansas Pacific Railroad, on the 1 2th of December follow- ing. A scheme was at once devised for the intercep- tion and appropriation of the treasure. To accom- plish this design, the band, consisting of Cole and Bob Younger, Jesse and Frank James, and Clell Mil- ler, took into their confidence a worthless fellow in Kansas City, named Bud McDaniels. There is an- other story to the effect that McDaniels had learned of the intended valuable shipment through a friend in Denver, and that, communicating this knowledge to the bandits named, the six then confederated to- gether, with pledges of confidence, to accomplish the robbery. On the 13th of December, the outlaws, being well mounted, left Jackson county without the discovery having been made of their presence in the locality, and rode over to Wyandotte county. The localities along the railroad were inspected for the purpose of selecting the most available place for the successful THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 183 perpetration of the crime then in contemplation. The spot finally chosen was one mile east of Muncie, Kansas, and five miles west of Kansas City. This selection was made because there was a water-tank at the place at which trains almost invariably stopped, and because the Kaw river ran alongside the road, with a margin of heavy timber and brush, in which the bandits secreted themselves, after placing a pile of old ties on the track, to await the train which was due at 4:45 in the afternoon. They had been under cover only a short time, when a bank of smoke in the distance and the singing sound that ran along the rails, signalled the approaching train. It happened, on that particular occasion, the engine did not re- quire water and would have run by had not the engi- neer discovered a pile of ties on the track, which compelled a stop. At the moment the train came to a stand-still, the robbers sprang from out their hid- ing-place and advancing with menacing weapons, forced a compliance with their demands. Each one of the bandits was thoroughly masked and their ap- pearance indicated determination. One of these, since believed to have been McDaniels, covered the engineer and fireman with his pistols, while the others distributed themselves among the passengers and the express car. They uncoupled and made the engi- neer pull the express car forward about one hundred feet, when they forced the messenger to open the safe, and took about #30,000 in currency and #25,000 worth of gold dust. They also robbed some of the 1 84 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. passengers of money, but left them their watches. There was some jewelry in the express car which the thieves took, however, and this furnished the evi- dence which gave them away in a short time. The horses of the gang were hitched in a little clump of brush in plain sight of the train, and after they had done, the passengers saw them run across the inter- vening open ground and mount their horses with the sack full of plunder. They rode away and crossed the Kaw river bridge, passing within five miles of Kansas City. Late that evening they overtook a man named Steele and made him exchange horse* with one of them. After the train reached Kansas City due report was made of the robbery and an armed band of about twenty-five persons went in pursuit. The track was easily found and on the day following, the sher- iffs posse traced the bandits through Westport, Jackson county, and discovered the spot, five mileg south-east of that place, where they had camped, and doubtless divided their booty. The robbers made directly for their secret haunts on the Blue, however, and further search by the au- thorities proved unavailing. The old band of outlaws was immediately charged with the crime, chiefly because of the manner in which the robbery was completed ; the well-known, distinguishing marks of the bandits so familiar with that section, afforded almost conclusive evidence, though the circumstantial testimony would never have THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 185 been sufficient for the conviction of any of the old band, had they been arrested. Two days after the robbery Bud McDaniels hired a horse and buggy in Kansas City for the purpose of treating his girl to a ride. Proceeding to her house, he found she was absent, and being much provoked, he drank frequently and was soon driving through the streets in a very reckless manner, indicative of a decidedly drunken condition. He was at length ar- rested by the police, and on searching him at the sta- tion-house preparatory to locking him up to sober off, they found on him #1,034 in money, two revolv- ers and some jewelry, which he said he had bought to give his girl. His statement as to where he bought it was not very definite, and, besides, the de- scription of the jewelry taken from the train had been furnished to the police. Suspicion was instant- ly aroused, and investigation resulted in the positive identification of the jewelry. It was also found that Bud had been out of town. The case was too clear. He had to go back to Kansas to stand his trial. He had a preliminary examination and was held to an- swer before the grand-jury. He had refused to breathe a word about his confederates. McDaniels was confined for a considerable time in the Lawrence jail ; when he was taken out by a deputy sheriff, who attempted to conduct him to the court-house for trial; McDaniels made a break and succeeded in escaping. After enjoying his liberty for about one week, he was discovered, and in the 1 86 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. effort to again arrest him, the officers, meeting with resistance, one of them shot him dead. THE HUNTINGTON, VIRGINIA, BANK ROBBERY. After the train robbery there was a short sepa- ration of the outlaws, some going to Texas and others proceeding east, where identification was less liable, for the purpose of enjoying the sights of New York and Washington. Each of the band was now provided with sufficient wealth to dissipate every de- sire, for the time, except the best and most enjoyable means. for spending it. During a short residence in the East, Cole Younger formed the acquaintance of a sharp, black-eyed fel- low who went by the name of Jack Keen, alias Tom Webb. This man had spent many years in Ken- tucky and West Virginia, being at all times a suspi- cious character, and it was he who proposed the robbery of the bank at Huntington. Cole Younger and Frank James considered the proposition, and meeting Tom, or Tomlinson McDaniels, a brother of Bud's, at Petersburgh, they laid the scheme before him, and then the four concluded to raid the bank. The plan for the robbery being perfected, the bandits decided to wait until fall, when the bank would probably carry a large amount of money for the handling of the harvests. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 187 On the first of September, 1&75, the well armed and mounted quartette rode into Huntington, each wearing a long linen ulsterette over a heavy fall coat. They made directly for the bank, where two of them dismounted, leaving the other pair on horse- back to clear the streets of people. The latter two then opened a fusillade with their pistols, driving every one indoors, while their companions entered the bank, and with presented pistols forced the cash- ier, R. T. Oney, to open the vault. One of the ban- dits kept his pistol pointed at the cashier and a citizen, who chanced to be in the bank at the time, to prevent an outcry, while the other searched the safe and drawers carefully, from which he gathered about ten thousand dollars. Having secured all the funds of the bank, the two ran out and gave a shrill whistle. The others responded quickly, bringing up the two horses for the dismounted bandits. Then succeeded the clatter of fast speed- ing horses' feet as the outlaws dashed out of town, to be pursued a few hours afterward by twenty reso- lute men, while telegrams were sent in every direc- tion for the interception of the robbers. The pursuit then began with remarkable earnestness, posses of armed citizens joining in the chase from every direction. The outlaws had frequent fights with their pursuers, and were several times forced to abandon their horses and take to the brush on foot. They kept working southwest through the mountains. Occasionally they would steal horses and make a 1 88 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. forced march, but the whole country was aroused and out against them. Daily reports from the pur- suers were sent in every direction, showing just where the bandits were last seen, and which way they were going, calling on the people to look out for them, etc. And the people turned out. After ten days of incessant ambuscade, one of them met his fate at Pine Hill, Kentucky. There were two brothers named Dillon, who, becoming very much interested in the reports concerning the bandits, con- cluded that from the route given that the robbers would come near their place. Each of them pro- cured an old army musket which they loded with slugs, and then kept a sharp lookout for the outlaws. On the night of the 14th, which was cloudless, and with a new moon which rendered objects visi. ble, the two brothers in maintaining their watch saw four figures moving through the woods on foot about fifty yards south of them. When the outlaws ap- proached the road they stopped, and consulting together for a moment, they separate d, two of them proceeding down the road, while the other pair came directly toward the brothers. Now was the supreme moment. The watchers could not be mistaken ; two tall men wearing linen dusters and with pistols, the handles of which protruded from the front of their coats. Two to two without any odds provided the first fire could be made effectual. But what if those two muskets should fail fire, or, firing, miss ? The Dillon boys perhaps never thought of this ; like the enthu- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 189 siastic hunter who attacks a grizzly bear, he only thinks of the game before him ; evidently the brothers were prompted by a similar enthusiasm, for as the two bandits approached the brothers com- manded a "halt! throw up your arms." Instead of obeying the injunction, the bandits drew their pistols and four shots were fired; each one giving an ex- change. After the firing the outlaws ran off, one of them moving in a manner that indicated suffering. On the following morning the two brothers visited the spot where the engagement had occurred, and made an examination ; they were rewarded by finding blood stains on the leaves, and following the trail into a cornfield for a distance of two hundred yards, they found a man with a gaping wound in his side, within hand-reach of death's threshold. The brothers tenderly carried him up to their home, and laying the tortured body upon the bed, sent quickly for a surgeon. The wounded ban- dit, with the fever and damp of dissolution on his brow, cried out in his delirium for "Bud," and then in the last moments, as the hand of death, lifting the veil of unconsciousness like one who draws the dra- pery from the face of the dead, for a last look, the robber exclaimed, " Yes, I'm dying, where are my friends?" The question was asked him, "What is your name, and who were your companions?" Looking sternly into the face of the questioner, he replied, in a gurgling whisper: " Did you think 190 THE BORDER OUTLAWS, approaching death would make me a coward ? I never betrayed a friend." The eyes did not close, but continued their with- ering stare until a film grew o'er the sight ; until those around the bed-side looked down into the shallow depths of a dead man's eyes. On the body of the outlaw there was found only a seal ring and two photographs ; one of a man who proved to be Bob Ricketts, who said Tom McDan- iels was the only person who had his picture ; and the other of a woman who was recognized as an old sweetheart of McDaniels. The same woman received, some days afterward, a piece of black crape enclosed in a letter. The seal ring was identified as one McDaniels had worn. On the day succeeding the robber's death, Sep- tember 19th, three men came to the house where the body lay and asked the privilege of viewing the re- mains. It so happened that only Mrs. Dillon and some lady friends were present at the time, who be- came frightened, correctly suspicioning that the three were the surviving bandits of the Huntington raid. Mrs. Dillon, therefore, refused the request by saying that the remains were in the coffin which had already been permanently closed. There was a sign of dis- appointment on the faces of the men for a moment, but the largest one directly spoke in a firm tone of voice, saying : " Madam, we are sorry that circumstances require us to appear rude ; we came to see the dead body, THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 191 and therefore ask you again, this time firmly, to show us the remains." Mrs. Dillon, somewhat frightened before, immedi- ately conducted the three strangers into another room where the coffin rested on two chairs. A screw- driver lay on the window-casing, and with this the lid was readily removed, which, being turned aside, was held by Mrs. Dillon while the trio looked long and sorrowfully at the pale, upturned face of the dead man. The largest man betrayed great emotion, the tears straggling down his cheeks and falling on the cerements of his comrade. Standing there and look- ing down into the sightless, but opened eyes of the dead robber, who can conceive the reflections of the surviving bandits who had lured the poor unfortu- nate to that wicket of life from out which no soul can ever come to tell its story. After a speechless gaze of many minutes, with manifestations of deep sorrow, the three men asked if the party who did the killing was about ; being informed that he was not, they courteously bade Mrs. Dillon good-day and departed, going out through the corn-field. Mr. Oney, the Huntington cashier, had been to Pine Hill, the second day before this occurrence, and had fully identified the wounded man as one of the two who entered the bank and made him give up the money. He returned by way of Louisville, and, while there, received the following dispatch, which was published in the Courier-Journal : i 9 2 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Louisville, Ky., Sept. 20. Robt. T. Oney: — The other three entered the house and had the coffin opened ; said he did not look like he did before. One of them was crying. They asked for me and then went into the corn-field. I was at the house about five minutes after they left. I look for a desperate attack to-day. W. R. Dillon. There was no attack of course. The three survi- vors bushwhacked about for some time, two of them eventually escaping, while the third was wounded and captured in Fentress county, Tennessee. He had about him some #4,000 in money. He was iden- tified as one of the men who wore a long duster at Huntington, and was taken back and given twelve years in Moundsville prison. He was booked Jack Kean, alias Tom Webb. In justice to Cole Younger and Frank James, the following suspicions concerning the identity of the other two robbers are given ; for the intention of the writer is to draw no inference not supported by rea- sonable conclusions. Regardless of the information which led to introducing Cole Younger and Frank James as plotting with Jack Kean the robbery of the bank, the evidence is not convincing that either of them were at Huntington. It is claimed that Clell Miller was one of the party, while the fourth man is in dispute. Some hold that it was Cole Younger, because Cole was commonly called " Bud " by his comrades, and they think Thomp. McDaniels' delir- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 193 ious inquiries as to whether Bud was captured, re- ferred to Cole or " Bud ? Younger. Others say that McDaniels, being out of his head, was thinking and raving about his brother Bud. The matter was never settled. The following is a description of the rob- bers, published a few days after the raid : No. 1. Heavy-set man, at least six feet high, Weight two hundred pounds, tolerably dark hair, with reddish whiskers and moustache, red complex- ion, black hat, long linen duster and blue overalls, gold ring on left little finger. No. 2. Tall, slim man, in height about six feet, one hundred and fifty pounds, delicate-looking, light hair and sandy whiskers, high forehead, long nose, gold buttons in shirt, left little finger had a ring, long duster and blue overalls. No. 3. Tall, slim man, about six feet high, weight one hundred and sixty-five pounds, short, black whiskers and black hair, slim face, black hat, long duster, blue overalls, suit of black twilled cloth with stripes, fine boots, two gold rings on little left finger ; had two collars washed with " London " printed on the bands. No. 4. Heavy-set man, about five feet ten inches high, weight one hundred and eighty pounds, very stout, square-looking man, brown hair, round red face, patch of red whiskers on his chin, light-colored hat, linen duster, gray striped coat and vest, pants similar, but not like coat and vest, red drilling over- alls, fine boots, broad gold ring with flowers cut in it on his left little finger, 18 194 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. It should have been stated that while in the bank one of the robbers dropped a small jewelry orna- ment, on one side of which was engraved the name " A. S. Underwood," and from this and the direction of the flight, it was thought some of the Kentucky Underwoods might have been in the band. This ap- pears to have had little weight, however, with the authorities. On the nth of March, 1876, a man named Keeney was arrested at Sedalia, Mo., on sus- picion of having had some hand in the Huntington raid. He was a poor man, and was found to have received a large sum of money by express from a brother living near Huntington. He gave no ex- planation satisfactory to the authorities, but in the absence of any positive evidence, even tending to show his connection with the robbery, he was re- leased after a confinement of two weeks. THE MISSOURI PACIFIC RAILROAD ROBBERY. More than one year elapsed after the robbery at Huntington before the bandits were heard of again. In this interim of activity the Younger and James brothers were in Texas and Indian Territory, with old friends and war comrades. A few detectives were still on the search, but only as an auxiliary to other work, there being no prospect of arresting either of the outlaws. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 195 The policy of the bandits was to conceal their presence, even from friends, just before perpetrating a robbery, so as to make the crime such a thorough surprise, that after its commission people would be too badly confused for an immediate and intelligent pursuit. The old tactics of the outlaws were put into prac- tice at the Missouri Pacific Railroad robbery, one of the most daring and successful sorties ever made by the " Knights of the Rail." The particulars of this bold adventure are as follows : About 9 o'clock on the night of the 7th of July, 1876, Henry Chateau, the old Swiss watchman, at the Otter bridge on the Missouri Pacifiic Railroad, was sitting by the pump-house smoking his cob- pipe and enjoying the balmy air of the evening. The sound of voices fell on his ear, and looking out into the shadow he saw four men walking across the bridge toward him. It was an isolated, out-of-the- way place, and though strangers did not very often pass, their very scarcity made company the more wel- come. The men came along and proved to be right sociable fellows. Three of them sat down, passed the compliments of the evening, and talked a few minutes about anything that occurred to mind. Pres- ently the fourth, who was a tremendously big fellow, standing just in front of the watchman, asked, "What kind of a job have you got? What do you have to do here ? " " Just watch the bridge," was the reply. " If there 196 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. is danger I show the red light and the train stops. If all is safe I show the white light and she goes on. The big fellow remarked that that was a good easy- job. Then turning to one of his comrades he asked, " What time is it ? " " Ten minutes after nine," said the other. " It's about time." One of the others rose to his feet and asked for a drink of water. The watchman stepped into the pump- house to get it, and was suddenly seized. A revol- ver was placed at his head and he was a prisoner. The next thing he discovered was that all the men had pulled out masks and slipped them on. The large man then said: " Come, follow us, and be quiet." Trembling with fear the watchman pleadingly- inquired : "You do not intend to kill me?" " What do we want to kill you for ?" replied the leader, " we only want you to do what you're told, and if you are wise you'll do it without any ques- tions." The large fellow then pulled from his pocket a handkerchief, with which the prisoner was blindfold- ed, and then taking up the white and red lights, the parties crossed the bridge and walked for more than a mile along the track, when they came to a deep rocky cut, two miles east of Otterville, where the captive watchman was ordered to be seated, two of the robbers maintaining guard over him. Meantime THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 197 others of the gang heaped a lot of ties on the track. Presently the train was heard in the distance. Then one of the bandits lighted the red lantern which he placed in the watchman's hand and led him out on the track, telling him to stand there and stop the train or be run over, or shot, just as he chose. The train consisted of two baggage, one express, three pas- senger and two sleeping-cars, John Standthorpe en- gineer, and Capt. Tebbitts conductor. On came the train, and the prisoner, who conceived death staring him from every side, made industrious use of the signal. The vigilant engineer saw it, and applying the air-brakes brought the locomotive to a stand- still about twenty feet from the frightened watchman. Pistol shots were heard, and the old man slightly mov- ing the bandage over his eyes, saw that his guards had vanished ; frightened, then, at what he could not define, the watchman threw down the lantern and fled through the woods in the darkness. The cow-catcher of the engine had actually pushed in amongst the pile of ties on the track, and had the train stopped less promptly, the engine would have been ditched. The engineer and fireman had company in an in- stant. Two masked men shoved revolvers at them, telling them to take it easy and come along. They were quickly escorted to the baggage car and forced in. Others of the band had instantly piled an ob- struction on the track behind the train so that it could not back out, and also dispatched a man to 198 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. the bridge to flag a freight-train shortly due. Still others at the sides of the train kept the passengers indoors, firing and warning all not to come out. The work of robbing was executed with a coolr ness unparalleled in the history of crimes of this kind. The express messenger, J. B. Bushnell, had in his charge a through safe of the Adams Express Company, for which he had no key, and a United States Express safe. The messenger^ divining what was up as soon as the train stopped, made his way back to one of the sleepers and gave the United States safe key to a brakeman, who put it in his shoe ; hence, when three of the robbers rushed into the express car, which was also a baggage car, they found the baggageman sitting there looking demure. They asked him for keys to the safes, and when he said he had none they searched him. Then they ad- vised him somewhat earnestly to hunt them up or say his prayers. Finally he convinced them that he was not the messenger. Without a moment's warn- ing they bade him show them the messenger. Through the train they marched him in front of their revolvers until the messenger was found. The argu- ments used to induce him to give up the key proved irresistible. The brakeman was pointed out, the shoe pulled offand the key found, the messenger and brake- man were then marched forward to the baggage car and locked in, with the injunction not to be "too fly." The United States safe contents were speedily trans- ferred to a grain sack without examination. The mes- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 199 senger once more found himself in peril, because he had no key to the Adams through safe, but as his explanation was reasonable, the robbers were con- vinced. One of the bandits then ran out, got the fireman's hammer and began banging at the safe. He was unable to produce much impression, where- upon a herculean bandit caught the hammer and with a few tremendous blows broke a hole in the side, into which he vainly attempted to force his hand. The first striker, however, remarked that he "wore a No. 7 kid," and could do better. In just two minutes the safe was plundered and the booty bagged. No attempt was made to rob the passen- gers. The train-boy's box was broken open, and peanuts and apples were gobbled up voraciously. Only one or two shots were fired from the train, the robbers keeping up a fusillade on both sides and moving from point to point, so that in the darkness it seemed as though the brush was full of men. The train-boy had a revolver, and early in the fra- cas he stepped out on the platform and blazed away at one of the robbers, who gave a loud croaking laugh and called out, " Hear that little bark I " As soon as the safes had been emptied, the robbers told the train-men to remove the obstructions before and behind and pull out, which was done with alac- rity. The train was stopped an hour and ten minutes, and the booty secured amounted to fifteen thousand dollars. All the robbers who were seen in the cars were 200 THE BORDER UTLA TVS. tall men, except the one who said he wore the No. 7 kid, and he was the only one who wore no mask. The others were masked in various ways, some hav- ing the whole face covered, except holes for the eyes, and some having a mask covering only the nose and lower part of the face. The one who seemed to be the leader was tall and had light or yellowish hair. The mustering for the pursuit was hot and zealous. Bacon Montgomery started out from Sedalia with a picked crowd and ran the "robbers to within three miles of Florence, where they scattered temporarily and took to the hills. Sheriff Murray led another band. On every side the country was in arms. The robbers were eight in number. It was found where they had eaten at farm houses the day before the robbery. Accurate descriptions were given, and it was positively stated that the Youngers had been recognized both on the advance and retreat. Maj. Wood accordingly visited the Younger settlement and reported that the boys had not been away from home. The Osage river was high, all the fords were guarded, and from the other side the country was scouted over in every direction, yet the robbers were cunning enough to get away without apparently ever being run to close quarters. Matters fell to a dead quiet, and the pursuit changed to a still hunt, till about the first of August, when Hobbs Kerry and Bruce Younger were arrested at Joplin and Granby, the St. Louis police having taken a hand at working THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 201 up the case. Bruce Younger was soon discharged, as it was easily shown that he was not at Otterville. Kerry, however, was positively identified. It appears the name of every member of the band had been definitely ascertained, and most of them had been traced to their lairs. Charley Pitts and Bill Chad- well had gone to Cherokee and Coalfield, Kansas, where an attempt was made to arrest them by agree- ment on the same day Kerry was taken in. Pitts was captured on Spring river with one thousand eight hundred dollars in his pocket, but subsequent- ly got away. He had been engaged to marry a widow named Lillie Beamer, but about three weeks after the robbery he married another girl in Coalfield. As he had already temporarily intrusted a two thou- sand dollar package to Mrs. Beamer, and talked freely about the robbery, she was not slow to tell of it when he married the other girl. Pitts' real name was Wells. An effort was made to arrest Chadwell the same time that Pitts was taken, but he got into a cornfield and escaped. The officers, who were sheriff's deputies, then rushed back into Missouri after the James and Younger Boys, but as usual did not get them. Kerry made a full confession about a week after he was captured. He said Cole and Bob Younger, Frank and Jesse James, Clell Miller, Charles Pitts, Bill Chadwell and himself did the job. They rode twenty miles the first night before divid- ing the money. Then they emptied the sack, ripped open the packages, put all the money in a pile and 202 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Frank James counted it. Kerry's duty was to watch the horses while the robbery was being accomplished. His share was one thousand two hundred dollars. Then he and Chadwell and Pitts went out together. They got away easy enough. Kerry left them and went to Vinita, then back to Granby, whore he spent money, gambled, gave himself away and was sent to the penitentiary for four years. The usual proffer of an alibi came from the James Bo^s in spite of Kerry and the widow Beamer. THE NORTHFIELD BANK ROBBERY AND TRAGEDY. CAPTURE OF THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. The Rocky Cut, or Missouri Pacific Railroad rob- bery, caused a separation of the bandits for only a brief period. Jesse and Frank James, with Charlie Pitts, Clell Miller and Bill Chadwell, went directly to Texas, finding a safe retreat in the western part of that State. The Younger Brothers proceeded to Jackson county and withdrew into the secret cavern, where they felt secure against molesta- tion. From time to time, however, they visited reli- able friends in the adjoining counties, but were ex- tremely careful to escape the observation of strang- ers. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 203 About the middle of August Cole Younger con- cluded to visit Texas, and in order to make the trip without interference, he conceived the idea of mask- ing his identity behind the make-up of a' teamster. To prepare for the journey, he went to Lees Sum- mit, accompanied by his brothers, Jim and Bob, where, after a short stay, he purchased a pair of horses and a substantial wagon, which being loaded with provisions of various kinds, the three started for Texas on the following day. They had proceeded only a few miles in Kansas, throuph which the route was taken, when they met the James Brothers with their confederates, Clell Miller, Charley Pitts and Bill Chadwell. How this meeting occurred, whether by accident or in pursuance of arrange- ments perfected through correspondence, the writer cannot say, but the natural conclusion would be that it was intentional. At this meeting plans were discussed respecting the plundering of a bank in Minnesota. Bill Chadwell, alias Styles, who was with the James Boys, had been a former resident of Minnesota, in which State he had some respectable relations. His acquaintance in the eastern part of the State led to a consideration of the results of a bank robbery in that section. He told a long and plausible story concerning the wealth of that country ; the heavy deposits carried by some of the banks, that of Man- kato being especially mentioned, and then declared his knowledge of every road and hog path, cave and 204 TIf£ BORDER OUTLAWS. swamp within two hundred miles of St. Paul. His story produced a most favorable impression upon the two James boys and Clell Miller, who, in turn, sought to persuade Cole Younger and his brothers into a similar disposition. It is said that Jim and Bob Younger thought favorable of the enterprise, but Cole shook his head and expressed doubts and dis- satisfaction. He plainly told his comrades that Min- nesota was too far from home for a successful adven- ture of the character proposed, and that " the game was not worth the ammunition." However, the will of all the others prevailed against his good judg- ment, and selling his team and provisions, the reor- ganized party proceeded to Minnesota by railroad. After reaching the section of their intended ex- ploit, it was decided to make Chadwell the leader, because of his knowledge of the country. In ac- cordance with his suggestions the bandits separated into pairs, coming together again, as occasion re- quired, in order to preserve a concert of action. In riding through the country they went sometimes in pairs and then again there were three in one com- pany and five in another, carrying with them county and section maps, that their retreat might be made with a thorough understanding of all the avenues af- fording the best means of escape. At some places they claimed to be railroad surveyors, which was their excuse for making inquiries regarding swamps, bluffs and stretches of heavy timber. At other times, in crossing prairies, they passed for land spec- ulators and cattle dealers. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 205 It is positively known now that the bandits visited the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul, Mankato, Jaynes- ville, Lake Crystal, Owatonna, Dundas, Madelia and Northfield, and in each of these places they stopped at the hotels and demeaned themselves like wealthy gentlemen. They purchased horses at different points until all the bandits were superbly mounted. At Mankato all the outlaws came together on the 3d of September, and paid a visit to the city bank, where one of them obtained change for a #50 bill. During their stay in this place Jesse James was recognized by an old acquaintance, but the recogni- tion was not returned, Jesse claiming that the speaker was a stranger. After this only five of the bandits were seen together until the attack at Northfield ; the reason for this is found in the arrangement for Bill Chadwell and Cole Younger to ride in advance and obtain necessary information which would determine the party upon what bank the raid should be made. When the bandits rode into Mankato on the 5th of September, they all wore long, linen ulsterettes over their heavy coats. On Wednesday, the 6th of Sep- tember, 1876, three rode in from Millersburg and met a fourth. All tied their horses near the depot, where they were admired by fanciers of fine stock. Two weeks before the raid two of them had pur- chased horses in St. Paul, and Officer Kenny recog- nized one of them as Clell Miller, whom he had seen on trial at Corydon, Iowa, for the bank robbery com- mitted there in 1871. Miller talked with the officer, 206 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. whom he also recognized. He said he was going to the Black Hills. All the gang appear to have ob- tained a good knowledge of the town and immediate vicinity without exciting suspicion that they were other than honest cattle dealers with plenty of money. On the following day, the 7th, the eight daring brigands rode into Northfield, a town of two thou- sand inhabitants, located on the line of the Milwau- kee and St. Paul Railroad, in Rice county. A small stream runs through the place, called Cannon river, over which there is a neat iron bridge, and just above this there is an excellent mill race, with a large flour- ing mill owned by Messrs. Ames & Co. The town is chiefly noted for the location of Carlton College, one of the finest educational institutions in the State. Just before noon three of the bandits dined at Jeft's restaurant on the west side of Cannon river. After eating they talked politics, and one of them offered to bet the restaurant man one hundred dollars that the State would go Democratic. The bet was not taken, and they then rode across the bridge into the business part of the town, hitching their horses nearly in front of the First National Bank. They stood for some time talking leisurely near the corner. Suddenly there came like a whirlwind a rush of horsemen over the bridge. There were only three of them, but they made racket enough for a regi- ment. Riding into the square with whoops and oaths, they began firing revolvers and ordering every- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 207 body off the streets. Almost at the same moment two others rode down from the west, carrying out a similar programme. It was a new experience for Northfield, and for a few minutes the slamming of front doors almost drowned the noise of the firing. At the first sound of the onset the three men who first entered town, Jesse James, Charley Pitts and Bob Younger, had walked quickly into the bank and leaped nimbly over the counter. The cashier, J. L. Haywood, was at his place and Frank Wilcox and A. E. Bunker, clerks, were at their desks. All were covered by the revolvers before they apprehended danger. The robbers stated that they intended to rob the bank. The cashier was commanded to open the safe, and bravely refused. The outer door of the vault was standing ajar, and the leader stepped in to try the inner door. As he did so Haywood jumped forward and tried to shut him in. One of the others, afterward found to be Charlie Pitts, promptly arrested the movement. At this moment Bunker thought he saw a chance, and so he broke for the back door. The third robber, Bob Younger, followed and fired two shots, one of which took effect in the fugitive's shoulder. The others then insisted that Haywood should open the safe, and putting a knife to his throat said, " Open up, d — d you, or we'll slit you from ear to ear." A slight cut was made to enforce the demand. Haywood still re- fused. Meantime the firing outside had commenced, and the men then began to cry out, "Hurry up' 208 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. It's getting too hot here !" The three hastily ran- sacked the drawers, and rinding only a lot of small change, jumped over the railing and ran out. Jesse James was the last to go, and as he was in the act of leaping from the counter, he saw Haywood turn quickly to a drawer as if in the act of securing a weapon. Instantly the outlaw presented his pistol and shot the brave cashier dead. The bullet pene- trated the right temple and ranging downward lodged near the base of the brain. Haywood fell over with- out a groan, a quantity of his blood and brains staining the desk as he reeled in the death fall. The shot which struck Bunker entered his right shoulder at the point of the shoulder-blade and passed through obliquely, producing only a flesh wound. As the bandits rushed into the street they met a sight and reception quite unexpected. Recovering from their first surprise, the citizens began to exhibit their pluck, and were ready to meet the outlaws half way in a deadly fight. A search for fire-arms was the first important step, and Dr. Wheeler, J. B. Hide, L. Stacey, Mr. Manning and Mr. Bates each succeed- ed in procuring a weapon which they expeditiously put into service. Dr. Wheeler, from a corner room (No. 8) in the Dampier House, with a breech-loading carbine, took deliberate aim at one of the bandits as he was mounting, and sent a big slug through the outlaw's body. The death-stricken man plunged head-long from his horse and never uttered a sound afterward. This man proved to be Bill Chadwell, or properly Bill Styles. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 209 Mr. Bates was in a room over Hananer's clothing- store in the Scriver block, while Manning stood fear- lessly on the sidewalk, and the two kept firing at the robbers as opportunity presented. At length Manning walked out, and seeing one of the bandits riding rapidly up Division street, he fired and was rewarded by seeing the robber grow unsteady in his seat, and then checking the speed of his horse, tumble to the ground. This second victim proved to be Clell Miller, and as he fell, Cole Younger, see- ing the fatal result, rode up to the prostrate comrade from whose body he unbuckled a belt containing two pistols, securing which, he remounted and rode back to the others who were still firing. Another of the outlaws used his horse as a barricade, and from behind it he continued to shoot until another shot from Manning's gun killed the animal. His protec- tion being destroyed the bandit ran for the iron stairway which leads to the second story of the Scriver block from the outside. Behind this stair- way were a number of empty pine boxes, from behind which the bandit used every effort to kill Manning. Dr. Wheeler was a critical observer of everything occurring in the street, and bringing his carbine to bear on the outlaw, he fired, sending a bullet through the bandit's right elbow. This man proved to be Bob Younger, who, not in the least discouraged by his painful wound, coolly maintained his position, and, shifting his pistol to the left hand, fired at Bates, who was standing with his weapon U BILL CHADWELL. CLELL MILLER. CHARLEY PITTS. Engraved from Photographs taken after Death. 210 o. THE YO UNGER BR O THERS. 2 1 1 upraised inside his store. The bullet sped through a window plate and cut a furrow through Mr. Bates' cheek, but not deep enough to draw much blood. A Norwegian by the name of Nicholas Gustava- son, was on the street, when one of the bandits or- dered him to get indoors. His limited knowledge of the English language caused his death, for not understanding the command the outlaw shot him in the head, producing a wound from which he died four days afterward. By some means Jim Younger lost his horse, and the other bandits, finding the citizens' fire too destruc- tive, mounted their horses and fled. At this moment Jim shouted, " My God ! boys, you don't intend to desert me ? I am shot ! " At this Cole Younger dashed back and took his wounded brother up behind him. The gang then rode rapidly out of town, going in a westwardly direction. After getting out of Northfield the outlaws gal- loped hard for a mile, and then stopped for a few minutes to dress their hurts. It was afterward as- certained that every man in the party was wounded more or less severely, some of them being merely punctured with small shot. This was the result of Mr. Stacy's double-barrel shot-gun, which he had no time to charge with large shot. At Dundas, three miles from Northfield, they stopped again and made another application of cold water and band- ages. One of them was so badly hurt that another of the band got on the horse with him to hold him 2 1 2 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. on, the riderless horse being led by a comrade. Thus adjusted the six rode away again. On the road they met a man by the name of Empey, hauling a load of hoop-poles. As he had one fine horse they knocked him into the ditch, cut the horses out of the harness and went ahead a little way, when they had to pull up again to dress their wounds. Starting on again they stopped another farmer, but concluding that his horses were not as good as some of their wounded ones, let him go. At this time Frank James was wearing a bandage around his leg outside his trousers, and Jim Younger had a cloth around his arm and was holding one hand in the other, the blood dripping from his fingers, while his horse was led by a comrade. This, of course, explains how it happened that they got away no faster. Had they abandoned the worst wounded ones to their fate, there is little doubt but that the others would have gotten away easily enough. As it was, the story of the chase abounds in incidents almost too marvelous for belief. Every point, including St. Paul and Minneapolis, was immediately notified of the robbery, by tele- graph, and police officers, detectives and sheriffs posses were sent out after the fleeing bandits, in such numbers that it was thought impossible for any of the outlaws to escape. • Very soon rewards were offered for the apprehen- sion of the desperadoes, which stimulated the al- ready active hunt. The State first proffered #1,000 THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 213 for the arrest of the six bandits, which offer was changed to #1,000 for each of the gang, dead or alive ; £700 was offered by the Northfield bank, and #500 by the Winona & St. Peter railroad. A posse of fourteen men overtook the bandits on the night of the nth in a ravine near Shieldsville, and fell back after a fight in which one of the robbers' horses was killed. The dismounted rider was imme- diately taken up behind one of the others and the band took to the woods. More than 400 men turned out to cut them off. They got into a patch of timber at Lake Elysian and were run out of it the next day, and though the scouting parties increased to a thousand, two days later the robbers had been completely lost. They aimed to go south-west and follow the timber which reaches to the Iowa line, but on the 13th all six were surrounded in the timber near Mankato and all bridges, fords and roads guarded, so that it was thought they could not escape. At two o'clock in the morning four of them came out, ran the guard off Blue Earth bridge and crossed over, and left a regiment of pursuers behind. Next night, two of them, Jesse and Frank James, broke through a pick- et line on one horse. They were fired upon, and, abandoning the horse, took to a corn-field. While riding double, a ball fired by one of the pursuing posse, struck Frank James in the right knee and passing through, imbedded itself in Jesse's right thigh, producing painful wounds. They stole two grey horses that night from a man named Rockwell 2 14 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. and went into Madelia in the morning and bought some bread ; then they took to the prairie and struck out for Dakota. The two grey horses ridden and the overcoats worn by the James Boys left the pursuers an easy means of keeping track of them. Both were so badly hurt and so stiff that when they went to a farm-house and forced the farmer to swap horses with them at the muzzle of the pistol, they had the greatest difficulty in climbing up on a fence to get on the horses' backs. For saddles they had bags stuffed with hay. Yet they got clear away eventu- ally. A posse from Yankton had a fight with them about eight miles out of town, and after having one man wounded, gave it up as a perilous business. The two, soon after, raided a stable, captured two horses, and again outran pursuit. Near Sioux Falls they met a Dr. Mosher, and made him dress their wounds and change horses and clothing with them. That is the last that was seen of them by their pursuers, they being then in Sioux county, Iowa. They were traced further south to where their horses gave out, and they hired a man to take them on their way in a wagon. Again they were heard of still further down, evidently making for Missouri. Every sheriff and marshal along their line of retreat, was constantly in receipt of letters from Missouri and Kansas, threatening assassination if they arrested the two robbers, and finally the fu- gitives were lost track of entirely. It is now known that these two, Jesse and Frank James, continued their journey by wagon directly to Mexico. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 21 5 The other four, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger and Charley Pitts, passed through the town of Mankato on the night of the 13th, and got into the woods west. They robbed a hen-roost, and were just in the act of cooking breakfast, when a posse, who had dis- covered them, made a charge and drove them out of camp, but without getting sight of them. The worst luck for the robbers was that they had not eaten breakfast, the chickens being left in camp, already picked. Jim Younger afterward said he felt real mean when he was robbing that roost. Large bands of farmers and citizens followed close on their trail, yet the bandits showed such consummate woodcraft, that for two days the pursuers thought the four were only three. One was barefoot, and at every camp- ing-place they left the ground littered with bloody bandages. Finally all trace was lost of them again, but on the morning of the 2 1st one of the outlaws went to a farm-house, eight miles west of Madelia, and bought some bread and butter. The early hour of his visit and the stiffness of his actions caused a prying young fellow at the house, named Oscar Su- born, to take particular, notice of the man. He dis- covered that the stranger had big revolvers, and that he, with three others, left the road and started west across the country. In less than an hour the boy had taken the news to Madelia. It was yet early in the day, and in fifteen minutes' time, after getting word, Sheriff Glispin and others set out on horseback. For a couple of hours parties were continually start- 2i6 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. ing off, as fast as they could be equipped with arms and horses. Meantime the four stiff and foot-sore wayfarers were trudging along across the prairie to- ward the timber skirting the Watonwan river. Just at the Hanska slough they were overtaken by the sheriff and advance guard of three or four men, who rode up within one hundred yards and ordered them to surrender. The quartette paid no attention to the summons, but plunging into the slough, waded across. The slough could not be crossed by a horse, so the sheriff had to ride around. The robbers con- tinued to hobble along, as best they could, toward the river, and had made about two miles before the sheriff headed them off. They kept straight on for the timber, and the sheriff's party opened on them with rifles. The robbers returned the fire, the bul- lets whistling so close that the officer and his depu- ties hastily dismounted and the sheriff's horse was wounded. The robbers got into a belt of timber, aid, going through to the other side, saw a hunting party in a wagon, which they made a rush to cap- ture. The men in the wagon instantly presented their shot-guns and the robbers, taking them for pur- suers, went back into the brush. It so happened that the patch of timber they had struck was only about five acres in extent, and had bare, open ground all around it. Before they had discovered the dis- advantage of their position the people began to flock in from all directions, in wagons, on foot, on horse- back, equipped with shot-guns and rifles. They soon THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 217 established a cordon of one hundred and fifty men around the patch and began shooting into it to drive the game out. As the robbers paid no attention to FIRING INTO THE WOODS. this, Sheriff Glispen called for volunteers to go in and stir them up. The following went with him : Col. Vaught, Jas. Severson, Ben Rice, Geo. Brad- 218 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. ford, Chas. Pomeroy and Capt. Murphy of Madelia. These seven formed in line a few yards apart and moved cautiously through the brush. The hiding place consisted of about five acres of thick timber, with considerable willow about the marshy parts, but not sufficiently dense to offer any considerable pro- tection. After the volunteers had advanced into the brush a distance of fifty yards Charley Pitts jumped up in front of Sheriff Glispin and leveled a revolver which exploded almost at the same instant as the sheriff's rifle. The robber ran a couple of rods in a cornering direction and fell dead. The three Younger Brothers were discovered a moment later, .and, as soon as they saw they were in for it, stood up and opened fire. One of the posse was slightly wounded and another had a watch knocked into flinders. Six of the posse returned the volley, the sheriff being busy reloading and so well directed were their shots that Cole and Jim dropped on the ground, groaning with the pain of shattered bones. Capt. Murphy fired rapidly with a Colt's revolver; Rice and Severson had carbines, while Vaught, Bradford and Pomeroy attacked with double-barrelled shot guns. While discharging his pistol Capt. Murphy was struck by a 44 calibre ball, but fortunately the bullet hit a pipe in his vest pocket which so spent its force that the only result was a painful bruise. After the first skirmish the bandits retreated a little further which, while hiding from the attacking party, exposed in DC UJ O z o UJ 3- h Q, < THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 219 themselves to a large body of men stationed on the north side of the thicket; a volley of gun and pistol shots drove them back again to within twenty yards of the seven volunteers. Cole and Jim were now entirely helpless, in fact Jim was suffering so badly from the wound in his mouth that he had been unable to assist his brothers in defending themselves. Bob, with one arm hanging broken by his side, stood his ground between the other two, and continued to blaze away with a revolver in his left hand, aiming first at one end of the line, and then at the other, then at the centre, but apparently, trying rather to scare the men off than to hit anybody. One re- volver being exhausted, he was handed another. As the posse kept on shooting, however, he finally called out to let up, as the boys were " all shot to pieces." The sheriff made him throw down his pistol and walk forward into the line, when he was secured. Out of all the shots fired at him only one had taken effect, wounding him slightly in the side. The broken arm he had carried all the way from North- field. The prisoners were secured and taken, with the dead bandit, to Madelia, and placed under the surgical care of Drs. Overholt and Cooley. They con- fessed that they were the Youngers, but always re- fused to give any information as to their confederates. Cole had a rifle-ball under the right eye, which para- lyzed the optic nerve, and has never yet been extrac- ted. He also had a large revolver bullet in the body and a shot through the thigh, which he got at North- 220 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. field, and was wounded altogether in the fight eleven times. Jim was looked upon as a hopeless case by the surgeons. He had eight buckshot and a rifle ball in the body. An ugly wound in the shoulder had been received at Northfield, and he had lost nearly half his jaw by a minie bullet. Bob was the only one who was able to remain on his feet at the surrender. The wound he had received at Northfield had shat- tered his elbow so as to leave his arm and hand stiff forever. All the old wounds were almost festering for want of attention. After they had rested and had their wounds dressed, every effort was made to get them to tell who were the other two, but without avail. They were always on their guard. One day a man went in to them and said word had just been received that their two comrades, the James Boys, had been overtaken, and one killed and the other wounded and captured. " How do you know they are the James Boys ? " said Cole. " The wounded man confessed." " Which one was killed ? " " Frank." " Which oae, I say ? The big one or the Hide one ? " " The big one." " Did they say anything about us? " "No." " Good boy to the last ! " — the old guerrilla ex- clamation to show that a man was game. And that THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 221 was all that could be got out of them. They were ready to talk about the " big one " and the " lit- tle one," but that was all. No names were in their vo- cabulary. They would not tell who their dead comrades were. The two killed in town were posi- tively identified, however, as Clell Miller and Bill Chadwell. Miller first came into bandit fame in connection with the Corydon bank robbery, and was afterward with the band at the Otterville and Mun- cie robberies. He was a hard fighter under Quan- trell. Chadwell was said to have been driven out of Minnesota for horse-stealing once. His father is reported as having identified his body. Other re- ports have it that his family belonged in Kansas. The one killed at Madelia was Charles Pitts, or more properly Charles Wells. His chief record was made at Baxter Springs and Otterville. Worn out, festering with desperate wounds, ex- posed to terribly inclement weather, camping without blankets in the cold nights of a Northern autumn, and above all, not having had a full meal in two weeks, the Younger brothers gave an exhibition of endurance in this retreat which must be taken as an illustration of unparalleled heroism, which only the most remarkable constitutions could survive. After the death of Chadwell and Miller they were carried into an empty store on Mill Square, where they remained for some time the object of popular gaze and attention. Chadwell's death wound was located about one inch to the right of the sternum, 222 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. tearing away his lungs and passing out at the back below the shoulder-blade. Clell Miller was struck by a minie ball which penetrated the left breast just below the clavicle. Besides this wound he was struck in the shoulder and face by a charge of shot, evidently fired from Stacy's gun. The captured Younger brothers were taken to Madelia where they received surgical attention at the Flanders House. Cole and Jim were placed in the same bed, while Bob was accommodated in another room. Their wounds, though of a serious character, were pronounced not dangerous. During their stay at Madelia they were daily visited by hundreds of men and women, many of the latter bringing testimonials of regard for the heroism displayed by the stricken bandits. Cole Younger, though badly wounded, re- ceived his visitors in a most affable manner, and all the brothers demeaned themselves in such a way as to win the respect of all who called, each having some kind and cheerful words with which to answer even impertinent questions. After some telegraphic correspondence between the Governor, who was at- tending the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia, and Capt. Macy, his secretary, an order was re- ceived to place the prisoners in the county jail at Faribault, the county seat of Rice county, and to convey the remains of the dead bandit to St. Paul, which was accordingly done, the dead body being given to the Surgeon General of the State for em- balming. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 223 After the Younger brothers were incarcerated in jail, several detectives from northwestern cities, and James McDonough, chief of the St. Louis police, met in St. Paul and went by special train to Fari- bault to interview and identify the prisoners. The entertaining trio had so far recovered as to be able to receive their visitors in excellent style. When the party entered the jail they found Cole and Bob smoking and reading the daily papers. Jim, howev- er, was still suffering severely from the wound in his mouth. A very interesting conversation of more than two hours duration was had, in which no infor- mation was gleaned of importance. Miss Retta Younger, a sister of the bandits, and a lovely lady of refinement and unexceptionable char- acter, seventeen years of age, visited the brothers directly after their capture ; her grief and refined deportment gained for her the sympathy of every one, and the impression she created was of the most favorable nature. Mrs. Fannie Twyman, an aunt, was also with the brothers, and she, too, met with the highest esteem from the citizens of Faribault. The Grand Jury that was summoned returned four bills of indictment against the captured bandits, and Cole Younger was specially charged with murdering the Norwegian, which bill was found on the testimony of two witnesses, who swore they saw Cole commit the deed. On the 7th of November the district court con- vened, Judge Lord presiding. The prosecution was 224 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. represented by the prosecuting attorney, George N. Baxter, Esq., and the prisoners had for their counsel Thomas Rutledge, Esq., of Medalia, and Bachelder & Buckham, of Faribault. It was the in- tention of the Youngers to plead "not guiliy," but when they were forced to stand a trial on the charge of murder in the first degree, in order to avoid capi- tal punishment, they entered a plea of " guilty.' 1 Had the charge of murder been confined to Hay- wood, the brothers would have stood a trial, because they could have proved, positively, that neither of them fired the fatal ball at the cashier, and as a con- viction could only have resulted in a life sentence, they could have afforded to take the chances. After entering the plea of " guilty," Judge Lord ordered the prisoners to stand up and receive sen- tence. The order of the court was that each of the brothers should be confined in the State penitentiary at Stillwater, for the period of their natural lives- When this sentence was pronounced, the young and beautiful sister almost fainted; recovering her strength she fell on Cole's neck and gave expression to such intense suffering of mind that nearly every one in the court-room was moved to tears. Sheriff Barton could hardly persuade the devoted sister to abate her manifestations of grief. Thenceforth she did not leave her brothers until they were conveyed to the penitentiary, to which place she accompanied them, and when circumstances compelled them to part she was fairly overwhelmed with sorrow. Her THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 225 love was fully reciprocated by the erring brothers, and such an attachment could not fail in creating a strong bond of sympathy between the citizens and the unhappy sister. A PROPOSITION TO MURDER JIM YOUNGER. The wound received by Jim Younger in the fight at Northfield, while in no sense dangerous, was the most unfortunate blow that struck the bandits. The hemorrhage from his shattered mouth was so pro- fuse, that a trail of blood was left behind him, easily distinguishable by the pursuers. Two miles from Dundas and a little more than one hour after fleeing out of Northfield, the bandits stopped at a farm- house and, borrowing a pail, they repaired to the spring where the wounded men were bathed and ev- ery effort was made to stay the bleeding of Jim's mouth. Water, however, seemed to aggravate the difficulty. His linen duster was torn into bandages, but the wound being difficult to bind, the cloths were soon saturated and had to be thrown away, fur- nishing another indication of the retreat. The hem- orrhage continued until Jim became so weak that it was necessary for Cole and Bob to ride beside and support him in the saddle. This retarded the fugi- tives for several days, while the woods were fairly swarming with their pursuers, 15 226 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. On the 13th, while the party were hobbling through swamps and finding every avenue guarded, Jesse James — so it is reported by an ex-guerrilla who has maintained relations, for many years, with the James and Younger Boys — spoke to Cole Youn- ger about as follows : " Cole, we are in a bad fix, and there is only one way out, so it appears to me. Our trail is so plain that a blind man can follow it ; if we are surrounded it means death to us all. It's a terrible thought, but the circumstances are terrible. Jim cannot live ; -he is almost dead now. We can't continue our retreat with him; we can't hide, and to carry him along with us will only result in certain death to the whole party. None of us could consent to his falling into the hands of the men now hunting us, and therefore, everything considered, I think it would be right to dispose of him, thereby ending his sufferings which must finally end in his death ; we could then travel faster and, I think, escape." Cole and Bob Younger looked at Jesse for some moments before replying ; that they were mad there could be no doubt. Finally Cole replied: " Jesse James, you are a cold-hearted villain ; a very monster that I cart never again associate with. Now, here, let us separate. If Frank (James) shares your sentiments, or Charley (Pitts) entertains such a wish, take your own route and never meet me again. To kill my brother ! why, I'll stay by him till he dies and then I'll carry his dead body with me as long as my strength makes it possible." THE YO UNGER BR O THERS. 227 Frank James expressed some dissent from Jesse's proposition, as did Charley Pitts, but it was finally agreed that the James Brothers should go their way, as Cole and Bob could no longer endure Jesse's com- pany. It was thus the party separated, Pitts remain- ing with the Youngers. The fraternal devotion of Cole and Bob Younger never needed stronger manifestation. They did re- main with their stricken brother ; carried him through swamps, over streams, into the deepest recesses of the forest, and when their own wounds, deep and terrible, had become so festered, and their limbs stiffened, that further progress was impossible, they laid their precious charge down tenderly upon the leaves and there remained, exhausted and pros- trate, until the capture was consummated. What noble hearts to be concealed beneath the exterior of these outlaws I AN INTERESTING CORRESPONDENCE FROM COLE YOUNGER. Since the arrest of the Younger Brothers more than a hundred attempts have been made by book- writers, to secure a history of the noted outlaws from their own lips. These efforts were made, principally, by correspondence, but not a few sanguine authors and reporters have visited the penitentiary and used all the force of persuasive eloquence, and proffered 228 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. money considerations to the Youngers for a recital of their interesting exploits. The manner in which these influences resulted, is told in Cole Younger's first letter, which is given in full herewith. Being acquainted with so many of the old chums of the Younger and James Boys, who knew my pur- pose of preparing a history of the famous bandits, time and again I was assured by them, that a letter to Cole Younger would be answered. At length I wrote to warden Reed, of the Minnesota peniten- tiary, requesting his influence with the Youngers, in- ducing them to write to me. In due time the warden replied that the inflexible rule of the three brothers was to make no reply to any communication indicat- ing a purpose like the one I manifested. But being more especially desirous of demonstrating my dis- position not to do the incarcerated brothers any in- tentional injustice, I wrote, addressing each of the Youngers in person, acquainting them with my pur- pose and requesting an answer. The reply received is as follows : Stillwater, Minn., Oct. 20, 1880. J. W. Buel, Esq., Dear Sir : — Your letter was received some days ago. The reason I did not answer soon was owing to the fact that when we were first captured, I received a great many letters from different parties all wanting to write a history of my life, and to be just to all I replied to none. But as yours is the only letter of the kind I have received for a long time, I have concluded to write you. Without intending the least disrespect, permit me to say : positively, I will have nothing to do with writing a history of THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 229 any kind. Now if you have determined to prepare such a history — and I presume you have — I will aid you only so much as to refer you to those who served with me in the Lost Cause. You will find the names of all of them in Edwards' book, entitled " Shelby and his Men." Most of these men still live in Jackson, Cass, Johnson and Lafayette counties ; I am willing to abide by any statement they may make concerning me. As for anything since the war, a true statement would fall flat. I am aware that my name has been connected with all the bank robberies in the country ; but positively I had nothing to do with any one of them. I look upon my life since the war as a blank, and will never say anything to make it appear otherwise. The world may believe as it pleases. I presume that you are a professional writer, and, like many others, have been led to believe by sensational news- paper reports, that there are historical facts sufficient con- nected with my life to make an interesting book, but it is a mistake, unless nine-tenths of the matter is fiction. As to the facts connected with my career in Minnesota, I will refer you to those equally well qualified to give them ; the sheriff of Watawan county, Sheriff Barton of Rice county, the clerks in the bank at Northfield, and Warden Reed, of this place. They could give you all the facts you could possibly get from me. I should not object to a visit from you, but will tell you in advance that I will give none of the details of my past life. I would as willingly assist you as any person, but my answer is alike to all. I am one who never insinuates ; I use nothing but plain words. As for the names of the two men who were with us at North- field, they will ever remain unknown to the world, so far as I am concerned. Very respectfully, T. C. Younger. This letter, while affording little information or encouragement, was, nevertheless, so respectful in its 230 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. t©ne, that I immediately answered it at considerable length, repeating my earnest desire to do all the brothers justice, which I feared could not be done without some necessary statements from them. I proffered space in my book for any epistolary vindi- cation they might choose to make, and then sought to impress upon them the importance of accepting the offer. I referred to a great many matters of interest to the public and gave my assurance (which I trust has in no sense been violated) that I should treat them in the fairest possible manner, but that in the absence of positive testimony the circumstantial evi- dence I was compelled to use might do them griev- ous wrong, a result I was exceedingly anxious to avoid. To this communication I received the follow- ing courteous and very gratifying reply : Stillwater, Minn., Oct. 31, 1880. J W. Buel, Esq., My Dear Sir : — Your letter of the 24th inst. came to hand in due time, and through the kindness of Warden Reed I am permitted to answer the same. I am glad to learn that you receive my refusal to assist in preparing a history of my life in the spirit I intended, for I am sure I meant no discourtesy. I observe by your letter that you still entertain the opin- ion that there are historical facts connected with ray life worthy of record in print, but I assure you that such an idea is erroneous, at least that is my opinion. You had better confine yourself to the war record as long as possible, for when you leave that it is like launching a boat into the ocean without a rudder, compass, or lighthouse, the voyage becomes doubtful. You announce your desire to question me concerning the THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 331 James Boys. Of course I have no idea of the nature of your questions, but if they involve information respecting what they have been accused of since the war, then I will make no answer. If either of them ever trusted me with a secret, there is no power on earth that could induce me to betray that trust — nor that of any one else. No matter how much I might condemn the act, or how bitter enemiei we might have become afterward, it would be all the same. You speak of seeing George Shepherd. He surely told you that Jess (Jesse James) and I were never friends, for he knows all that prevented us from settling our difficulty, in '72, on the field of honor, was the intercession of Frank and others. Frank and I were always good friends, but we have seen little of each other since the war. He was a brave soldier, a true friend and a gentleman. Now don't obtain the idea from this that I wish to leave an impression that Jess was all to blame in our differences, or who was in fault, he or myself. I am sure I would not lay all the bur- den of blame upon him now, as he is dead or worse than dead. I never, for a moment doubted the fact of George Shepherd shooting him. You speak of writing Shepherd's history. I have no doubt that he had more ups and downs during the war than any other man connected with Quantrell. I have been in some very close places with him myself. We were together most of the time until the fall of '63, when I took my com- pany to Louisiana. I have not seen him but twice since the first of January, 1866, and then but a short time. I know nothing of his career since the war. He is the quick- est man on earth ; a stranger might take him for a coward, but in that he would be mistaken, for Shepherd is a brave man. You have, probably, learned that he is no friend of mine, or I have been told by others he was not, but I have no idea what he has against me. I was very much sur- prised to learn that he was trying to injure me after I was down, unless he thinks I am like Conrad, in Byron's Cor- sair: " Fallen too low to fear another fall." 232 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. That may be true, but I hate to think of being assisted in my fall by one with whom I have periled my life, and for the same cause. If he thinks he has grounds for becoming an enemy of mine, it must be the result of newspaper re- ports, for if he was connected with any of the bank robber- ies, he knows I was not present, and if he was not there, what right has he to declare who was ? But enough of this, for I still wish him well, according to his deserts. I am very thankful for your kind offer to let me have space in your book, should I wish to say anything in my own de- fense. I have nothing to say, unless it would be a request, using the language of Othello : "Speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate Nor set down aught in malice." If you choose you may use a letter I wrote to my brother- in-law, Lycurgas Jones, of Cass county, in November, 1874, and published in the Pleasant Hill Review. You request my opinion of all the books pretending to record the incidents of my life. With the exception of Maj. Edwards' history all the others are humbugs. In relation to Walley I will say : if I were what the world paints me, there could be no excuse except cowardice for my neglect to kill him. During the war I did every- thing in my power to get hold of him, but failed. I went into Kansas City, Independence, and other places, when they were garrisoned by from three hundred to a thousand Federals, in search of Walley, but could never find him. When I returned home from the war I found a widowed mother, with little children to take care of, and to be able to assist them, I buried everything connected with the war. But I was forced to leave home again, and then I could have killed Walley nearly any time, but only by assassina- tion — slipping to his house and shooting him through the window. Some people might have perpetrated such a deed, but I could never pollute my soul with such a crime. I challenged him during the war, but he paid no attention to it, hiding from me all the time in the most cowardly man- ner. I could not shoot him like a dog, especially when I knew he had a wife and children. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 233 There is one thing I wish you would note respecting the character of the guerrillas. It is the popular impression among people of other States that we were sneak-thieves like the bushwhackers of Virginia, Tennessee and Arkan- sas, who hid in the mountains and sallied out during the night to kill old men and rob defenceless women and chil- dren. This you know is a fallacy and an unjust stigma up- on the guerrillas. If you wish to know how I treated citizens during the most furious days of the war, I will refer you, for that infor- mation, to the Union men in Cass, Jackson or Gentry coun- ties, or personally, to Martin O. Jones, or Sampson, the Jew, in Independence. You are acquainted in Jackson county and know these men to be honorable and prominent Unionists. The only bulldozing I ever did was in making men who remained at home during the winter of '62 get wood for the women and children ; for the wives of Union as well as Confederate soldiers. The question has been asked thousands of times : " Why have the Youngers been protected and befriended so long by the people in the western counties of Missouri ? " There are two reasons: First, because they never believed we were guilty of the crimes charged upon us ; and second, because I befriended them during the war. At the most critical period of the great strife, in 1862, we had five dif- ferent farms in Cass and Jackson counties, with corn cribs full of corn. When food became difficult to obtain, I told all the poor people to help themselves and take what corn they needed, without charge. I made no distinction then between Federals and Confederates. Wash. Sallie was at the county farm, adjoining ours, at the time ; you probably know him ; he will confirm what I say, and will tell you that we had five thousand bushels of corn at that farm which I distributed to the poor without distinction. There are many mothers, wives and daughters still living who will credit me with an honorable part during the war, and of risking my life in the defense of their fathers, husbands and brothers. I never, under any circumstances, refused to aid 234 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. a friend, regardless of political predilections, a claim which not one of my old comrades will dispute. I have written you more than I intended when I com- menced. I will ask you to pay no attention to what I have said, until all my assertions are corroborated by other sources, satisfactory to yourself; then use the facts as you deem proper. I was a soldier and fought to hurt, but I never molested non-combatants. T. C. Younger. A PERSONAL INTERVIEW WITH COLE YOUNGER. The lengthy communication of October 31st, from Cole Younger, determined me upon a visit to Still- water for the purpose of having a personal interview with the noted brothers, and in accordance with this decision I left St. Louis on the 5th of November and arrived at my destination on the morning of the 7th. After introducing myself to Warden Reed, that very affable prison official conducted me at once to a reception-room where, after a very short wait, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger walked in, by whom I was greeted very cordially. My first tacit observa- tion was, " did I ever see three finer looking men ? " Cole is the largest, being about six feet three inches in height, but all the brothers measure considerably over six feet, and their bodies are knit together with that smooth compactness which indicates the strength of steel. They were models of form, and if THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 235 I were a woman I should have no hesitancy in pro- nouncing each of them decidedly handsome. But better than all this, they bear themselves like perfect gentlemen and never fail, so I am told, in producing the most favorable impression upon all their visitors, of whom they have not a few. Cole is the spokesman of the trio, and in the beginning it is well to admit that a shrewder questioner or witness never made use of brain and tongue than he. Physiology and phre- nology both unite in adapting him for the bar ; as a lawyer he would undoubtedly have made a phenom- inal success; the magnificence of his physique and sharp wits, which manifest themselves in cunning speech and comprehension and quick ideas, leave no doubt of what his career as an advocate would have been. His first words were : " Well, I learn from your letters that you have de- cided to write a history of the James and Younger Boys." "Yes," said I, "such has been my purpose for some years past, and much of the work is already completed ; what remains to be finished I have left until some very necessary information may be gath- ered from you." " I am very glad to see you," he responded ; "but I fear that resolutions, which I have long since taken, will prevent me from making your visit a profitable one." . I replied : " The object of my visit does not con- template the forging of secrets from your breast; 236 THE BORDER UTLA WS. from the tenor of your communications I judged your character ; that there were many things which were with you inviolably sacred ; I was also assured that no trust confided to your keeping would ever be vioalated. Upon such subjects I have no wish to question you, but only upon such matters as regard yourself, the war and other things, to speak of which you will not compromise your manhood or honor." " I cannot see what interest, then, an interview with me would possess more than that with any other of the ex-guerrillas, many of whom are still living," he replied. I answered : " The relations to the public are differ- ent, and then there are some things of which you might honorably speak, chiefly concerning yourself, that would be of special interest to the thousands who have read of your exploits." " Well," said he, " propound your questions, and what I can conscientiously answer I will, but when you tread upon sacred grounds I shall be quick to inform you." Q. In the first place explain, if you can, some of the causes which produced the guerrillas of Missouri. A. It would require a history to answer that question properly. The people of western Missouri are, in some respects, very peculiar. We will take Jackson county (where I was born) for instance. In that section the people seemed to be born fighters, the instinct being inherited from a long line of an- THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 237 cestors. It would have been a good idea if, in your book, you had given a short history of that county ; the facts might easily be collected in Independence where many old settlers still reside, who are familiar with some of the bitter antagonisms which distin- guished the early settlement of that district. Joe Smith and Brigham Young laid out Independ- ence, but very soon thereafter enough citizens of the county collected to drive them off, after several stub- born fights. The Mormons withdrew from the State and settled their community at Nauvoo, Illinois, but in a few years afterward about fifty of them again came into Missouri and settled in Platte county. They had scarcely established themselves, however, before another company of Jackson county citizens, chiefly from around Independence, organized to drive them off. Among these determined citizens were Richard Fristoe, my grandfather, Wood Nolen, Smallwood Nolen and Sam Owens. While crossing the river in a hand-ferry-boat, the ferryman, who had been bribed by the Mormons, succeeded in turning the boat over midway in the Missouri river. A large number were drowned, but the four I have mentioned succeeded in swimming ashore. Independence was, for a long time previous to the war with Mexico, headquarters for Mexican freighters. The freight passing between Mexico and Missouri was carried on pack-mules, many Jackson county men being engaged in that business. It was in Jackson county chiefly, also, that Col. 238 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Doniphan recruited his famous regiment for the Mexican war and made that wonderful march known in history as De rando del rnurato, (the journey of death). After subduing New Mexico, Doniphan marched to Chihuahua, which then had 40,000 in- habitants, and raised the United States flag over the citadel ; and from this latter place he continued his march to the Gulf of Mexico. Independence became also the headquarters and fitting-out post of the Forty-Niners when the great pilgrimage to California began. Majors Russell and Waddell, the greatest overland freighters the world has ever produced, lived in Independence. In the war of 1856 Jackson county, and the settle- ment about Independence especially, was more largely represented, perhaps, than any other section. This diabolical war, distinguished by the most atro- cious cruelties the conqueror can inflict upon his captive, prepared the way, and created the guerrilla in 1862. Natural fighters, conducting a war of spo- liation and reprisal, — through the brush, — trained to quick sorties and deadly ambuscades, how easily they drifted as their instincts inclined, and became guerrillas by an irresistible combination of circum- stances, such as I have explained. Q. Your answer is very comprehensive and inter- esting. Now, will you be kind enough to tell me what finally became of the " Black Flag " which Quantrell carried ? Geo. Shepherd gave me a very interesting history of that flag, which I shall relate in THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 239 my book, but he was unable to tell me what eventu- ally became of that ominous symbol. A. Jim Lane carried a black flag until the fall of 1863, when we captured it, and sometime afterward we sent it to Sterling Price. I think both flags were subsequently cut up and made into over-shirts which some of the boys wore. Q. Do you know where Quantrell is buried? A. He sleeps in the Catholic grave-yard at Louis- ville, Ky. Q. Do you know whether or not Jesse and Frank James are full brothers? A. Surely their mother is the same, and I presume their father was also the same, but he was dead long before I knew the family. Q. Will you explain the causes and circumstances which led you to Northfield ; also, explain, please, how you became separated from the two comrades who succeeded in escaping? I have been told that the shooting of Jim Younger, in the mouth, caused such profuse hemorrhage that the pursuers could trail you by the blood ; that one of the two who es- caped insisted on killing Jim in order to destroy the trail, and that it was this proposition which caused the separation. A. Positively, I will have nothing to do with writ- ing or furnishing any information concerning the Northfield robbery, or any other robbery. I do not •ay this through any unkindness ; I have made the same reply to life-long friends, among whom were 240 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. two brothers-in-law. I should say the same to sister Retta, whom I love better than all the world, if she should ask me the question. Q. How long was each of you in the surgeon's care after your capture ? A. Jim and I are still receiving surgical attention, and will be the remainder of our lives. Q. How often have you and your brothers been wounded ? A. I have been wounded altogether twenty times ; eleven of these wounds were received at Northfield. Jim was wounded four times at Northfield, and six times in all. Bob was never wounded until the pur- suit in Minnesota, where he was struck three times. Q. Can you tell me who was in command at Inde- pendence and issued the order that thereafter guer- rillas taken by capture would not be treated like or- dinary prisoners of war? Shepherd says he is not certain, but thinks it was Maj. Blunt. A. It was Jennison, Colonel of the 15th Kansas cavalry. Q. What are your respective duties in the peni- tentiary ? A. We have no special duties. Jim and I being on the hospital list do very little, while Bob performs various duties. I occupy much of my time in theo- logical studies for which I have a natural inclination. It was the earliest desire of my parents to prepare me for the ministry, but the horrors of war, the murder of my father, and the outrages perpetrated THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 241 upon my poor old mother, my sisters and brothers, destroyed our hopes so effectually that none of us could be prepared for any duty in life except re- venge. The tear which stole into Cole's eye told how much he suffered in the remembrance of those sor- row-laden days when war drove happiness eternally from the Younger household. Out of deference to that honorable feeling, I could not question him fur- ther upon such an extremely unpleasant subject. Q. How do you regard your treatment in the prison ? A. I will say that since our capture we have met with uniform kindness, and while in the penitentiary our relations with the officers have been cordially pleasant, and for their considerate and kind dispo- sition we feel profoundly grateful. There has never been so much as a hard thought between us. While I think of it, I should like to ask a favor: In your last letter you seemed to intimate that I had self in view by referring to the liberality with which I dis- tributed corn to the poor in 1862-3. Now the favor I ask is this : In the first place, many of my old com- rades are married and settled down in Missouri, where they are living peaceful lives. I want it un- derstood that all these men fought for principle, not for plunder, and that they were true-hearted, honor- able soldiers, fighting for what they esteemed was a righteous cause. In relation to me giving corn, and also pork and beef, to the poor during that hard 16 242 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. winter, when food was so difficult to obtain, I will only say that I was following an example set by my blessed and sainted mother, whose charitable heart never failed to respond to distress. These facts I desire you to make understood in your book. Q. How much land did your father own at the time of his assassination ? A. He had 3,500 acres, a greater part of which was under cultivation, with barns, houses, etc. All this property went with the ravages of the war. My part has long since been spent in keeping out of the clutches of mobs. I thanked Cole and his brothers for the marked kindness they had shown me, and after again ex- plaining the possible necessities, owing to conflict- ing and current errors, of my connecting them with crimes of which they were perhaps as innocent as myself, we shook hands cordially and I withdrew. After my return to St. Louis I instituted inquiries, by letter, in order to receive a denial or corrobora- tion of Cole Younger's statements, respecting his liberality and conduct during the war. I communi- cated with several Union men, all of whom, while pronouncing Cole a desperate fighter, yet accorded him full credit for his magnanimity in helping the poor, relieving distress and affording every possible protection to women and children, regardless of po- litical sentiments. THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 243 HOW A DUEL TO THE DEATH WAS PREVENTED. The position taken by Cole Younger with respect to talking upon incidents subsequent to the war, prevented me from obtaining all the information I so earnestly sought. That portion of his letter refer- ring to a proposed duel between himself and Jesse James, which was prevented by Frank James and others, possessed for me considerable interest, and to learn the facts leading to so desperate a conclusion, I again visited Kansas City and secured an interview with George Shepherd, in which he gave me the en- tire story, as follows : " When I left Kentucky after the expiration of my term of imprisonment, I visited my sister at Lee's Summit, in Jackson county. On the day following my return, which I think was early in 1872, Jesse James, hearing of my arrival, came ever to see me. In the course of our conversation he said: " * George, I saw Cole yesterday/ " ' Well, how is he and what did he say?' I replied. "Jess looked a little serious, and responded: " ' He told me to tell you that under no circum- stances did he ever want to see you again ; Cole is bitter against you, George/ " My answer was : ' I don't know what he has against me, but you can tell him he need not trouble about meeting me, or put himself in a place to see me if he don't want to/ 244 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. " Two days after this meeting I went up to see old Silas Hudspeth, near the Six Mile district. I was ignorant of the cause which had disturbed Cole's friendly relations with me, and I was determined not to make any special effort to find out. I reached Hudspeth's house some time after dark, and riding up to the front gate, I called out, l hello ! ' The old man came to the door and I told him who I was ; he drew back a step and spoke to some one in the house, after which he invited me to get down and come in. Just as I stepped on the porch, Cole, speaking from the inside where I could not see him, said : ■ Shepherd, I am in here, you ain't afraid, are you?' " I replied : ■ That's all right ; of course I'm not afraid,' and then I walked in. Cole was sitting in a chair in one corner of the room, and I at once saw he had a pistol. We spoke very little, confining our conversation to the old man. When it came bed- time, Hudspeth told us to occupy a bed together. After we undressed and lay down, I saw Cole reach up under his pillow and draw out a pistol which he put beside him under the cover. Not to be taken unawares, I at once grasped my own pistol and shoved it down under the covers beside me. To save my life I couldn't think of any reason Cole could have for becoming an enemy. We talked very little, but just lay there watching each other. He was behind and I on the front side of the bed, and during the entire night we looked into each others' THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 245 eyes, and never once moved. It was the most wretched eight hours I ever spent in my life. Of course, I wouldn't percipitate a fight or shoot him without cause, so I waited, determined only to pro- tect my own life. Singularly enough, Cole was ac- tuated by the same ideas. " As quickly as dawn began to appear, I got up and dressed, as did also Cole ; he never for one instant took his eye off me, but followed my actions and kept within an arm's length of me continually. You can imagine, how peculiar I felt ; if I could have con- cluded what produced his anger, then I would have known how to act, but my ignorance of the cause of his offense, and finding him apparently watching for a chance to kill me so dead, instantly, that I could not return his fire, made me wretched beyond ex- pression. u Old man Hudspeth finally got up and prepared breakfast, he being an old bachelor, and when we sat down to the table, Cole broke our suspense by remarking to me : ' I heard, yesterday, that you intended to kill me on sight ; have you lost your nerve ? ' u My surprise, I know, was indicated by my looks. I replied : ■ In the name of God, who told you such a thing? Why, I never for a moment even harbored a hard feeling toward you. Who told you that, Cole?' " ' I met Jess yesterday, and he told me that you sent that message to me by him,' Cole responded. 246 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. " Then the whole thing appeared plain to me. I had learned at Lee's Summit that Jesse James bore Cole a mortal hatred, and he had become a bearer of exasperating falsehoods between us so as to provoke a quarrel that would end in one of us being shot. " I told Cole how infamous the lie was and then re- lated to him what Jess had told me, conveying his, (Cole's) wishes not to see me. Of course, full ex- planations followed, and then Cole was one of the maddest men I ever saw. He despised Jesse James, but the primary cause of the difficulty between them was never told me. " We remained at Hudspeth's house until nearly ten o'clock in the morning, and as we were getting ready to leave, Jesse and Frank James and John Younger came riding up the road and hitched their horses to the fence with the intention of coming in ; Cole, however, met them and I saw at once that there was a cloud of difficulty in the horizon several times bigger than a man's hand. As they advanced to- ward each other, Cole drew his pistol and threw the muzzle directly in Jess' face, calling him, at the same time, all the abusive names he could think of. We finally parted them, or rather, quieted Cole, after which Jess and Frank rode off in one direction, while Cole and John Younger took the opposite. " Shortly after this occurrence the James Boys went to Louisiana and were followed, in a few weeks afterward, by Cole and John Younger. I don't think the Youngers knew where the James Boys had THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 247 gone. Anyhow, Cole and John decided to visit John Jarrette, who was living at a point in Louisiana I don't care to mention. As they came riding to- ward Jarrette's house, it chanced that the James Boys were there and saw them. Immediately Jess and Frank seized their double-barreled shot-guns and, running out of the house, they took positions behind two trees, as if intending to murder the Youngers. Cole saw and recognized, them. Now, Frank James was a friend of Cole's and he did everything in his power to quiet Jess, but the reason he seized his gun and joined Jess, was in order to help his brother if both Cole and John should at- tack him. " There never was a more fearless man than Cole Younger, and Jesse James knew that if he tackled him, it meant a fight to the death. Cole, with his pistol in hand, dared Jess to fire at him, and then gave him a challenge to come out from behind the tree and fight him at five or ten paces with shot-guns or pistols. Jess showed some disposition to accept the challenge, and it did look as though there would be one or more funerals in the woods, maybe, before dark. Fortunately for both of them, Frank James, John Younger and Jarrette succeeded in preventing what would have been a deadly meeting." Being unable to obtain an answer to the question from the Youngers themselves, after the conclusion of Shepherd's story, the writer asked him for an opinion respecting the guilt or innocence of the 248 THE BORDER O UTLA WS. Youngers as to the charges of bank and train rob- beries made against them. His reply was as follows: "Speaking of Cole Younger, I have no hesitancy in saying that, outside of the affair at Northfield, I don't believe he was ever connected with the James Boys, or that he ever participated in any of the robberies. This much, I know ; I have heard the James Brothers propose raids of that kind to him, asking him to join them, and every time, in my presence, he not only refused absolutely, but manifested a feeling of insult and pronounced the schemes outrageous, even going so far as to express a hope, that if they perpetrated such robberies, they would be caught and punished as they deserved. I also know that he was not at Russellville. As to the Otterville train robbery, I am aware that Hobbs Kerry's confession, which seemed to be corroborated by the attack at Northfield after- ward, surrounds Cole by very strong circumstantial evidence of guilt, but I have been told by one who knew all the parties implicated in the robbery, that Cole was not there." The writer then asked the further question : " Tell me, please, if Cole and Jesse James have been such implacable enemies, how it happened that they joined together in the scheme to rob the Northfield bank ? " Shepherd made response : " Well, that is a ques- tion which I should like as much to have answered, maybe more so than yourself. I feel certain, from THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 249 facts learned since that attack, that they were never reconciled to each other, and how it happened they rode together in that raid, puzzles me more than I can tell you. I mean to find out, some time, how- ever." ATTEMPTS TO LIBERATE THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. Considering the cunning and notoriety of the imprisoned bandits, it is not astonishing that at- tempts to liberate them should be made. More than two score of the old guerrillas are still living, all men of remarkable courage, and their devotion to one another recognizes, in a measure, the binding ob- ligation of the Black Oath, though the desperate days of its constant use are over. Aside from the strong bands of friendship forged by the direful ne- cessities of war, in which Cole Younger was such a consummate hero, there are other considerations which create a sympathy on the part of hundreds of western Missourians for the incarcerated outlaws. It has been reported, but upon authority which, to say the least, is far from conclusive, that a large sum of money was raised by voluntary contributions for the purpose of bribing the penitentiary officials to permit an escape of the Youngers ; one publication fixes the sum so raised at #70,000, but this is too ab- surd for any rational person to credit. 250 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. Some time in 1877 there was an attempt to release the bandits, but it was so clumsily arranged that there is grave doubt if either the Youngers or the prison authorities ever knew of it. The circumstan- ces, which were published about two years ago in a country paper of north-west Missouri, are, as far as remembered, about as follows : Canvassing as a book- agent for " Edwards' Noted Guerrillas" in the north- western part of Missouri, was an ex-guerrilla whose admiration for Cole Younger amounted to infatua- tion. He placed so much confidence in the ability of the Youngers to effect an escape from any place of confinement, that it was his frequent boast, to those about him, that the Stillwater officers would very soon be treated to a first-class surprise. But when he saw month after month pass away, with the Youngers still deprived of their liberty, he began to consider the means employed to hold them in cap- tivity. In the latter part of 1877, this enthusiastic admirer of his imprisoned comrade chanced to meet a friend who had also marched under Quantrell's black flag, and was then pursuing a peripatetic call- ing, but not for philosophic purposes. The two, af- ter exchanging the formulas of friendship, very naturally began a discussion of the Youngers' im- prisonment. They remained together for several days, devoting their entire time to propositions look- ing to a release of their friends. After proposing and debating more than a score of schemes, the two anxious ex-guerrillas concluded THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. 251 to adopt some bold measure, as they could depend upon the Youngers in every emergency however dangerous. Their decision was that each should leave Missouri and proceed directly to Minnesota ; they were to assume false names ; appear as strang- ers to each other, and then commit some crime that would cause them to serve a short term in the peni- tentiary. The most reliable friends of the Youngers were made acquainted with the plan intended to be put into execution, and were advised to hold them- selves in readiness to lend any necessary assistance. The faithful couple, who were ready to suffer any punishment, if there were any hope it would result in the liberation of their captive comrades, went into Minnesota by different routes, and as per their ar- rangement, one stole a watch and the other purloined some article of small value. The result of their thefts, however, was far from what they expected. The one who took the watch was sentenced to the penitentiary for one year, while the other, though very anxious to accompany his companion, and mak- ing no defense whatever, was committed to the county jail for a short period. This unforeseen termination of their trials completely destroyed the purposes of the scheme. The one sentenced to the penitentiary found, upon entering that penal institu- tion, that there were no possible means of communi- cating with the Youngers, owing to the rigid discip- line of the prison, and he was, therefore, forced to serve his full time, at hard labor, without even the 2$2 THE BORDER OUTLAWS. consolation of conveying his well-intended purpose to his captive friends. After his liberation from the penitentiary, the ex-guerrilla returned to the same county from whence he departed with a determina- tion to release Cole Younger, especially, and sorrow- fully repeated the result of his abortive attempt; no persuasion, however, could induce him to explain the details of his scheme, the reason evidently being, because of an anticipation that it would some day be renewed with better success. JESSE JAMES. Notice. — These portraits were engraved from late photographs, ob- tained at some expense and danger ; and having been copyrighted for this book all persons are warned against using them elsewhere. THE BORDER BANDITS. AM AUTHENTIC AND THRILLING HISTORY OF THE NOTED OUTLAWS, Jesse i Frank James, And their Bands of Highwaymen. COMPILED FROM RELIABLE SOURCES ONLY AND CONTAINIMO THE LATEST FACTS IN REGARD TO THESE DESPERATE FREEBOOTERS. BIT 0". "W. BUEL, Author of "Heroes of the Plains," "Legends of the Ozarks," and other popular works. ILLUSTRATED WITH L/TR POSITS ^D COLORED PLATES. ST. LOUIS, MO.: HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1881. Copyrighted, 1880, by DAN. LINAHAN. Ryan, Jacks & Co., Printers, ST. LOUIS. PREFACE. The career of Jesse and Frank James has been as check- ered as the sunlight that streams through a latticed window, and their crimes are a commentary upon the development of intellectual America. No one can afford to ignore the lesson which the lives of these outlaws teach, and therefore a correct history of their desperate deeds becomes neces- sary as a part of the country's annals, in juxtaposition with the commendable heroism of our brightest characters. So many improbable and romantic incidents have been cred- ited to these noted brothers by sensational writers ; so many dashing escapades and hair-breadth escapes attributed to them, which they never e"ven dreamed of, that thinking people, especially in the East, have begun, almost, to regard the James Boys as a myth, and their deeds as creations of sensational dreamers. It has been my purpose for more than three years to pre- pare a true history of these noted outlaws, and during that time material has been collecting which is now given to the public entirely free from fulsome description or elaborated sensation. In the main essentials the James Boys them- selves will confirm the truthfulness of this narrative, which has been written with a special regard for candor and indis- putable facts only. During several years of the most exciting period in the career of these noted bandits, I was engaged as reporter for the Kansas City press, and not only became acquainted with many of their relatives and friends who reside in that section, from whom were obtained numerous facts and inci- 17 b 2 PREFACE. dents never before published ; but my duties as a journal- ist gave me many excellent opportunities to learn the real truth in regard to many of their most daring adventures, to one of which (the robbing of the cash-box at the Kansas City Fair) I was an eye-witness. As time unfolds the mys- teries which have gathered around the names of these des- perate outlaws, it will be seen that this is the most faithful history of their exploits that has ever been presented to the public. J, W. B. St. Louis, December 15, 1880. ILLUSTRATIONS. PACK. PORTRAITS OF THE JAMES BROTHERS. Frontispiece. After Centralia, - - - 8 HANGING OF DR. SAMUELS, 10 Fleeing from Lawrence, - - - 18 JESSE JAMES' RECEPTION, 38 Romantic Scenery near the Mysterious Cave, - 44 Frank James' Combat with three Mexicans, - 50 Recruiting after a Raid, - - - • 57 Hobbs Kerry watched by a Detective in a Gambling Den, 91 SHOOTING OF JESSE JAMES, - - I07 SETTLING AN OLD SCORE, - - 112 Frank James wins his Bride, • - - 121 An Engineer who meant fight • » '• 125 3* 4* THE BORDER BANDITS. OOITTBITTS; JESSE AND FRANK JAMES— their youth, Career as Guerrillas, ... First Skirmishes, - - n- Desolation of Lawrence, - Desperate Fighting by Squads, Direful Massacre at Centralia, Fortune Turning Against the Guerrillas, The Whirlwind of Destruction Changes, - Jesse James' Career in Texas, Robbery and Murder, Plundering a Kentucky Bank, - Bank Robbery and Murder, Mysterious Hiding Place in Jackson Co., Terrible Fight in Mexico, - Plundering an Iowa Bank, - Another Bank Robbery in Kentucky, Robbing the Cash Box at the Kansas City Fair, Plundering the Ste. Genevieve Hank, Wrecking and Plundering a Train, The Stage Robbery near Hot Springs, Train Robbery at Gad's Hill, Wicher's Unfortunate Hunt for the James Boys, Murdering Cow Boys and"Driving off Cattle, - The Attack on the Samuels Residence, - Assassination of Daniel Askew, Tht San Antonio Stage Robbery, - • Page. 7 9 12 '5 ... 2) 27 30 3' 33 36 39 41 43 47 5i 52 54 56 60 63 66 69 73 75 79 81 CONTENTS. The Great Train Robbery at Muncie, The Huntington Bank Robbery, The Rocky Cut Train Robbery, Fatal Attack on a Minnesota Bank, At Glendale — the Last Great Train Robbery, Shooting of Jesse James by George Shepherd, Why did Shepherd Shoot Jesse James t Robbing of the Mammoth Cave Stage, Personal Characteristics of the James Boys, - The Union Pacific Express Robbery, An Interview with the Younger Brothers, Anecdotes of Jesse and Frank James, «3 86 87 92 96 100 109 X12 117 122 132 138 THE BORDER BANDITS. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. THEIR YOUTH. Strangely, and yet a not uncommon circumstance, Jesse and Frank James were the sons of a respect- able Kentucky minister of the Baptist persuasion. Rev. Robt. James, " in the good old times," as he was wont to call the early days of his ministry, was a great camp-meeting exhorter, and many of the rock- ribbed hills of middle Kentucky have been musical with the echoes of his strong voice. Like many other pastoral exhorters and close communionists, the Rev. James was illiterate so far as " book learn- ing " was concerned, but his sincerity was rarely debated. It has been asserted that he passed an academic course at Georgetown College, but the records of that institution show the name of no such person. Zerelda Cole, (the mother of the noted outlaws,) was married to the Rev. Robert James in Scott county, Kentucky, the same county in which Georgetown College is located; this fact, added to the desire to heroize, to the largest pos- sible extent, the paternity of the James boys, is doubtless the reason for ascribing to the father " a finished education and unusual ability." 8 THE BORDER BANDITS. " Like father, like son," is a very ancient oriental adage ; but it does not apply to Jesse and Frank James, though it is true that their dispositions are due to maternal inheritance. In fact, the wife's strength of will and uncompanionable traits of char- acter resulted in a final separation a few years after their removal to Clay county, Missouri, in 1843. The Rev. James, in 1849, joined in the pilgrimage to California, from whence he never returned ; and, in 1857, Mrs. James took another husband, in the person of Dr. Reuben Samuels. It is quite unim- portant to follow the domestic career of Mrs. James, now Mrs. Samuels, and what has been related is merely for the purpose of defining the inherited bent and inclination of the parents of the great outlaws. Jesse James was born in Clay county, Missouri, in 1845, while Frank's nativity is Scott county, Ken- tucky, where he was born in 1 84 1. At an extremely early age they displayed traits of character which have ever since distinguished them. Their hatreds were always bitter and their cruelty remorseless. They manifested especial delight in punishing dumb animals, which is evidenced by their cutting off the tails and ears of dogs and cats, burying small animals alive, and diversions of every kind which would inflict the most grievous pains. Among other boys they were domineering and cruel, and would rarely participate in innocent JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. g amusements. They were never subjected to paren- tal restraint and their youth was passed in the most perfect indulgence. At the age of ten and fourteen years, respectively, the boys were pro- vided with fire-arms, in the use of which they readily became proficient, and were no less expert in throwing a bowie-knife which they could send quivering into a two-inch sapling, at the space of fifteen feet, almost without fail. THEIR CAREER AS GUERRILLAS. When the tocsin of war sounded, and the feverish thrill "of excitement ran through the nation, boys though they were, Jesse and Frank James were electrified with the ominous news and longed to participate in the affray where human blood might be drawn until, like a fountain, it would swell into a gory river. Soon the unmerciful Quantrell, that terrible wraith of slaughter, came trooping through Missouri upon an errand of destruction, and attract- ed to his banner many impetuous youths of the West, among whom was Frank James; Jesse being the junior brother, and but little more than fourteen years of age, was rejected by Quantrell, and re- turned home to his farm labors with sorrow. But he did not remain inactive. The family being in- tensely Southern in their political predilections, all IO THE BORDER BANDITS. possible aid and sympathy were given to Quantrell. Many dark nights Jesse would mount his best horse and ride through the gloomy wilderness of Western Missouri until he gained the guerrilla haunts, where he would deliver important information concerning the movements of Federal troops. The part played by Jesse and the open and de- cided expressions frequently made by Dr. Samuels and his decidedly demonstrative wife, greatly excited the Federal soldiers, and it was determined to make an example of the family. Accordingly, in June, 1862, a company of Missouri militia approached the Samuels' homestead, which is near Kearney, in Clay county, and first meeting Dr. Samuels, they soon gave him to understand that their visit was made for a purpose decidedly unpleasant to him. A strong rope was produced with which he was securely pinioned and then led away from the house a distance of about one hundred yards. Here the rope was fastened in a noose around his neck, while the other end was thrown over the limb of a tree, and several men hastily drew him up and left him suspended to choke to death. Mrs. Samuels, how- ever, had followed stealthily, and the moment the militia had departed she rushed to the rescue of her husband, whom she hastily cut down, aad by patient nursing saved his life. The enraged troops decided also to hang Jesse James, whom they found plowing in the field, but his youth saved him from X > z E? z Q O 3D en > c m r- CJ) JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. u any other violence than a few cuffs and the produc- tion of a rope with a suspicious noose which they threatened to ornament his neck with if he again visited the guerrilla camp. Instead of producing the desired effect, this act of the militia only excited Jesse the more, and led him to deeds of graver importance. He continued to communicate almost daily with Quantrell, which so exasperated the militia that they paid a second visit to the Samuels' residence, decided upon kill- ing both Dr. Samuels and the daring Jesse. When they reached the place, however, they found their intended victims absent, but, determined not to re- turn without some trophy of their revengeful sor- tie, they took Mrs. Samuels and her daughter, Miss Susie, captive, and carried them to St. Joseph, where they were kept confined in jail for several weeks. This last act greatly inflamed Jesse's passions, and he immediately mounted his horse and again rode to Quantrell's camp, where, after detailing the partic- ulars of this last outrage, perhaps exaggerating the facts some in order to make his appeal more effec- tive, he begged the guerrilla commander to accept his services as a private. So hard did he plead for permission to join the ranks that marched under the shadow of the black flag, that at length the barrier which his youth imposed was overlooked and the terrible Quantrell oath was administered to him. 12 THE BORDER BANDITS. THE FIRST SKIRMISHES. Up to this time the guerrillas had been engaged in but few skirmishes, their services consisting chiefly in small foraging expeditions, making themselves thoroughly acquainted with the topography of the country preparatory to engaging in more effective measures. There was a slight brush at Richfield, in which .Captain Scott, with twelve of Quantrell's men, surprised thirty militia whom they captured, after killing ten, and in this attack Jesse James par- ticipated. Upon his return to camp he was sent out with orders from Quantrell to scour the counties adjoining Clay and locate the militia. After pass- ing through Clinton county he paid a short visit to his mother, who received him with many manifesta- tions of pleasure, and then began to unload herself of the valuable information she had gathered for the benefit of the guerrillas. She told him that the attack on Richfield had resulted in massing the militia for a determined stroke, and that the troops were concentrating near that point; that Plattsburg had been almost entirely relieved of its garrison and would fall an easy prey to the guerrillas if they chose to profit by the opportunity. Jesse lost no time in communicating the situation to Quantrell, and, accordingly, three days after the capture of the squad of militiamen at Richfield, Captain Scott took fifteen men and silently stole JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 13 upon Plattsburg, which he found defended by less than a score of Federals, under the command of a lieutenant. The guerrillas dashed into the town about 3 p. m. (August 25th), yelling like a tribe of Comanche Indians. The citizens fled into their houses with such fear that few ventured to look into the streets even through key holes. The Fed- eral lieutenant chanced to be in the public square when the charge was made, and Jesse James had the honor and credit of capturing him. The rest of the militia gained the court-house, where it would have been impossible to dislodge them, and to have at- tacked the building would have exposed the guer- rillas to the fire of the enemy. It was here that Jesse James' strategy and military tact were first mani- fested. Turning his prisoner (the lieutenant) over to Captain Scott, he said in a loud voice : " Captain, there is no use parleying with these cut-throats; shoot this fellow if he don't order his men in the court-house to surrender immediately." Captain Scott replied that he would if the court-house was not surrendered in two minutes. The result was that Plattsburg fell into the hands of the guerrillas, who pillaged the town and gathered booty, consisting of two hundred and fifty muskets, several hundred rounds of ammunition, ten thousand dollars in Mis- souri warrants, besides a large quantity of clothing, etc. The money was divided among the partici- pating guerrillas, each of whom received nearly one 14 THE BORDER BANDITS. thousand dollars in warrants besides clothing and other articles of value. The guerrillas compelled the landlord of the principal hotel to prepare them a good supper, to which they invited their prisoners, whom they paroled; and after feasting until 9 o'clock p. m., they withdrew to the cover of the forest. After raiding Plattsburg, Quantrell broke camp and moved southward, passing through Independence, and bivouaced near Lee's Summit. The residents of that section suffered pitilessly from the sack and pillage of both Federals and Confederates. They occupied a middle ground which was subject to the incursions of both armies, and what was left after the forage of the Union forces was remorsely appropriated by the guerrillas. There were skir- mishes almost daily, and every highway was red with human blood. The James boys, young as they were, became the terror of the border; the crack of their pistols or the whirr of their pirouetting bowies daily proclaimed the sacrifice of new victims. The san- guinary harvest grew broader as the sickle of death was thrust in to reap, and the little brooks and rivu- lets that had babbled merry music for ages and laved the thirst of man and beast with their crystal water, suddenly became tinged with a dye fresh from the fountain of bitterest sorrow. And thus the days sped on heavy with desolation. Quantrell and his followers were scarcely interrupted by the militia, who JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 15 never attacked them except at the price of terrible defeat, until at length a direful scheme was proposed in which the desperate character of these free riders was manifested in its blackest hues. THE DESOLATION OF LAWRENCE. Lawrence, Kansas, a thrifty town located on the Kaw river, was selected by Quantrell as the place upon which to wreak a long -pent-up vengeance. Sitting around the camp fire on the night of August 1 8th, 1863, the chief of the black banner held a con- sultation with Frank and Jesse James, the Younger boys, the Shepherd brothers, and others of his most daring followers, as to the next advisable move upon a place which would furnish the best inducements for their peculiar mode of war. There was a concert of opinion that Lawrence was the most available place. The point having been selected, Quantrell did not neglect to inform his followers of the dan- ger such an undertaking involved ; that their road would be infested with militia, the forces of which would be daily augmented when the first intimation of the purposes of the guerrillas should be made known ; that it would be ceaseless fighting and count- less hardships, and many would be left upon the prairies to fester in the sun. He then called his command to arms and acquainted every man with 16 THE BORDER BANDITS. the decision in the following speech : " Fellow sol- diers, a consultation just held with several of my comrades has resulted in a decision that we break camp to-morrow and take up a line of march for Lawrence, Kansas ; that we attack that town and, if pressed too hard, lay it in ashes. This under- taking, let me assure you, is hazardous in the ex- treme. The territory through which we must pass is full of enemies, and the entire way will be beset by well armed men through whom it will be neces- sary for us to carve our way. I know full well that there is not a man in my command who fears a foe; that no braver force ever existed than it is my honor to lead, but you have never encountered danger so great as we will have to meet on our way to Law- rence ; therefore let me say to you, without doubting in the least your heroism, if there are any in my command who would prefer not to stake their lives in such a dangerous attempt, let them step outside the ranks." At the conclusion of Quantrell's remarks a shout went up from every man, " On to Lawrence ! " Not a face blanched, but on the other hand there was but one desire, to lay waste the city on the Kaw. On the following day the order was given to "mount," and with that dreadfully black flag streaming over their heads the command, two hun- dred strong, turned their faces to the west. As they crossed the Kansas line at the small town of Aubrey, JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 17 in Johnson county, Quantrell compelled three men, whom he found sitting in front of a small store kept by John Beeson, to accompany him as guides. The command passed through Johnson county midway between Olathe and Spring Hill, and through the northern part of Franklin county. When they reached Cole creek, eight miles from Lawrence, the three guides were taken into a clump of thick woods and shot by Jesse and Frank James. One of the party, an elderly man, begged piteously to be spared, reminding his executioners that he had never done them any wrong, but his prayers for mercy ended in the death rattle as a bullet went crashing through his neck. Quantrell had been agreeably mistaken concern- ing the resistance he expected to encounter. Not a foe had yet appeared, but he never permitted a per- son to pass him alive. No less than twenty-five per- sons whom he met in the highway, after getting into Kansas, had been shot, and yet he avoided the pub- lic roads as much as possible. Early in the morning of August 2 1st Quantrell and his band came in sight of the fated town. The sun was just straggling above the undulations of the prairie and the people of the place were beginning to resume the duties of a newly-born day. With a cry which froze the blood of every one in the town who heard it, Quantrell and his two hundred followers descended upon the place with pistol, sword and firebrand, is JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 19 The prime object of the guerrillas was to capture Gen. Jim Lane, who resided at Lawrence, and retali- ate upon him for the burning and sacking of Osceola, Mo., which had been accomplished by men under his command. But Lane fled on the first alarm, and concealed himself in an adjacent cornfield. Foiled in their desire to capture him, the enraged guerrillas turned their vengeance loose upon the ill-fated town, killing every man who came within range of their deadly revolvers. Quantrell's orders were to kill all the men, but to spare the women and chil- dren. By accident, however, — possibly by design of some drunken privates — several women and children were shot ; and this fact was made use of in subse- quent reports of the affair to greatly exaggerate its barbarous details. It was certainly sufficiently inex- cusable and barbarous without exaggeration. The torch was applied to the light frame buildings as the killing progressed, and the beautiful little city was soon enveloped in a sheet of flames. Stores and saloons were broken into and robbed of their con- tents, and the guerrilla band soon became a howling mob of drunken madmen. The dreadful harvest of death and destruction lasted nearly all day, and when the guerrillas took up their line of retreat tow- ard the borders of Missouri, the city of Lawrence had disappeared from the face of the earth. In this affair Jesse James is said to have killed thirty men and Frank thirty-five. They seemed to take a sort of devilish pride in numbering their victims. 20 THE BORDER BANDITS, Quantrell and his men hastily retraced their steps, but they were terribly harassed during the entire return march by the Kansas militia and Federal troops that hurriedly concentrated and went in pur- suit of them. This force has been reliably estimated at fully seven thousand, and nothing but hard march- ing, determined fighting, and an endurance that has never been equalled saved the guerrillas from total destruction. At Black Jack, about fifteen miles from Lawrence, a stand was made and some brisk fighting occurred. The guerrillas took to cover in a large barn which stood at the edge of an orchard. Several assaults were made to dislodge them but in vain. The horses of the guerrillas were suffering severely, however, and realizing that without horses they would be unable to get out of Kansas, the guerrillas made a desperate charge in which thirty-two of the militia were killed and a panic was the result. But the guerrillas did not care to follow up the victory, as every moment was precious. The militia were swarming and closing in upon them rapidly, and it was only by the rarest stroke of fortune that Quan- trell and his men ever escaped from Kansas; this rare fortune was due entirely to the unparalleled cowardice of three hundred well armed and mounted men who had been organized into a militia force near Spring Hill, Kansas. These men exhibited remarkable bravery until the enemy appeared in sight, when they immediately retreated and never JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 21 halted until they were ten miles from the place where they saw Quantrell. Had they engaged the enemy, which was one-third less in number, besides badly fatigued, they could either have beaten Quantrell or held him at bay until enough reinforcements were received to have annihilated every one of the guer- rilla band. It was a continual fight, however, and as Quan- trell predicted, many of his followers were left dead and unburied on the hot prairies, where they became the prey of carrion birds. At Shawnee, in the north- ern part of Johnson county, the last stand was made, but the fight lasted only a few minutes, for the guer- rillas, appreciating the critical position they occupied, with nearly five thousand militia gradually surround- ing them, in the manner of early settlers who join in general hunts for the destruction of obnoxious wild animals, Quantrell soon ordered a charge and retreat. After breaking through the lines the guer- rillas disbanded and each one then considered alone his own safety; this rendered a general pursuit im- possible, and with a total loss of twenty-one men the bands reached the coverts of Jackson and Clay coun- ties, where they were comparatively safe. DESPERATE FIGHTING BY SQUADS. After spending a month in apparent leisure, dur- ing which time Jesse and Frank James were frequent 22 THE BORDER BANDITS. night visitors to their old home, Quantrell again called his command together for the purpose of re- suming active hostilities, but he changed his tactics and added new terrors to the border counties of Missouri. The command was divided into squads of twenty and thirty, by which means they could make bold dashes at various points almost simultaneously and so confuse their enemies as to make pursuit futile. Indeed this peculiar and remorseless warfare gave rise to the strange superstition that Quantrell was some spirit of darkness who could transport himself and troops from place to place in the twinkle of an eye. He became no less dreaded by the Fed- eral troops than by Union citizens, and day and night non-combatants as well as armed militiamen fell vic- tims to the terrible guerrillas. In the early part of October, Jesse James, in charge of a squad of twenty-five men, learning of the movements of a company of Federal cavalry un- der command of Capt. Ransom, who was marching toward Pleasant Hill, made a rapid detour and flanked the Federals five miles north of Blue Springs. Jesse selected a place near the road which was well screened by a dense thicket; here he stationed his men, and when the Federals came riding leisurely by, unconscious of any lurking danger, suddenly a storm of bullets poured upon them from the thicket and men fell like leaves in an autumn gust. The entire company was immediately thrown into the JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 23 greatest confusion. The youthful commander of the guerrillas made the most of his advantage and or- dered a dash into the confused and stricken ranks of the enemy, which he shot down with as little re- sistance as is oftered by dumb animals. The havoc was terrible, for out of nearly one hundred Federals less than one-third the number escaped, while the loss of the guerrillas was only one killed and three slightly wounded. On the following day another squad of Quan- trell's men ambushed a body of militia who were re- turning from a forage in Lafayette county, and mercilessly annihilated nearly every one of the un- fortunate command. One week later Frank and Jesse James, with fifty men, suddenly appeared in Bourbon county, Kansas, five miles south of Fort Scott, and swooped down upon Capt. Blunt and his company of seventy-five mounted infantry, and with a yell of rage and triumph swept with deathly missiles the astonished Federals, leaving forty of them to bleach in autumn rains. The next attack was upon Lieut. Nash's com- mand, three miles west of Warrensburg, Missouri, which was surprised by the guerrillas and cut to pieces. Following close upon this came the furious desolation of Camden. This little town was gar- risoned by a small company of Federals, who, upon the day in question, were in the midst of bachanal- ian revels and unable to offer any resistance. This 24 THE BORDER BANDITS. fight was a slaughter, in which the drunken soldiers were shot down without compunction, and the riot of murder was a pastime of sport for the guerrillas. After completing the harvest of death the town was pillaged and fired, and when the guerrillas rode out of the place they left its ruins in charge of the dead. Another squad, under command of George Todd, suddenly encountered the Second Colorado cavalry, under command of Capt. Wagner, and a desperate fight ensued. The Colorado troops understood guerrilla warfare, and Wagner was as brave a man as ever mustered a company. The guerrillas made a furious charge, but the onslaught was met with such resistance that the opposing forces mingled together in a hand-to-hand contest. The fight was terrible, the rattle of revolvers being at times almost drowned by the clash of sabers. Jesse James fought like a hungry tiger, and his death-dealing pistol made ter- rible inroads among his foes. Singling out the Captain, who was fighting with wonderful despera- tion, Jesse rode by him at a furious pace, and, discharging his pistol with remarkable accuracy, he sent a bullet through the brave Captain's heart. This act sent consternation through the ranks of the Colorado troops, and a retreat, in confusion, was soon begun. Those that were wounded received no mercy at the hands of the guerrillas, but were shot or put to the sword and then left unburied. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 25 Every attack made by the guerrillas added new terrors to the neighborhood ; there was a concen- trating of militia at every available point and a thousand schemes proposed by which to surprise and bring to punishment the desperate band; but the guerrillas were kept thoroughly posted and continued their reckless mode of warfare with vary- ing success. In the early part of 1864 Frank James was sent out by Bill Anderson to locate and number the Fed- eral force at Harrisonville. The duty was fraught with much peril, but it was danger the James Boys courted as the spice of existence. He rode straight for the town, until within sight of the picket lines. He then hitched his horse in the closest thicket he could find, after which he approached with great care, and at night succeeded in passing the pickets. Very soon after reaching the outskirts of Harrison- ville he met a negro from whom he obtained what information he desired and then crept back again through the lines and mounted his horse. At this juncture he was spied by two of the picket guards, who commanded him to halt. The reply came from his pistol, and though the night was without moonshine he sent a bullet through the brain of one, and another shot tore through the body of the other picket. The camp was speedily in arms but Frank rode rapidly out of harm and delivered the information he had gained with such risk to Anderson. 26 THE BORDER BANDITS. On the second day thereafter the plan of attack on Harrisonville was consummated and a hard fought battle was the consequence, but the guerrillas were forced to retire, and they turned their attention to a company of Federal volunteers who were encamped on Grand river at Flat Rock Ford. These they attacked with determined fierceness, but they were met with equal force and were again compelled to retreat. In this fight Jesse James was badly wound- ed, a musket ball having passed through his breast, tearing away a large portion of his left lung and knocking him from his horse. Notwithstanding the rain of bullets, Arch Clements and John Jarrette rode back, and gathering up their wounded comrade they bore him to the house of Capt. John M. Rudd, where for several days his death was hourly expected. Careful nursing and the best surgical skill, however, saved his life, and in one month's time he was able to resume the saddle, and in six weeks he again went on active duty. On the 16th of September, 1864, Jesse James con- cluded to pay another visit to his mother, but the road thence was beset with a thousand dangers which very few men could be induced to encounter. Dur- ing the ride he came suddenly upon three uniformed militia, who ordered him to halt, but instead of obey- ing the summons he whipped out two pistols and in a moment the three men were struggling in the throes of death. Jesse met with no other adventure JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 27 on the journey, and after spending two days with his mother returned to the camp of the guerrillas. Imme- diately upon his return he was informed of the plans conceived during his absence, of attacking Fayette, Missouri. On the 20th the attack was made, and charge after charge, with all the force the guerrillas could command, was hurled against the stockades which protected the Federals, but every onslaught was firmly met and left a trail of dead and wounded guerrillas. Lee McMurtry, one of the bravest of Anderson's forces, fell dreadfully wounded directly under the Federal parapets. Jesse James was an in- timate comrade of McMurty and he determined to rescue his friend. What a nature is that which can rush up to the very blazing muzzles of deadly rifles to drag away a wounded friend ! But Jesse James seemed to court death without the ability to win it. He braved that lurid stream of fatal fire and drew away the gasping form of his friend, and yet escaped unscathed. This battle also resulted adversely to the guerrillas, and they were driven with great loss from Fayette. Leaving this place they rode west again and went into camp near Wellington. DIREFUL MASSACRE AT CENTRALIA. Quantrell continued to direct the movements of the guerrilla bands, but he was rarely engaged in any 28 THE BORDER BANDITS. of the battles ; the active service he delegated to the most strategical and unmerciful members of his command. Bill Anderson, a human tiger in dispo- sition, was placed in charge of the full force when it was decided to move upon Centralia, a small town in Boone county, on the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway. On the 27th of September, one week af- ter the attack on Fayette, the guerrillas, numbering one hundred and fifty men, headed by Anderson and that most ominous of banners, the black flag, with skull and cross-bones, marched upon Centralia, which they took possession of without resistance. After pillaging the place the guerrillas took up their station at the depot and awaited the coming of the train. They had not long to wait, for soon the shrill whistle of the engine, as it came thundering through a cut, drawing five passenger coaches loaded with soldiers and citizen travelers, announced the coming of the prize. The moment the train stopped the dreadful black flag was flung out and with the ex- change of a few shots the messengers of death boarded the cars. Everyone on the train was or- dered out and made to form in line, after which the thirty-two soldiers were separated from the other pas- sengers and all disarmed. Now the breathless sus- pense, the terrible forebodings and the anxiety as to the fate that would be meted out to them 1 Every soldier was shot as unmercifully as if they had been obnoxious beasts or poisonous snakes. The passen- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 29 gers were relieved of whatever valuables they pos- sessed, after which they were permitted to proceed on their journey. •In the afternoon of the same day and before the guerrillas had departed from Centralia, a body of Iowa volunteers, one hundred strong, under the com- mand of Major J. H. Johnson, rode into the town and in the space of a few hours the two forces met and engaged in a terrible conflict. Again Jesse James, who was the best pistol shot in the guerrilla service, made a furious dash at Major Johnson and planted a pistol ball almost in the center of the brave Major's forehead. The guerrillas now rushed upon the terrorized volunteers with such resistless impetu- osity that they broke in confusion. The fight be- came a massacre, and but very few of the brave vol- unteers escaped to convey to anxious friends the dreadful fate that had befallen their comrades. One of the militiamen had a very remarkable escape. Being badly wounded, in the early part of the fight, he remained unconscious, with the blood streaming from a saber gash in his head, until the foe had de- parted. When the fight was over the guerrillas went among the wounded and shot them with their revolv- ers, determined that not a soldier should escape. This single exception to the consummation of guerrilla vengeance was supposed to be dead, and he therefore escaped the crowning feature of that day's massacre. When consciousness was regained he found himself 30 THE BORDER BANDITS. alone, among the dead bodies of his comrades, and his shouts for help brought to his assistance the ser- vices of a kind old negro woman who took him to her house and obtained surgical aid, so that in two week's time he was able to return home. The result of the fight at Centralia was not such as brought great encouragement to the guerrillas ; the victory they gained was at the cost of nearly fifty of their number, whom it would be impossible to re- place, because men of their bold, reckless and des- perate character are rarely to be found. It was there- fore determined to again divide up into squads and renew the warfare which they had waged so success- fully in the previous year. But the guerrillas never fought again as they had at Fayette and Harrison- ville ; their courage to meet an armed force seemed to have vanished. FORTUNE TURNING AGAINST THE GUERRILLAS. The numerous and desperate deeds of the guer- illas received the earnest condemnation of the Con- federate forces and for a time it was seriously con- sidered, by many of the most distinguished Confed- erate officers, advisable to unite in the effort to rid Missouri of this terrible scourge. But their career was rapidly culminating. In attempting to cross the JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 31 Missouri river in Howard county, a detachment of the guerrillas, headed by Bill Anderson, was attacked by a force of Federals under Montgomery, and in the fight which ensued Anderson and five of his men were killed, while the others escaped to the hills. They were again surprised while in camp on the Blackwater and several more were killed, and Jesse James was badly wounded in the leg, besides having his horse killed under him. In another fight which followed soon after, on Sugar creek, George Todd, one of the most daring and shrewd of Quantrell's old comrades, was shot to the death, and in the lat- ter part of 1864, in order to save themselves from capture or annihilation, the guerrillas concluded to disband finally. Jesse James joined his fortunes with George Shepherd and went to Texas, while Frank James followed Quantrell to Kentucky. THE WHIRLWIND OF DESTRUCTION CHANGES. In January, 1865, Quantrell collected together nearly fifty of his old followers, among whom was Frank James, and started for the hills of Kentucky, where he expected to continue his warfare. Their route lay south-east, and before they got out of Mis- souri they came very near falling into the hands of Curtis, who pursued them hard almost to the Arkan- 32 THE BORDER BANDITS. sas line, where the trail was lost. The guerrilla* crossed the Mississippi river at Gaine's Landing, nearly twenty miles above Memphis, and made their way through Tennessee, entering Kentucky from the south. At Hartford, in Ohio county, the command met a squad of thirty militia under command of Capt. Barnett, whom they readily deceived into the belief that they were Federal troops searching for guerril- las, and that Quantrell was a Federal captain. In- deed the deception was played so successfully that Barnett was induced to accompany them upon an expedition. Quantrell managed to communicate with each of his men, whom he instructed to ride beside the Federals, and when he should draw his handkerchief and throw it over his shoulder it was the signal for the slaughter. At about five o'clock in the afternoon Frank James rode up beside Capt. Barnett, while Quantrell moved forward, and as his horse stepped into a shallow branch where all his men could see him, he drew the fatal handkerchief, and without looking back he waved it and then threw it over his shoulder. Their was a rattle of pistol shots and Capt. Barnett and his men fell dead under their horses. Near Hopkinsville the guerrillas met twelve Fed- eral cavalrymen who sought the shelter of a barn and gave battle. The fight lasted for more than an hour, and until the barn was fired, when the twelve brave fellows were forced from their defense and were JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 33 shot as they rushed from the flames. Their horses then became the property of the guerrillas. Frank James stopped one day with an uncle, who lives about fifty miles from Hopkinsville, and thus per- mitted the command to get so far ahead of him that he did not engage in any more skirmishes in Ken- tucky ; for, two days afterward, Quantrell was driven into a small village called Smiley, where, finding es- cape impossible, he made his last stand. It was forty against nearly three hundred, and Quantrell knew that it was a fight to the death. Bleeding almost at every pore, the black-bannered bandit fought like the gladiators, until, blinded by his own blood, and with a score of gaping wounds, he fell mortally wounded, with an empty pistol in one hand and a bloody sword in the other. It was thus that the entire force of Quantrell's guerrillas died, excepting Frank James, whose life was spared for darker deeds. JESSE JAMES' CAREER IN TEXAS. As previously stated, Jesse James left Missouri in company with George Shepherd and forty or fifty guerrillas, for Texas, where they spent the winter of 1864-5 without special activity, and in the spring it was decided to return to Missouri, although such a decision was pregnant with a renewal of all the dangers from which they had just escaped. Upon 19 34 THE BORDER BANDITS. reaching Benton county Jesse James, Arch Clements and another comrade proceeded to the farm-house of James Harkness, who was known as an uncompro- mising Union man. They decoyed him a short dis- tance from his house by requesting him to direct them to a spring which they knew was in the neighbor- hood. When out of sight of the house Jesse James and his comrade caught Harkness by the arms and held him firmly, while Arch Clements drew a large bowie-knife with which he cut the throat of the de- fenceless farmer, almost severing his head. Fresh blood being upon their hands, they rode into John- son county to the house of Allen Duncan, another Union man, and finding him chopping wood in his yard, Jesse James first accosted him and then sent a bullet into his brain. The guerrilla band, now numbering scarce a score, before getting out of Johnson county were surprised by a company of Federal volunteers and almost an- nihilated. Jesse James had his horse shot under him and a musket ball went crashing through his lungs. Supposing him dead, the Federals gave pursuit to the fleeing guerrillas and chased the remaining few for nearly fifty miles. The wounded guerrilla lay for two days where he fell, in terrible agony, and would have died except for the kindly ministrations of a farmer who chanced to find him. The care he re- ceived, after weeks of suffering, enabled him to again resume the saddle, and he went to Nebraska, where JESSJ5 AND FRANK JAMES. 35 his mother was temporarily living and where he re- mained until the return of Frank James from Ken- tucky late in the following summer. Before Frank left Brandensburg, however, he met with an adventure which nearly cost his life. The vicinity of Brandensburg was infested with horse- thieves, and suspicion was directed against Frank as one of the guilty band. It was determined to arrest him, and for this purpose a posse of six men went to the house where he was stopping, and after charging him with horse-stealing, demanded his arms. The response was most unexpected, for, with an oath, he drew his pistol and shot three of the party, and in re- turn was badly wounded in the thigh. The other three fled, but a large crowd soon collected, to intimi- date which Frank backed up against the house and threatened to shoot any one who made the least mo- tion to harm him. A horse was standing hitched conveniently near, and, compelling the crowd to fall back, he drew his suffering body up into the saddle and made his escape. The wound proved a very se- rious one and kept him confined to his bed at the house Of a friend, where he found refuge, nearly seventy-five miles from Brandensburg, for several months. 36 THE BORDER BANDITS. ROBBERY AND MURDER. It is a trite old saying that " one crime begets an- other," and in the life of Jesse and Frank James it is well illustrated. When the war closed and the occu- pation of the guerrilla, under color of authority, was gone, the James Boys were loth to change the excit- ing and dangerous vocation to which they had be- come inured by nearly four years of almost ceaseless activity. Other guerrillas, who had been their com- rades in so many desperate struggles, which had made their very names a terror, had surrendered themselves when the bond of national union had been repaired, and returned to peaceful pursuits; but Jesse and Frank James affected to despise the ordi- nary walks of life and refused to tread other than paths which bristled with danger and anxiety. Both were sorely wounded, and a period of recuperation was necessary ; and this respite from the turmoils of bandit life was employed in the conception of bold schemes by which to enlarge the notoriety of their names and to accumulate wealth. When they had somewhat recovered from their wounds, Mrs. Samuels returned to her old home, in Clay county, while the boys paid her occasional vis- its as opportunity offered, but generally keeping themselves well hidden in the fastnesses of Jackson county. In the latter part of 1866, Jesse James was attacked with a severe type of malarial fever, which JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 37 the exposure he had to endure so intensified that he determined to secretly visit his mother and place himself under her immediate care. The record which he had made during the war rendered him amenable to the vengeance of a large number of the residents of Clay and adjoining counties, who had suf- fered by his desperate acts. Consequently, Jesse knew that eternal vigilance was necessary, but hoped to so conceal his presence at the Samuels' homestead that no one would suspect his location or condition. But in this he was deceived, for only a few days had elapsed after his arrival at home when, by some means unknown to the writer, it was discovered that Jesse had taken up at least a temporary residence with his mother. It was a bitter cold night in the month of Febru- ary, 1867, that a band of six persons, each of whom had a special grievance to revenge, knocked at the door of Dr. Samuels' residence and demanded im- mediate admittance. Jesse was in a bed up stairs, but he was the first to hear and understand the per- emptory challenge, as it were, of the men outside. Hastily drawing on his pantaloons and boots, he grabbed his two heavy pistols and looked out of the window where, by the light refracted by the snow, he saw six horses and only a single man. He knew then that the house was surrounded and all chance of escape lay in a bloody fight. He silently de- scended to the first floor, where Dr. Samuels was rat- 38 THE BORDER BANDITS. tling the door and explaining to those awaiting ad- mittance that the lock was out of repair so that the key would not work readily. This was a ruse, how- ever, to secure time for Jesse who, Dr. Samuels hoped, would be able to escape through a back win- dow. Locating the voice of one of the men who was threatening to break in the door, Jesse fired through the panel and a stifled groan told him that his aim had been perfect. On hearing the shot, the other five rushed to the front of the house. Jesse threw the door partly open and the light from the snow made the men outside easy targets for his un- erring aim, while he was so hidden by the door and darkness within that the attacking party could not fire with the least accuracy. In half the time it has taken the reader to even scan this report three of the six men were lying dead in the snow and two oth- ers were desperately wounded, while the other fled in mortal terror. Suffering, as he was, from a very high fever, Jesse lost no time in mounting his horse, and with a hur- ried good-bye, he again rode into the wilderness, leaving his mother and her family with the dead and wounded. It was a ghastly scene, there upon the white-shrouded ground, one man dead on the door- step, two others stiff and frozen in their own blood which crimsoned the yard, while the groans from the wounded made the place more hideous. Dr. Sam- uels notified his nearest neighbor as soon as possible JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 39 and with the assistance he secured, the two wounded men were taken into the house and cared for, while a lonely vigil over the dead was kept until morning. A large crowd collected at the homestead on the following day and removed the bodies, while more than fifty well mounted citizens went in pursuit of the youthful desperado, but after a week's fruitless search they returned to their homes and quiet again brooded over the distressed neighborhood. PLUNDERING A KENTUCKY BANK. The bloody record of the James Boys had been almost forgotton, for they had not been seen in Clay county for many months and no specially reckless deeds had been committed to bring back a remem- brance of them ; when, suddenly, the town of Rus- sellville, Kentucky, was thrown into a greater excite- ment than it had ever before experienced. The James Boys had paid the place a visit and left a sou- venir of their desperate valor. On the soth of March, 1868, Jesse James, accompanied by four comrades, George Shepherd, Oil. Shepherd, Cole Younger and Jim White, dashed into the town like a hurricane', yelling and firing their pistols until every one was frightened from the streets. They then rode to the bank where four of them dismounted and en- tered, with drawn revolvers, so intimidating the 40 THE BORDER BANDITS. cashier that he opened the safe to Jesse James, while Cole Younger gathered the money that was lying upon the counter. The amount appropriated by the bandits was #14,000, which they threw into a sack and then leisurely departed. Everything con- nected with the robbery showed thorough system and a management which could be attributed to none other than the fierce Missouri free-booters. When the excitement and surprise had somewhat subsided the sheriff summoned twenty deputies and started in pursuit. The chase continued through Kentucky and western Tennessee. Telegrams were sent in every direction with the hope of intercepting the robbers, who, finding themselves close pressed, scattered, as was their custom, and all, save George Shepherd, eluded pursuit and gained the marshes and dense coverts of Arkansas, where it was impos- sible to trail them. Shepherd was captured two weeks atter the robbery in a small drug store in Ten- nessee and taken back to Logan county, where he was convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of three years. Oliver Shepherd, a brother of George, who was also connected with the bank robbery, was after- ward found in Jackson county, Missouri, and a re- quisition being first obtained, a dozen men attempted his arrest. But OIL, as he was called, was made of that sterner composition which would not brook a curtailment of his liberty, and he threw defiance at JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 41 the officers of the law. Then began a battle of ex- termination. The officers had armed themselves with carbines because they knew that to come in range of the old guerrilla's pistols would be death to many of them. The hero of a hundred desperate conflicts felt that his time had come, so, bracing himself against a large tree, he stood and received the fire of his slayers at a range of nearly two hundred and fif- ty yards. His pistols were useless, although he fired every shot, fourteen rounds, at the officers, who, from behind trees, shot seven terrible slugs into his body before he fell ; even then, like Spartacus, he struck out towards his foes in the last throes of death. BANK ROBBERY AND MURDER. After the affair at Russellville the James Boys ap- peared twice in their old haunts in Missouri, but spent nearly a year in Texas and Mexico, in remote districts, where they were free from the interference of officers anxious for their capture. It was not un- til the latter part of 1869 that they resumed criminal operations, their plans being laid to rob the bank at Gallatin, Missouri. In this scheme they were assisted by the three Younger brothers, whose career for consummate daring and recklessness is fully equal to that of the James Boys. It was on the 7th of December that a body of 42 THE BORDER BANDITS. seven thoroughly armed men, superbly mounted, galloped into Gallatin and commenced firing their pistols indiscriminately, shouting most terrible oaths and fearful threats. After alarming the residents of the place and preventing resistance, Jesse James and Cole Younger dashed into the bank, and at the muz- zles of drawn revolvers, they compelled the cashier, Capt. John W. Sheets, to deliver the keys of the money department of the safe, the main door being open. After rifling the bank of #700, Jesse and Cole whispered a few words together, put the money in a bag, and then one of them, but which of the two it is not known, deliberately shot Capt. Sheets dead. The reason given for the commission of this crime was that Capt. Sheets had, during the war, led a party of militia against the guerrillas, in which conflict Bill Anderson was killed, and that the kill- ing of Sheets was in revenge for Anderson's tragic death. Capt. Sheets was a very popular man in Gallatin and the surrounding neighborhood, and when the news of the terrible tragedy and robbery spread, nearly the entire county arose in arms and de- manded the blood of the assassins. Several bands were organized and started in pursuit, each taking a different route, with the hope that one of them might be able to apprehend the bandits before they could get out of the county. One of these bands, num- bering twelve citizens, overtook the robbers on the JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 43 edge of Clay county and a running fight ensued, in which one of the citizens was wounded slightly and the horse of another killed. These casualties ended the pursuit and the bandits reached Jackson county in safety, where they disappeared. THE MYSTERIOUS HIDING PLACE IN JACKSON COUNTY. In perusing books and newspaper articles record- ing the adventures of the James and Younger boys, the reader must have been impressed with the some- what singular assertion that pursuit of the bandits generally ended by their sudden disappearance in Jackson county, Missouri. I will confess that I have often wondered how it was possible for a body of men to mysteriously disappear in a certain locality and thereby end a close pursuit. A gentleman who has been intimate with the James Boys for a period of nearly twenty years and with whom I am inti- mately acquainted, volunteered to me the long- wished-for information, which he gave as follows, omitting only the exact location. I will use his own words as nearly as possible : "You know," said he, "that Jackson county is one of the most rugged and broken districts in Missouri ; it not only abounds with bluffs, but also, in at least a few places, with almost impenetrable thickets, fit ROMAN 11C SCENERV NEAR THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 45 only for the abode of catamounts and foxes. One day I was riding through Jackson county, I will not tell you where, when suddenly I was confronted by Frank James. He greeted me cordially and then said : ■ , I have every confidence in you and I know you would not betray us to save your right arm; therefore I invite you to our retreat; come with me ! ' I followed him in a bridle path for nearly a mile, when we came to a precipitous bluff, the base of which was completely hidden by a thick growth. There was an entrance between the growth and bluff, where any one would least suspect it, because, at the mouth are two bold rocks, which are apparently at- tached to the bluff itself; this delusion is accom- plished by keeping the interstices filled with fresh brush so laid as to appear like a natural coppice. This passage-way leads about fifty feet, to a large fissure in the side of the bluff, resembling a vestibule ; from this we stepped into a large cave, quite roomy enough to contain comfortably more than a score of men and horses. I was astonished at the complete- ness of the arrangement of things in the cave. There was a cooking stove, the pipe of which ex- tended up and was lost in the top of the cave. Frank James told me that the smoke from the stove passed into a fissure of rock which evidently opened into another cave, as no smoke could ever be seen issuing from the bluff. He then took me over to another part of the cavern, where there was a clear spring of 46 THE BORDER BANDITS. beautiful water, and over this was another fissure from which there was a cool draft of air which thoroughly- ventilated the entire cave. I could see that many of the conveniences of the place were due to no little labor. A part of the cave was ceiled nicely with grooved pine lumber so as to prevent dampness, and in this division was a large heating stove, and about a dozen beds, all supplied with neat bedding. In the rear of the cave, which was, perhaps, one hundred feet deep by sixty broad, were twenty-one stalls for the horses, and over the stalls was a large feed bin filled with oats and corn, but no hay, as the latter was too bulky to convey readily into the cave. But what surprised me most was the means of defence. There was an arsenal of fire-arms and a magazine for ammunition, while the approach to the cave was com. manded by a fierce, breech-loading ten-pound can- non, which was kept constantly loaded with buck- shot, and looked out towards the entrance in such a way that one man could defend the place against a hundred, for a discharge of that cannon would sweep everything out of the passage. The place is abso- lutely impregnable, even if it could be found, which it would be exceedingly difficult to do. " I would not have told you this except for the fact that the cave is now abandoned and may never be occupied again, but yet there is a certain obligation, from which I do not feel myself wholly relieved, that causes me to keep the location of the cave a secret. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 47 Frank James is in the East, and Jesse James — well, I don't know what has become of him, but I hope he is living in safety and happiness, as I believe he is, because, with all their crimes, the James Boys have been good friends to me." A TERRIBLE FIGHT IN MEXICO. After robbing the Gallatin bank, the James Boys left Missouri and went to Texas, where they remained a short time and then crossed the border into Mex- ico. It has been suspected that they drove a herd of cattle across the border with them, but of this there is no ready proof, and the crimes of some greasers may have been attributed to the bandits. In the month of May, i860, Frank and Jesse James rode into Matamoras and, as there was a fandango advertised to take place at a public house on the night of their arrival, they decided to attend. Ac- cordingly, when the night shadows fell, they paid the price of admission and entered the hall, which was rapidly filling up with swarthy senoritas and hidalgoes. From the belts of the latter protruded the glittering handles of bright, keen stilettos, in preparation for the affray which is always anticipated. The dance began about eight o'clock, with much spirit, and the whirl of the graceful girls soon excited a desire on the part of Frank and Jesse to partici- 4 8 THE BORDER BANDITS. pate, although they were not familiar with the move- ments and figures of the Spanish dances. Never- theless they essayed an attempt, which only served to excite the ridicule of the Mexicans who, by ges- ture and speech, went so far in their sport and mimic- ry of the outlaws that at length Frank James knocked down one of the boldest. This act came near prov- ing disastrous to both the boys, for the moment the Mexican fell to the floor another powerfully built hidalgo struck Frank a blow on the cheek which sent him spinning into the laps of two girls who were seated on a bench awaiting partners. For a moment he was so stunned as to scarcely know what to do, but Jesse saw where his aid was most needed and the next instant the powerful Mexican fell with a bullet in his brain. A general fight then ensued in which Jesse and Frank rushed for the door, but their passage was impeded ; so nothing remained for the boys ex- cept to clear a way by shooting those who stood be- fore them. Frank received a thrust in the shoulder from a stiletto and Jesse's right fore-arm was punc- tured with a similar instrument, but the boys fired rapidly and with such effect that four Mexicans lay dead and six others were dreadfully wounded, some mortally. Jesse was the first to break through the doorway, and as he did so he turned at the very in- stant a dagger, in the hands of a strong Mexican, was directed at Frank's heart, but ere the hand fell to its purpose a bullet from Jesse's pistol entered the Mex- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 49 ican's eye and he dropped dead at Frank's feet, strik- ing the dagger deep into the floor as he fell. This fortunate shot enabled Frank to escape from the building and as the Mexicans had no arms except stilet- tos, they were powerless to continue the fight, but many of them rushed to their homes to procure fire- arms and horses, and the place was swarming so rap- idly with blood-craving hidalgoes and greasers that the only avenue of escape lay in the river. They ac- cordingly rushed toward their horses which were hitched in the woods near by, but just before reaching them three powerful Mexicans suddenly sprang upon Frank James, who was a little in the rear, and at- tempted to bind him with a stout cord which they threw over his shoulders. Fortunately, in running he had picked up a large bludgeon which lay in his path, and shaking himself loose from the grasp of his as- sailants he laid about him so briskly with this for- midable weapon that in a moment the three Mexi- cans lay stunned on the ground at his feet, then hastily joining Jesse, who had already mounted and was holding his horse for him, he sprang into the saddle, arfd putting spurs to their restless steeds they plunged boldly into the Rio Grande and swam to the other side, while the Mexicans were riding about in every direction trying to find the bandits whom they did not imagine would dare to take to the river. The boys made good their escape, but the wounds they had received in the fight were of a most pain- 21 5° THE BORDER BANDITS. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 51 ful nature and required careful attention. Frank's was the most severe, and had not Jesse bandaged it with the greatest skill the outlaw must have bled to death before obtaining medical aid, for one of the veins in his neck had been severed. The two reached Concepcion, a small town in Texas, about one hun- dred miles from Matamoras, where they remained in charge of a surgeon for nearly three months before their wounds had healed sufficiently to permit them to travel. PLUNDERING AN IOWA BANK. In the spring of 1871 Jesse and Frank James se- cretly returned to their haunts in Jackson county, Missouri, where they remained for some time arrang- ing for an expedition into Iowa. Their plans being perfected, they, with five other bandits, started north, riding by night, until they reached Corydon, the bank in which place they had previously decided to rob. At ten o'clock in the morning the seven desperadoes made a furious charge into the center of the town and commenced a fusilade of firing, threat- ening to kill every person found on the streets with- in five minutes afterward. None of the citizens thought of offering any resistance, and dashing up to the bank, three of the robbers dismounted and rushed in with cocked pistols, and demanded of the 52 THE BORDER BANDITS. cashier every cent the bank contained. Finding himself powerless, and realizing that death would be his certain portion if he refused to comply with the immediate demands of the desperate outlaws, the cashier opened the safe and permitted them to ap- propriate nearly $40,000. The money was placed in a sack, which they invariably carried with them for the purpose, and then the sevesa desperadoes rode rapidly out of the city, firing their pistols indiscrim- inately as they swept through the streets. The citizens were, of course, intensely excited, and after the disappearance of the robbers a hundred persons volunteered their services to the sheriff to assist in the apprehension of the bold plunderers. Efforts at capture were made by a large body of men, but like all similar attempts, the result was nothing. They were followed into Missouri and tele- grams sent to every town in the State, but, like imps of darkness, the seven dare-devils disappeared and were not again seen for several months ; but it is now known that they were lying quietly in their impreg- nable haunt in the eastern part of Jackson county, waiting for a return of quiet. ANOTHER BANK ROBBERY IN KENTUCKY. In the latter part of 1870, Jesse and Frank James visited Kentucky, where they had a large number of JESSE AND FRANK JAMES, 53 friends and relatives, who admired their bravery and condoned their crimes. They remained here until in the early part of the spring of 1874, when they and the Younger boys conceived a plan for robbing the bank at Columbia, Kentucky. On the 29th of April of that year, the three Youngers and the two James Boys entered Columbia about the same hour from five different roads, so that there was not the least apprehension excited. Just before three o'clock in the afternoon the five desperadoes rode up to the bank together, while Frank James and Cole Younger leisurely dismounted and entered the bank, where they found the cashier, Mr. Martin, the president, Mr. Dalrymple, and another gentleman engaged in a conversation. Without losing any time or creating any suspicion from the citizens of the place, the two bandits drew their pistols and going behind the bank counter, leveled them at the heads of the cashier and president, and demanded the keys to the safe. See- ing, at a glance, however, that the safe was secured by a combination lock, they commanded the cashier to open it under penalty of immediate death if he refused. Martin was a brave man, and instead of being intimidated, tried to raise an alarm ; but at the first outcry Frank James thrust a heavy navy revol- ver into his face and fired, killing him instantly ; at the same moment Cole Younger fired at the presi- dent but, luckily, that gentleman struck up the pistol, and running into the back office, escaped with his 54 THE BORDER BANDITS. life. The two robbers hastily gathered the money that was in sight, (about #200,) and gaining their horses the five rode out of the town at a rapid pace. Fifteen men, headed by the sheriff, went in pursuit of the desperadoes, and chased them hard into the eastern part of Tennessee, where the trail was lost in the Cumberland range. Again the bandits doubled on their tracks, after the pursuit was abandoned, and went into the western part of Texas, where they mingled with the lawless elements of the border. Every attempt at their capture had proven fruit- less, and for the time being, the provincial banks were kept well armed in anticipation of a raid. The James Boys were too crafty to appear again in the counties where their terrible deeds had excited the people to desperation. They waited until the mem- ory of their crimes had been partially forgotten, and then planned new schemes of pillage. ROBBING OF THE CASH-BOX AT THE KANSAS CITY FAIR, On the 26th of September, 1872, the people of Kansas City had an opportunity for considering the cunning and bravery of the James Boys, from imme- diate circumstances which suddenly involved the city in a furore of excitement. It was on Thursday, JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 55 the " big day " of the Kansas City Exposition, when nearly thirty thousand visitors were assembled to see the races, and particularly to witness Ethan Allen trot in harness against a running mate. The crowd was immense and of course the gate receipts were correspondingly large. About four o'clock in the afternoon Mr. Hall, the secretary and treasurer of the association, counted up the receipts of the day, which were nearly ten thousand dollars, and placing the money in a tin box kept for the purpose, he told one of his assistants to take it to the First National Bank where, although it was after banking hours, arrangements had been made to make the deposit. No thought was entertained that any attempt would be made to steal the cash-box while so many people were constantly on the highway leading to the city, and the young man started off whistling gaily, car- rying the treasure box by a wire handle in his right hand. As he reached the entrance gate, where more than a dozen persons were coming in and going out, three men on horseback (Jesse and Frank James and Bob Younger) dashed up to the young man with such reckless haste that a little girl was badly trampled by one of the horses ; at the same moment a pistol shot was fired and Jesse James jumped from his horse into the confused crowd and snatching the cash-box from the hand of the af- frighted messenger, he leaped into the saddle again and the three highwaymen disappeared, with a clat- 56 THE BORDER BANDITS. ter of fast-flying feet, like the sweep of a whirlwind. For several minutes it was thought that the little girl had been struck by a pistol ball, but after she was carried home it was ascertained that her injuries, which were not fatal, were caused by the horse of one of the robbers knocking her down and trampling upon her hips. The news of the robbery spread over the city in a few minutes, and Marshal Shepherd sent out some of his detectives, while several gentlemen mounted fleet horses and used every possible endeavor to capture the robbers. The trail led over the hills east of Kansas City and about ten miles into Jackson county, where every trace was suddenly blotted out. The outlaws had reached their favorite haunt where no pursuer had ever been able to find them. The writer was a reporter on the Kansas City Journal at the time of the robbery and reported the details as here related. PLUNDERING THE STE. GENEVIEVE BANK. The success of the bandits thus far greatly en- couraged them in their lawless operations, and they were constantly planning new and still more reckless adventures. They remained in their secure hiding place during the winter of 1872-3, retiring upon their /ESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 57 laurels and living royally upon their immense gains. During this period of jolly hibernation, schemes were proposed for wrecking railroad trains, and be- fore the appearance of spring, Frank James and Jim Younger were sent into Nebraska for the purpose of RECRUITING AFTER A RAID. gathering information concerning the express ship- ment of treasure from the west. Not hearing from the robber agents as soon as was expected, Jesse James, Bill Chadwell, Clell Miller, and Bob and Cole Younger decided to pay their respects to another 58 THE BORDER BANDITS. bank before venturing upon their proposed railroad enterprise, and the Savings Association, at Ste. Gene- vieve, Missouri, was selected for the strike. Ac- cordingly, early in the morning of May 27th, 1873, the five desperate free-booters appeared in the streets of that old-time Catholic town, and the moment that Mr. O. D. Harris, the cashier, accompanied by F. A. Rozier, a son of Hon. Firman A. Rozier, the presi- dent, entered the bank to begin the business of the day, the three daring bandits followed them into the building and presenting six pistols, demanded the immediate opening of the bank vault. Young Ro- zier, regardless of the danger, made a speedy exit, and as he ran down the street crying for help, a bullet from one of the outlaws' weapons went whist- ling through the tail of his coat, but he escaped. Mr. Harris, however, was covered by too many pis- tols to permit of his escape, and stern necessity forced him into a compliance with the wishes of the robbers. He opened the vault, from which the sum of four thousand one hundred dollars was taken, a large part of which was specie, and shoving it speedily into the sack provided, the bandits mounted their horses and decamped. As they were riding out of the city, the bag containing the treasure was acci- dentally dropped, to recover which it was necessary to return, and one of the robbers had to dismount. In doing so his horse became frightened and broke away. At this juncture a German came riding by JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 59 and the robbers compelled him to ride after and catch the fleeing animal, which was returned to the riderless bandit, only after such delay as permitted a hastily organized posse of the citizens to approach within pistol shot of the three highwaymen. An ex- change of fire caused the posse to check their pace and the distance thus gained by the pursued was never made up. The pursuit was continued for sev- eral days, but without result. The outlaws stopped at Hermann, Mo., two days after the robbery, but as usual, there was no posse there to apprehend them. Several well known detectives from St. Louis were sent out, and the sheriff of every county in Missouri notified and requested to keep a sharp lookout for the desperadoes ; but though many suspicious char- acters were arrested the real culprits were -never captured. The amount secured at Ste. Genevieve was a great disappointment to the robbers, for it was known that the bank usually carried from seventy- five thousand to one hundred thousand dol- lars, but at this particular time, very fortunately, the association was winding up business, and had deposi- ted the greater portion of its funds in the Merchants' Bank of St. Louis. 6o THE BORDER BANDITS. WRECKING AND PLUNDERING A TRAIN. In June following both the James Boys were seen in Kansas City by intimate acquaintances, and the night of June 27th was spent by both the bandits with their mother at the Samuels' residence. On the 15th of July, Bob, Jim and Cole Younger, Jesse and Frank James, Bud Singleton and two other bandits, whose names have never been learned by the authori- ties, left Clay county, Missouri, and rode northward to a spot which had been selected by Frank James and Jim Younger, on the line of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, about five miles east of Council Bluffs. The reason for selecting this place and time was because of information received of an intended shipment of a large amount of gold from San Francisco to New York, which would be made over this route, reaching Omaha about the 19th of July. How this information was imparted was never ascertained, but its truth has led to the belief that the James Boys had confederates on the Pacific slope with whom they were in constant communication. On the evening of July 2 1st a formidable band of eight of the most desperate men that ever committed a crime, took position in a dense thicket beside a deep cut in the railroad. They hitched their horses out of view of passengers on the train and then, after a few minutes' work, displaced one of the rails. This JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 6l accomplished, they waited the coming of the express train which was due at that point at 8:30 p. m. From a knoll near the rendezvous Jesse James descried the blazing headlight of the coming train, and then made everything ready for their villainous work. A sharp curve in the track prevented the engineer from discovering anything wrong, until it was impossible to prevent the disaster which the banditti had pre- pared for. The screaming engine came thundering like an infuriated mammoth, which a reversal of the lever only began to check when it struck the loosened rail and plunged sideways into the bank, while the cars telescoped and piled up in terrible confusion. The engineer was instantly killed, and a dozen passengers were seriously injured, but the desperadoes did not stop to consider this terrible disaster. The moment the havoc was complete the bandits fell upon the excited passengers, whom they robbed without exception, both men and wom- en, taking every species of jewelry and the last cent that could be discovered from the wounded as well as those who remained unhurt. The express car was entered and the messenger, groaning with pain from a broken arm, was compelled to open the safe, which was rifled of six thousand dollars and then the mes- senger was forced to give the robbers his watch and ten dollars which he had with him. Fortunately the desperadoes were twelve hours too soon for the train upon which the expected treasure was carried, as the 62 THE BORDER BANDITS. express that went east on the morning of the 2 1st, carried gold bricks, specie and currency amounting to over one hundred thousand dollars. The total amount secured by the train-wrecking band was about #2,500 each, which they carried off, as was their custom, in a sack, departing southward at a rapid gait. The officers of Council Bluffs were soon notified of the robbery. The wounded and dead were taken to the city and cared for, and then another pursuit of the robbers was begun, which was united in by sher- iffs and posses of other counties until the pursuing parties numbered nearly two hundred men. The desperadoes were traced over hill and prairie, through Clay county and into Jackson, where the trail was lost as effectually as if the robbers had mounted into space and fled behind the clouds. Reward after re- ward was offered until they aggregated more than #50,000 ; the most expert detectives from St. Louis and Chicago concentrated upon an effort to win the prize and rid the country of the most consummate highwaymen since the days of Rolla, the bearded Knight of the forests. But every clue proved de- ceiving, and the most cunning of detectives finally abandoned the chase, thoroughly confounded by the marvelous cunning of the bandits. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 63 THE STAGE ROBBERY NEAR HOT SPRINGS. In December of 1873, a council was held in the haunt of the bandits, near the Big Blue, in Jackson county, in which it was decided to attempt a stage robbery, and the line between Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas, was selected for the first stroke in the inauguration of a new species of crime. Ac- cordingly, on the 15th of January, 1874, five of the highwaymen, consisting of Frank James, Clell Mil- ler, Arthur McCoy and Jim and Cole Younger re- paired to the scene of their intended operations and secreted themselves in a dense covert on the south side of the stage road, five miles from Hot Springs, and awaited the coming of their victims. The conception of this scheme manifested the judgment of the bandits, for they were influenced by the supposition that those who visited Hot Springs in search of health, were people of liberal means who would naturally carry with them a goodly sum of money with which to meet expected large expenses, and in this their judgment was correct. It was after mid-day when the heavy Concord stage, filled with passengers, came rattling over the rough and stony road opposite the secret hiding place of the highway freebooters. Suddenly a shot startled the driver, and his surprise culminated when Jesse James arose from a clump of brush, and with a 64 THE BORDER BANDITS. heavy revolver in each hand, commanded the driver to halt. The order was instantly obeyed, and as the passengers thrust their heads out of the vehicle they saw five fierce looking men, armed and spurred, whose purposes were at once divined. Frank James, who acted as leader, ordered the occupants of the stage to get out, which being complied with the passen- gers were formed into line and then submitted to a search by Clell Miller and Jim Younger, while the three other bandits stood guard with cocked pistols. The fright of the travelers was greatly intensified by the blood-chilling threats of the desperadoes. They jested with one another and made banters to test their skill as pistol shots on the trembling and un- armed passengers. "Now," said Frank James to Cole Younger, " I will bet you the contents of that fellow's pocket-book," pointing to one of the travel- ers who was a small tradesman at Little Rock, " that I can shoot off a smaller bit out of his right ear than you can." " I'll take the wager," responded Cole, " but you must let me have the first shot, because my eyesight is not as good as yours, and if you should hit his ear first the blood might confuse my aim." Frank insisted on shooting first, and in the wrangle, the poor victim trembled until he could scarcely retain his feet, and with the most prayerful entreaties begged the robbers to take what he had but spare his life. Mr. Taylor, of Massachusetts, a sufferer from rheu- JESSE ANU FRANK JAMES. 65 matism, then drew the attention of the bandits, and Jesse James offered to bet his share of the booty that he could throw his bowie-knife through Taylor's underclothing without drawing blood. It was thus the bandits jested with one another and in turn had each of the fear-stricken passengers praying for his life. When the search was concluded, Frank James pro- duced a memorandum book and took the names of all the travelers, saying : " I am like lightning, I don't want to strike the same parties twice." The total amount of money and valuables taken approximated #4,000, the heaviest loser being Ex- Gov. Burbank, of Dakota, from whom the robbers secured #1,500. When the bandits left their victims, they graciously and with great punctilio, raised their hats and bade them a most courteous adieu, wishing them a pleasant visit at the Springs. When the travelers reached Hot Springs they were in a sorry plight, not one of them having enough money to send a message home for additional funds, but the citizens kindly provided for their wants and exhibited much sympathy, but little or no attempt was made to capture the highwaymen. Indeed any such effort would have undoubtedly terminated fruit- lessly, for, in addition to the cunning and bravery of the bandits, the mountainous nature of the country would have prevented a pursuing party from making up the time lost in reporting the circumstances of the robbery. 2 l 66 THE BORDER BANDITS. THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT GAD'S HILL. After leaving the scene of their Hot Springs ad- venture the five daring highwaymen, finding that they were not pursued, rode up into the northern part of Arkansas, where they had several friends, and there planned a scheme for plundering a train on the Iron Mountain Railroad. The place chosen for the purpose was Gad's Hill, a very small station in Wayne county, Missouri, which, in the summer time, is almost hidden by the copse of pine trees which surrounds it. The adjacent country was a very jungle in which it was easy to hide and elude the most determined pursuit. On the last day of January, 1874, but little more than two weeks after their last successful robbery, the five bandits, with Frank James still acting as lead- er, rode into the station and made prisoners of every man in the place, consisting of the railroad agent, a saloon-keeper, blacksmith, two wood-choppers, and the son of Dr. John M. Rock. These were confined in the station house under threats of instant death if any attempt at escape were made. Having pre- vented every means of alarm, the desperadoes turned the switch in order to ditch the train if it attempted to run past, (as Gad's Hill was only a flag station,) and then planted a red flag in the track immediately in front of the station house. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 67 The train was not due until 5:40 in the evening, at which time the shadows of twilight curtained the little place and prepared the approach of darkness. Promptly upon time the train came bowling along, and the engineer, seeing the danger-signal ahead, brought the engine to a standstill alongside the sta- tion house. No one was seen when the train stopped, but in a moment thereafter Cole Younger mounted the cab and, with drawn pistol, compelled the engi- neer and fireman to leave the engine and walk out into the woods. Mr. Alford, the conductor, was ar- rested by Jesse James as he stepped from the train to ascertain the cause of the display of the red flag. He was forced to give up his watch and #75.00 in money, after which he was placed in the station house. Then began a sack of the passengers. Clell Miller, Jim Younger and Frank James searched the affrighted people in the cars, while Jesse James and Cole Younger, taking opposite sides of the train, maintained a watch and kept shooting in various di- rections, while they uttered terrible oaths and threats, to keep the passengers in a state of constant trepi- dation. * After stripping all the passengers of every bit of valuables, the outlaws proceeded to the express car, where they broke open the safe and secured the con- tents. The mail car was next plundered and the let- ters cut open, one of which contained #2,000, and several smaller sums were obtained. The total 68 THE BORDER BANDITS. amount of booty secured by the bandits was about #11,500. Having again successfully accomplished their criminal purpose without meeting any resist- ance, the five desperadoes released those confined in the station house ; the engineer and fireman were recalled from their position in the woods, and the train was ordered to proceed. Then mounting their horses, which were hitched near by, the outlaws rode into the brush and disappeared in the darkness. When the train reached Piedmont information of the robbery was telegraphed to Little Rock, St. Louis, and all the towns along the road. On the fol- lowing day, a large body of well-armed men started from Ironton and Piedmont in pursuit of the desperate outlaws, and soon got on their track. The pursuing party found where the bandits had break- fasted, sixty miles from Gad's Hill; following the trail closely on the second day the citizen's posse reached the spot where the outlaws had spent the night, and they were encouraged by the belief that a capture might be effected before the close of the day, but suddenly the party came to a low marsh through which it was dangerous to ride, and in* search- ing for a pathway around the boggy district much time was lost and the trail of the robbers could not be f6und again ; so the pursuit was abandoned. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 69 WICHER'S UNFORTUNATE HUNT FOR THE JAMES BOYS. In the spring of 1874 John W. Wicher of Chicago, a brave, cool, cunning man, scarcely thirty years of age, connected with the Pinkerton force, appeared before his chief and asked to be sent out to discover the hiding place of the terrible brigands. He was fully informed of the dangers of such a mission, but his self-reliance and pride made him anxious to make the attempt which had already cost the lives of so many courageous officials. The chief gave his con*- sent, and Wicher set out at once for the Samuels residence. In the early part of March the detective arrived in Liberty, where he soon laid his schemes before the sheriff of Clay county, and asked for as- sistance when the time and circumstances were ripe for a strike. The sheriff promised all needful aid and gave Wicher all the information in his possession concerning the habits and rendezvous of the James and Younger boys. Changing his garb for the habit of a tramp, Wicher left Liberty on the 15th of March and arrived at Kearney on the same day, late in the afternoon. He took the road leading directly to the Samuels resi- dence and had proceeded perhaps two miles on the lonely highway, when suddenly Jesse James walked out from behind a pile of dead brush and, with pistol presented, confronted the detective. Wicher's sur- JO THE BORDER BANDITS. prise was complete, but he manifested not the least excitement, his cool self-possession never deserting him for a moment. " Where are you going ? " was the first remark made by Jesse James. " I am looking for work," was Wiener's reply. " What kind of work do you want, and where do you expect to find it ? " asked Jesse, his pistol still pointing full in poor Wiener's face. " I have been used to farm labor, and hope to find something to do on some farm in the vicinity, " re- sponded the detective. Jesse James smiled contemptuously and then gave a sharp whistle, which brought to his side Clell Mil- ler and Frank James, whose near presence Wicher had not thought of. The conversation then contin- ued. Said Jesse : " You don't look much like a laborer, nor is there any appearance of a tramp about you except in your clothes. Now I want you to acknowledge frankly just what your purpose is in this part of the country." The detective began to realize how critical was his position, and that unless the most fortuitous circum- stance should arise in his favor his chances of escape were exceedingly small. But with the same cool- ness he made reply : " Well, gentlemen, I am nothing more than a poor man, without as much as a dollar in my pocket, and what I have told you as to my purpose is true. If JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. yi you will be good enough to let me proceed, or fur- nish me with means by which I can secure work I shall be thankful." At this the bandits laughed scornfully, while Jesse James proceeded with the examination : " I think you are from Chicago, and when you arrived at Lib- erty a few days ago you wore much better clothes than you now have on; besides, it seems that you and Moss (the sheriff) had some business together. Say, now, young fellow, haven't you set out to locate the James Boys, whom you have found rather unex- pectedly?" Wicher then saw that he was in the hands of his enemies, and his heart beat in excited pulsations as he thought of the young wife he had so recently wedded, and from whom an eternal separation ap- peared certain. Dropping his head as if resigning himself to cruel fate, Wicher hoped to deceive his captors, and in an unguarded moment be able to draw his pistol and fight for his life. Like a flash from a hazy cloud, the detective thrust his hand into his bosom and succeeded in grasping his pistol, but ere he could use it the bandits sprang upon him, and in the grip of three strong men he was helpless. He was then disarmed and firmly bound by small cords which Frank James produced. ClelJ Miller went in- to the woods and soon returned leading three horses, on the Largest of which Wicher was placed and his feet tied under the horse's belly. A gag was placed 72 THE BORDER BANDITS. tightly in his mouth and Jesse James, mounting be- hind, the desperadoes rode into the deepening twi- light of the woods with their victim. They crossed the Missouri river at Independence Landing, and just before day they halted in the black shadows of a copse in Jackson county. Here they prepared for the punishment and execution of their prisoner. Wicher was taken from his horse and bound fast to a tree ; the gag was removed from his mouth and then the bandits tried to extort from him information concernihg the plans of Pinkerton and the number and names of the detectives he had engaged in the attempt to capture the outlaws. Though they pricked him with their bowie-knives and bent his head forward with their combined strength until the spinal column was almost broken, and practiced other atrocious torments, yet Wicher never spoke. He knew that death was his portion and he defied the desperadoes and dared them to do their worst. Finding all their endeavors fruitless, Jesse and Frank James murdered their victim ; one of them shooting him through the heart and the other through the brain. The body was then carried to the nearest highway, where it was left to be found next day by a farmer who was driving into Independence. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 73 MURDERING COW-BOYS AND DRIVING OFF CATTLE. The excitement following the murder of Wicher was so great that the James Boys, Clell Miller, Ar- thur McCoy, and the three Younger brothers quit Missouri and again visited Texas. After carousing around through the State until their pecuniary means were well nigh exhausted, they determined upon the commission of a new crime, stealing a herd of cattle. It was in September, 1874, that the seven brigands rode into the southwestern part of the State, where they selected a herd of five hundred of the finest beef cattle in Starr county, which were being tended by three cow-boys. The herders were cruelly mur- dered and the robbers drove the cattle rapidly toward Mexico with the design of selling them to the Mexicans who cared little for the real ownership of the cattle after they were upon Mexican soil. On the extensive plains of Texas where the large herds are left in charge of cow-boys to roam from season to season, subsisting entirely upon the rich grasses of the prairies, the owners often do not see their cattle for months, trusting them to the care of the herders. It is due to this fact, perhaps, that the bandits, after killing the cow-boys, were permitted to drive the herd over sixty miles and into Mexico without being pursued. 74 THE BORDER BANDITS. Reaching Camargo the bandits had no difficulty in disposing of the cattle, and with this money they went on a big spree, which terminated in a fight with fifteen gringos, who were saloon loafers and petty disturbers by profession. The result of this combat was the wounding of Clell Miller and Jim Younger and the killing of two Mexicans. The bandits would have fared much worse, however, had they not gained their horses and made rapid retreat, gaining the Rio Grande so far in advance of their pursuers as permitted them to cross the river before the Mexicans reached the bank. The free-booters having eluded their pursuers stopped at Camp Hudson for several weeks, where the wounds of Miller and Younger were attended to, and in December the party returned to Missouri, thinking that, as had been usual, the excitement over their crimes had so far subsided as to permit them to visit their old homes and haunts. Their appear- ance in Clay county, at least the James Boys, was noted on the 20th of January, 1875, and report of their return was at once made to Allen Pinkerton, who, after some correspondence with county officials and others, formed a plan for capturing the outlaws. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 75 THE ATTACK ON THE SAMUELS RESIDENCE. William Pinkerton, a brother of the chief detec- tive, was sent to Kansas City immediately with five of the most trusted men in the force. Upon arriv- ing at that place the sheriff of Clay county was sent for, after which twelve citizens of known pluck and reliability were engaged to watch the Samuels home- stead and report from hour to hour by a rapid means of communication, which had been established. The greatest secrecy was enjoined upon all engaged in the undertaking and every possible precaution was taken to prevent any alarm reaching the bandits. On the afternoon of January 25th, Jesse and Frank James were both seen in the yard fronting the Sam- uels residence and report of this quickly reached the sheriff and Mr. Pinkerton who were in Liberty. Ar- rangements were made for the immediate capture of the two bandits, who it was confidently supposed would spend the night in their mother's house. Ac- cordingly the two officers rode to Kearney late in the afternoon, where they organized a party of twelve men who were to assist them, and preparing several balls of cotton saturated with turpentine and two hand-grenades, the v/ell armed body of men pro- ceeded to the Samuels residence, which they reached about midnight. A reconnoissance was first made 7 6 THE BORDER BANDITS. with great care for indications of possible surprise, and after completely surrounding the house four of the men, with turpentine balls, were sent forward to open the attack. A window on the west side of the residence was stealthily approached, but in the act of raising it an old colored woman, who had for many years been a house servant in the family, was awak- ened, and she at once gave the alarm. But the window was forced up and the two lighted balls were thrown into the room, and as the flames shot up- ward, threatening destruction to the house and its contents, the family were speedily aroused and efforts were made to extinguish the fire. At the moment every member of the household, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Samuels, a son eight years of age, and. the daughter, Miss Susie, and the old colored woman, had partially subdued the flames, one of the detec- tives, or at least one of the party leading the attack, flung a hand-grenade into the room among the af- frighted occupants, and a heavy explosion was the prelude to the dreadful havoc made by that instru- ment of death. A scream of anguish succeeded the report and groans from within, without any evidence of the outlaws' presence, convinced the detectives and citizen's posse that they had committed a grave and horrible crime ; so, without examining the prem- ises further the party withdrew, apparently with the fear that the inexcusable deed they had just commit- ted would be avenged speedily if they tarried in the vicinity. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES, 77 When the lamp was lighted by Dr. Samuels he found his little boy in the agonies of death, having re- ceived a terrible wound in the side from the exploded shell. Mrs. Samuels' left arm had been shattered, and hung helpless by her side ; but she forgot her own misfortune in the anguish she suffered at seeing the dying struggles of her little boy. What a terri- ble night was that memorable 25th of January to the Samuels family 1 Alone with their dead boy, whom they worshipped, and with a desperately wounded mother, who would certainly have bled to death but for the thoughtfulness of the old colored servant who hastily bandaged the arm and staunched the flow of the crimson life-current. The funeral of the innocent victim did not take place until the second day after the midnight attack, and then Mrs. Samuels, who had suffered an ampu- tation of the injured member, was too greatly pros- trated to attend and witness the last service over her darling boy, but the remains were accompanied to the grave by a very large body of sympathizing people of the neighborhood. This unfortunate and indefensible attack, for a time allayed public animosity against the James Boys and turned the sympathy of people in western Missouri somewhat in their favor. Those who had been most earnest in their desire to see Jesse and Frank James brought to punishment, began to think more lightly of their crimes, attributing them partly, at least, to yS THE BORDER BANDITS. the manner in which they had been hunted and per- secuted. It is a notorious fact that for some time this sentiment predominated in Clay and Jackson counties, and the same feeling extended to other parts of the State, and in March following led to the introduction of an amnesty bill in the Legislature, granting immunity for past offenses committed by Jesse and Frank James, Coleman Younger, James Younger and Robert Younger. The bill was intro- duced by Gen. Jeff. Jones, of Callaway county, and contained a provisional clause that amnesty would be granted the parties named in the instrument for all offenses committed during the war, provided they would surrender to the lawful authorities and submit to such proceedings as might be brought against them in the several States for crimes charged against them since the war. After a stormy debate the bill was defeated, although had it passed none of the bandits named would have accepted the terms, for surrender meant either,execution or life imprisonment. A rejection of the terms of surrender, by the Legis- lature, afforded a fresh pretext, however, to the ban- dits to pursue their crimes of blood and pillage, and it was not long before the country was again startled by the daring deeds of the outlaws. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 79 ASSASSINATION OF DANIEL ASKEW. Immediately after the defeat of the " outlaw am- nesty bill," as it was called, the brigands planned the execution of new and direful schemes, one of which involved the assassination of a respectable citizen of Clay county. The James Boys concluded, for reasons known only to themselves, that Mr. Daniel Askew was a mem- ber of the posse which made the attack on the Sam- uels residence, and this belief was justification suffi- cient, in their estimation, for murdering that gentle- man ; but the plan of its execution was equally as dastardly as the casting of the hand-grenade blindly and . savagely among the several members of Dr. Samuels' family. The circumstances of the assassi- nation were as follows : Mr. Askew was an unpreten- tious farmer, living about five miles from Liberty, in a neat frame house, but with no neighbors nearer than one mile. He had returned home from Liberty, late in the afternoon of April 12th, 1875, and after eating supper took a bucket and went to the spring, which was fifty yards from the house, after water. This was about eight o'clock in the evening, but the moon was shining brightly and objects were plainly discernible. He returned from the spring with the water and sat the bucket upon a shelf on the porch, after which he proceeded to take a drink, but as he was in the act of lifting the cup to his mouth, three 80 THE BORDER BANDITS, sharp shots rang out upon the still air and Mr. As- kew plunged forward on his face dead, the three bul- lets having taken fatal effect upon his person, one en- tering the brain and the two others reaching vital spots in his body. At the sound of the shots and the heavy fall on the porch, Mr. Askew's wife and daughter rushed out of the house just in time to see three men steal out from behind the cover of a large woodpile in front of the porch, and regain their horses and ride swiftly away. The three assassins were undoubtedly Jesse and Frank James and Clell Miller, for within an hour after the murder these three met a gentleman upon the highway and informed him of Mr. Askew's fate, and told him the murder was in consequence of the acts of Pinkerton's detectives. This cowardly act, by which a peaceable citizen had been made to surrender up his life for the sake of a savage revenge, destroyed again every spark of sympathy for the desperadoes, and the determination for their capture was renewed. Armed posses of Clay county citizens set out in search of the assassins, but the pursuit was in vain, and after a week of earn- est effort, rinding no trace of the brigands, the party returned to their homes, each one recking how soon his turn might come to add to the gory record of the remorseless freebooters. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 8 1 THE SAN ANTONIO STAGE ROBBERY. After the murder of Mr. Askew, the bandits, in an- ticipation of renewed efforts to effect their capture, left Missouri and visited their old haunts in the south- west. They spent several days in the Indian Terri- tory for the purpose of learning with what persistency and the character of the search being made by the authorities. Finding that all effort at their appre- hension was confined to western Missouri, the out- laws rode into Texas and soon formed a plan for robbing the stage running between San Antonio and Austin. To plan was to execute, and on the 1 2th of May, 1875, Jesse James, Clell Miller, Jim Reed and Cole and Jim Younger selected a spot on the highway, about twenty-three miles south-west of Austin, and there ambushed themselves to await the coming of the stage. It was late in the evening, the sun just descending behind the hills and the chirrup of twilight insects had begun to echo in the solitude of the place. Eleven passengers, three of whom were ladies, were cheerily cracking jokes and relieving the discomforts of the journey by agreeable conversation. Suddenly the driver descried five horsemen riding out into the road one hundred yards ahead of the stage and ad- vancing leisurely. Their appearance and conduct looked suspicous, but as no robberies had been per- petrated on the highway for many years, the driver 22 82 THE BORDER BANDITS. did not realize what the act portended until, as the stage bowled up, the five men, drawing their pis- tols, commanded a halt. The order being accom- panied by such persuasive authority of course the obedience of the driver was prompt. Then the pas- sengers wondered what it meant, but before they could propound a question four of the brigands rode up on either side of the stage and ordered the in- mates to get out. The women, seeing such cruel looking men and their fiercer looking pistols, screamed and scrambled over the male passengers with utter disregard of propriety, and created much confusion. Jesse James and Cole Younger did the talking for the bandits, and in courteous language as- sured the ladies they had nothing to fear provided the passengers acted with discretion. Soon the eleven but recently gay travelers were arranged in single file along the road behind the stage, and as not the slightest resistance was offered Frank James and Jim Younger had no difficulty in expeditiously re- lieving all the passengers of their money, watches and other valuables. Among the number was John Breckenridge, president of the First National Bank at San Antonio, from whom #1,000 were obtained; Bishop Gregg, of Austin, contributed his gold watch and nearly #50 in money, while from the other passengers sums from #25 to $50 were obtained. Having completed the personal plunder, the ban- dits cut open the two mail bags from which a goodly JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. b$ sum of money was secured, but the amount has not been estimated. The haul aggregated, perhaps, £3,000, which they placed in a sack carried for the purpose, and then, bidding the passengers adieu, the border desperadoes rode swiftly into the shadows, leaving the surprised party to resume their journey in a less amiable mood. THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY AT MUNCIE. Nothing was heard of the bandits for several months after the stage robbery, and their crimes were again relegated to partially forgotton incidents of the past. In December following, however, an- other attack by the outlaws refreshed the memory of their deeds and threw Missouri and Kansas into a fever of intense excitement. The band of desperadoes, by some means known only to themselves, learned of an intended large shipment of gold-dust from Denver, via Kansas Pa- cific Railroad, and that it would be carried by a train arriving in Kansas City on a certain day. The place selected at which to intercept the train bearing the valuable shipment, was Muncie, a little station six miles west of Wyandotte, Kansas. There was a water tank near the place, at which the engines al- most invariably stopped to take a fresh supply of water. At this point six bandits stationed them- 84 THE BORDER BANDITS. selves and awaited the train, which was not due untrl after nightfall. Prompt upon time the engine blew its shrill whistle, and then rolled up under the tank and stopped. In a moment the brigands left their place of concealment and boarded the train, one of them, Bill McDaniels, being deputed to cover and remain with the engineer and fireman. The robbers rushed through the cars and commanded every pas- senger to remain quiet under penalty of death. Two of them stood on the platforms of the cars while the other three proceeded to the express car. The ban- dits presented their pistols at the head of the mes- senger and forced him to open the safe, from which the sum of #25,000 in money was taken and gold- dust valued at #30,000. This total sum secured was so large that no attempt was made to rob any of the passengers, and after the valuable plunder was placed in a sack, Jesse James blew a keen whistle and a moment after all the free-booters abandoned the train and regained their horses. Soon as the passengers reached Wyandotte, which was speedily, the alarm was given, which spread to Kansas City, and another large body of men was sent in pursuit of the daring highwaymen. They chased the fugitives southward into Indian Territory, but the pursuit was abandoned in the Creek Nation, where all traces were blotted out. About one month after this great robbery a police officer arrested Bill McDaniels in Kansas City, for JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 85 drunkenness, his participation in the train plunder- ing not then being suspected. But when searched at the police station a sheep-skin bag was found on his person filled with gold-dust. In addition to this he had a large roll of money, and being known in Kan- sas City as a worthless fellow, suspicion was at once excited that he was a confederate of the train rob- bers. He was placed in the calaboose and allowed to sober up, and then taken upon a requisition to Lawrence, Kansas. On the following day after his arrest the city marshal and Con O'Hara, the detec- tive, went into McDaniels' cell and spent two hours in a persistent endeavor to obtain a confession from him of his complicity in the robbery, or the names of those who committed the act. But he remained as silent as if he had lost the power of speech, and not a word concerning the robbery did the officers ever hear from him. Two months after his apprehension, in taking him from the jail for trial, McDaniels broke from the deputy sheriff and escaped. After a week's search he was found, but resisting arrest, he was mortally wounded by a member of a citizens' posse named Bauermann. McDaniels died, how- ever, refusing to reveal anything in regard to his confederates. It has since been ascertained, how- ever, that those engaged in the Muncie robbery consisted of Jesse James, Arthur McCoy, Cole and Bob Younger, Cell Miller and McDaniels, the latter only being captured. 86 THE BORDER BANDITS. THE HUNTINGTON BANK ROBBERY. After the train robbery the highwaymen separated, some going to Texas and others to Kentucky. In April, 1876, Frank James, Cole Younger, Tom Mc- Daniels, a brother of Bill, and a small black-eyed fellow called Jack Keen, alias Tom Webb, confeder- ated together for the purpose of perpetrating another bank robbery. Keen had been raised in the eastern part of Kentucky and was well acquainted with the mountainous regions of West Virginia and his native State. It was decided to attack and plunder the bank in Huntington, a town of 2,500 people, on the Ohio river, in West Virginia. About the 1st of September the four bandits rode into the town under the leadership of Frank James and proceeded directly to the bank, which they reach- ed at 2 p. m. Frank James and McDaniels dismount- ed, leaving Younger and Keen standing guard on the outside. When Frank and McDaniels entered the bank they found only R. T. Oney, the cashier, and a citizen who was making a deposit; these the rob- bers covered with their pistols and compelled the cashier to open the safe and deliver up all the money in the bank, amounting to #10,000. Having secured the booty the four outlaws rode rapidly out of town, not a single person in the place having the least sus- picion of what had occurred until Mr. Oney spread the news. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 87 A posse of twenty-five citizens, headed by the sheriff, set out in pursuit of the bandits at three o'clock, one hour after the robbery was consummated, and followed the trail with the greatest persistency. The officers in other counties were notified by tele- graph, and armed bodies of men were sent out from a dozen towns. One hundred miles south-west of Huntington the robbers were sighted and in an ex- change of shots McDaniels was killed. This en- couraged the pursuing party, who pressed the bandits so hard that they were forced to abandon their horses and take to the mountain fastnesses of Kentucky. The pursuit continued unabated for four weeks, and at length the outlaws were driven out of Kentucky and into Tennessee ; here Keen was captured and taken back to Huntington, where he made a confes- sion and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in the penitentiary. Frank James and Cole Younger eluded pursuit and returned to the Indian Territory, where they met Jesse James and his band of high- waymen, and forthwith new plans were laid for an- other big robbery. THE ROCKY CUT TRAIN ROBBERY. Seven months elapsed after the Muncie robbery before the desperate brigands, under the leadership of Jesse James, made another attempt to increase 88 THE BORDER BANDITS. their ill-gotten gains. But in the meantime the band of highwaymen was increasing and organizing for another bold stroke. Many outlaws who had found safety in the Indian Nation were anxious to attach themselves to the James and Younger brothers, but very few were received. The noted bandits were excellent judges of human nature, and they were exceedingly careful not to repose confidence in any one who did not possess indisputable evidence of cunning and bravery ; men who, in the event of capture, would not betray their comrades at any sacrifice. In July, 1876, arrangements were com- pleted for rifling another treasure-laden train and the Missouri Pacific Railroad was chosen as the line for their operations. The reorganized party of high- waymen, consisting of Jesse and Frank James, Cole, Bob and Jim Younger, Clell Miller, Hobbs Kerry, Charlie Pitts and Bill Chadwell, nine in number, left their rendezvous in the Indian Territory and, riding separately, reached Otterville, Missouri, by a precon- certed understanding, on the 7th of July. The capture and confession of Hobbs Kerry en- ables the giving of a minute narrative of all the circumstances connected with the robbery about to be related. About one mile east of Otterville, a small station in Pittis county, is a place called Rocky Cut, which is a deep stone cleft, from which the train emerges only to strike the bridge across Otter creek. On the JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 89 south side of the cut is a heavy wood, and in this the robbers concealed themselves to await the train which was not due there until nearly midnight. A watchman was stationed at the bridge, whom Charlie Pitts and Bob Younger arrested and, after taking his signal lantern and placing it in the track at the bridge approach, they securely tied the helpless fel- low and then joined the main party. Hobbs Kerry and Bill Chadwell were detailed to watch the horses and keep them prepared for sudden flight. As the train came dashing through the cut the engineer saw the danger signal and at once con- cluded something was wrong with the bridge, and he lost no time in having the brakes set and the en- jine reversed. The train came to a stop directly in the cut, and as it slowed up seven of the dare-devils leaped upon the cars and with one at each door, the robbers had no trouble in so intimidating the passengers as to prevent attack. Jesse James, the boldest of the bold, was the first to enter the ex- press car, followed by Cole Younger. At the mouth of two heavy navy pistols the messenger was forced to open the safe, which contained fifteen thousand dollars in bank notes. This money was hastily thrown into a sack, and the shrill whistle was given by Jesse, which was the signal for the bandits to leave the train and mount. No effort was made to rob or harm any of the passengers, the single pur- pose of the bandits, agreed upon before the attack, was to secure only the valuables of the express. 9 o THE BORDER BANDITS. When the train reached Tipton, report of the rob- bery was telegraphed to every station along the line, and also to St. Louis and Kansas City, and from these points all over the country. Hobbs Kerry's statement is, that after the perpe- tration of the crime, the bandits rode southward together very rapidly until nearly daylight, when they entered a deep wood and there divided the money, after which the band rode off in pairs, except the James Boys and Cole Younger, who kept together. Kerry soon separated from Chadwell, who was his companion, and went to Fort Scott, and from there to Parsons, Kansas, thence to Joplin and then to Granby, where he remained for nearly a week, spending a great deal of money in gambling dens, and in his drunken moments let drop such remarks as led to the suspicion that he was a member of the gang that robbed the train. He next made a trip into Indian Territory, but after a short stay in that country he returned to Granby; there he was arrested in the latter part of August. The authorities had no dif- ficulty in obtaining from Kerry the full particulars of the robbery and the names of his confederates. De- tectives from all parts of the country, stimulated by the large rewards offered by the express company and Governor Hardin, set out in search of the ban- dits. Every State was penetrated, every suspicious character put under surveillance, and all the ingenu- ity that could be devised by experienced hunters of criminals was exercised. 92 THE BORDER BANDITS. The James and Younger boys and Clell Miller, rinding the pursuit at an end, returned from the Na- tion, whither they had first fled, and by stealthy night marches succeeded in reaching Jackson county, where they retired to the robbers' cave and were there safe from pursuit. THE FATAL ATTACK ON A MINNESOTA BANK. The efforts of the detectives to capture the out- laws seemed to be chiefly confined to the south- western States, and learning this the bandits, after re- maining within the seclusion of their undiscoverable haunts for a few weeks, .grew tired of the inactivity such life imposed, and aa Bill Chadwell was well ac- quainted in Minnesota, it was decided to send Bob Younger out to find him, and through him to perfect a plan for raiding one of the banks in that State. The means of communication between the bandits was such that Chadwell was soon found and brought into conference with the other members. The purpose of going into Minnesota could not have been merely because of a supposition that a more ample booty might be secured in that State, for there were many richer banks much nearer. One of the prime motives of the outlaws was un- doubtedly to make a stroke in the far north which JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 93 would confuse the officers in pursuit of them, and thereby draw the attention of the detectives away from the favorite haunts. Aside from this, no suffi- cient reason for the strange determination of the brigands is assignable. A decision was soon reached, and it was decided to make an examination of the country, and raid the bank which gave promise of the largest reward with the least chances of surprise or capture. Cole Younger and Chadwell were accordingly despatched as a reconnoitering party, and were to ride three days in advance of the others, take observations and make report by leaving certain pre-arranged signals along the route decided upon. Those engaged in the intended enterprise were the two James Boys, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger, Charlie Pitts, Clell Mil- ler and Bill Chadwell. The expedition started for Minnesota about the 3d of September, 1876, pro- ceeding by railroad directly to Mankato, the place appointed for a meeting with the two bandits sent in advance. A second consultation, held at that place on the 6th of September, resulted in a decision to strike the bank at Northfield, Rice county, a town of 2500 people, on the I. & M. division of the Milwau- kee & St. Paul Railroad. On the afternoon of the 7th the eight desperadoes entered Northfield at a furious pace, discharging their pistols and by direful threats endeavoring to so intimidate the citizens as to prevent resistance. 94 THE BORDER BANDITS. They rode direct for the bank, which was located fronting the public square, and stopping in front of the institution. Frank and Jesse James and Bob Younger quickly dismounted and entered the bank while the other robbers were left to guard against attack from the outside. J. L. Haywood, the cash- ier, A. E. Bunker, teller, and Frank Wilcox, book- keeper, were the only persons in the bank at the time of the entrance of the bandits. Jesse James drew a pistol and presented it at the cashier's head and commanded him to open the safe. Haywood promptly refused, and the next instant he lay dead at the bandit's feet, his brain pierced with a bullet. At this Bunker and Wilcox fled out at the back door, but as they reached the step a bullet from Frank James' pistol plunged through Bunker's shoulder, but it did not impede his flight. The robbers were left alone in the bank, but beyond a small amount lying upon the counter no money could be found, and the bandits, hearing firing in the streets, rushed out just in time to see Bill Chadwell fall from his horse, his heart pierced with a musket ball, and in a few sec- onds after Clell Miller received a bullet in his breast, and with a groan tumbled mortally wounded to the ground while his horse galloped riderless up the street. By this time the citizens came rushing to the at- tack and the firing became general. Jim Younger was shot in the mouth and a horse was wounded. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 95 The effective shots were fired by Dr. Henry Wheeler from a second-story window in the Damphier House, facing the bank. The six unharmed bandits rushed for their horses and rode at their highest speed out of town, followed in fifteen minutes afterward by fifty well mounted citizens. Then succeeded a flight and pursuit which for persistency, endurance, cour- age and results is without a parallel. Information of the murder and robbery was tele- graphed in every direction and each hour the pursu- ing force was augmented by volunteers who sprang up in the pathways of the robbers and guarded ev- ery highway and bridle path. The chase led through Shieldsville and from there into LeSeur county where, being pressed closely, too Jesse and Frank James insisted on killing Jim Younger, the blood from whose wound was furnishing a trail for the pur- suers. This proposition resulted in a separation of the outlaws, Jesse and Frank James remaining to- gether and the Younger boys and Charley Pitts, (whose real name was Sam Wells), remaining in a body. The country was fairly filled with resolute men determined upon the death of the bandits. It was very soon discovered that the robbers had sep- arated and the pursuing parties were divided and put upon the two trails. About one hundred and fifty miles south-west of Northfield, near a place called Madelia, the Young- ers and Charlie Pitts were surrounded in a swamp, g6 the border bandits. and captured after a desperate fight with the citizens' posse Pitts being killed aud all the Youngers re- ceiving fresh wounds. Pitts was buried, and the Youngers, always under guard, after months of suf- ering finally recovered. After their recovery they pleaded guilty to the charges against them and were sentenced to prison for the term of their natural lives. They are yet in the Minnesota pen- itentiary at Stillwater. Jesse and Frank James were more fortunate; although so closely pressed that a hundred times they could see and hear the voices of their pursuers, yet they were not discover- ed. Day and night the James Boys continued their flight, unable to cook anything, subsisting on green corn and raw potatoes ; never daring to show their faces, swimming streams, and confining their route to the least accessable sections of country. Extraordi- nary cunning, a knowledge of men and adaptability to circumstances, after ten days of a most remark- able pursuit, covering their tracks by wading for miles in streams of water, Jesse and Frank James eluded their pursuers and regained their secure haunts in Jackson county. AT GLENDALE— THE LAST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY. Three years elapsed from the time of the attack at Northfield until the James Boys were heard of JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 97 again in connection with criminal escapades. Their names existed in tradition, and the horror which was once manifested at the mention of their savage natures had become dwarfed into mere expressions of sur- prise. It was reported that Frank James had died of consumption in the Indian Nation and that Jesse was living peaceably in one of the remote Territories, following the profitable occupation of cattle-raising. On the evening of October 7th, 1879, the people of Western Missouri were suddenly shocked by the intelligence of another great train robbery, commit- ted in the old guerrilla haunts, where crime had held such high carnival during the dark period of the great rebellion. On the day in question Jesse James, Jim Cummings, Ed. Miller, a brother of Clell, Daniel (better known as Tucker) Bassham and seven others whose names are not known, appeared suddenly at the little station of Glendale, which is on the line of the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, twenty- two miles from Kansas City. The town consists of a post-office and store combined and a station house, and is a flag station only. About six o'clock in the evening the party of bandits rode into the place and proceeded at once to put every one present under arrest, which they readily accomplished, as there were but three men at the station, and these were locked in the station house. The train going east was due at 6:45 p. m., at a time when darkness clothed the scene, and the masked robbers compelled 23 9 8' THE BORDER BANDITS. the station operator to display his signal to stop the train. Previous to this preliminary the masked ban- dits had piled a large number of condemned ties on the track only a few hundred yards east of Glen- dale, and had everything fully prepared to execute their purpose expeditiously. The train was on time, and seeing the stop signal displayed, the engineer obeyed its import, and in a moment the conductor, John Greenman, was facing an ominous pistol, while others of the robbers covered the engineer and de- manded submission. Meeting with no resistance the bandits broke in the door of the express car, but in their efforts to break in the door, William Grimes, the messenger, hastily unlocked the safe and took out -thirty-five thousand dollars in money and valu- ables, which he attempted to conceal. He was too late, however, for at the moment he was placing the money bag behind some boxes in the car, the door yielded and three robbers rushed on him. Refusing to deliver the safe-key, Grimes was knocked down and badly punished. The key was taken from him and the few remaining contents of value in the safe were appropriated, as was also the bag containing the money. The haul was a very rich one and the attempt having been successful the passengers were not mo- lested, and the train was permitted to depart after a detention of no more than ten minutes. The commission of this crime again aroused the officers, and as Glendale is in Jackson county, Major JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 99 James Leggitt, the county marshal, took immediate steps to discover and arrest the perpetrators. Being a shrewd and fearless man, he went to work intelli- gently and unceasingly. He soon discovered who composed the party that committed the robbery, notwithstanding the fact that they were heavily masked. Tucker Bassham, one of the robbers, who was raised in Jackson county, was suspected directly after the deed was accomplished. He left the coun- ty for a time, but returned and buried his share of the booty, which was one thousand one hundred dollars. Soon he began to exhibit an unusual amount of money, and a spy was placed upon him until enough information was obtained to conclusive- ly establish his connection with the robbery. But Marshal Leggitt deferred the arrest with the hope that he might learn of some communication between Bassham and other members of the gang, and ac- complish their arrest. In June last (1880) deputy marshals W. G. Keshler and M. M. Langhorn, ar- rested Bassham and lodged him in the jail at Kansas City. Shortly afterward Major Leggitt obtained a full confession from his prisoner, which was reduced to writing and made in the form of an affidavit. 100 THE BORDER BANDITS. SHOOTING OF JESSE JAMES BY GEO. SHEPHERD. The pursuit of the Glendale robbers did not cease after a week's efforts, as previously, but Maj. Leg- gitt was determined to accomplish his purpose. He resolved upon an expedient which evidences his cunning and strategy: Living in Kansas City, at the time of the robbery, was George Shepherd, one of the most courageous men that ever faced danger. He was one of Quantrell's lieutenants and fought in all the terrible and unmerciful encounters of that chief of the black banner. He was at Lawrence, and rode beside the James Boys in that dreadful cy- clone of remorseless murder. He had run the gaunt- let of a hundred rifles and fought against odds which it appeared impossible to escape. After the close of the war Jesse James accepted Geo. Shepherd as a leader and followed him into Texas, and would still be following his counsels had not circumstances sep- arated them. Maj. Leggitt evolved a scheme out of his hours of study looking towards the capture of Jesse James. He sent for Shepherd, who was working for Jesse Noland, a leading dry goods merchant of Kansas City, and to the ex-guerrilla he proposed his scheme. It was this : Shepherd, being known to have formerly been a comrade of Jesse James, it was to be reported that undoubted information had reached the author!- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 101 tfes establishing Shepherd's connection with the Glendale robbery. A report of this was to be printed upon a slip of paper having printed matter upon the reverse side, so as to appear like a newspaper clip- ping. Shepherd was to take this printed slip, find Jesse James and propose to join him, saying that he was being hounded by detectives, and, although in- nocent, he felt that his only safety was in uniting his fortunes with Jesse and his fearless band. This be- ing accomplished, Shepherd was to find an oppor- tunity for killing Jesse James, and the reward for him, dead or alive, was to be divided. In addition to this, Shepherd was to be provided with a horse and to receive #50 per month during the time of his service. The conditions and terms were satisfactory to Shepherd, and in the latter part of October, about two weeks after the Glendale robbery, he started out in quest of Jesse James. The plan of Shepherd's operations and the man- ner in which he accomplished his hazardous under- taking is herewith detailed just as he related the story to the writer, and other corroborative testi- mony establishes its truth : When Shepherd left Kansas City he was mounted upon a sorrel horse and his weapons consisted of a thirty-two calibre single-barrel pistol and a small pocket-knife. He rode directly to the Samuels resi- dence, which he reached at dusk, and tied his horse 102 THE BORDER BANDITS. in a thicket about two hundred yards from the house. He found Mrs. Samuels and the Doctor at home just preparing to sit down to supper. The story that any enmity existed on the part of Jesse James against Shepherd is untrue ; reports of this kind may have been circulated but there was not a semblance of truth in them. Shepherd was warmly received by Mrs. Samuels and her husband, and at their invitation he took supper with them. While they were eating, Shepherd explained that his life and liberty were in great jeopardy and that owing to reports, false as they were, of his connection with the Glendale robbery, he had been forced to flee, and for mutual protection he wished to join Jesse James and his confederates ; thereupon Shepherd produced the apparently newspaper clipping already referred to, which Dr. and Mrs. Samuels both read. After fin- ishing supper Dr. Samuels told Shepherd to ride to a certain point in the main highway where he would meet Jesse and some of his associates. The Dr. went out into the woods where he knew the bandits were concealed, while Shepherd mounted his horse and rode to the spot indicated, where, after waiting for less than five minutes, he was met by Jesse James, Jim Cummings, Ed. Miller and another party whom Shepherd did not know. Shepherd repeated his story to Jesse James and showed him the clip- ping, after which he was immediately received into the full confidence of Jesse and the band. Why JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 103 should Jesse have entertained suspicions? Shepherd had been his intimate comrade for many years ; the two had ridden and fought together in a hundred terrible conflicts, and were associated together in the Kentucky bank robbery. Shepherd was the very man of all others whom Jesse wanted for a compan- ion in his daring deeds and it was unnatural, under the circumstances, for any of the bandits to doubt Shepherd's story. The party remained all night at the Samuels resi- dence and on the following day they proceeded to a spot in Jackson county called "Six Mile," which is eighteen miles from Kansas City, and spent the day at Benjamin Marr's. It was here a plan was laid for robbing the bank at Empire City, in Jasper county. After the scheme was fully understood Shepherd told Jesse that it would be necessary for him to pro- cure a better horse and some effective weapons, which he could do at a friend's near Kansas City. Jesse urged Shepherd then to return at night to the friend's place, get a good horse and at least two heavy pistols and meet the party at Six Mile on the third night following. Shepherd then rode back to Kansas City and im- parted the information of his meeting and arrange- ments with Jesse James to Maj. Leggitt, who pro- vided Shepherd with a splendid horse and three large-sized Smith & Wesson pistols. But in order to prevent any possibility of deception, Maj. Leggitt 104 THE BORDER BANDITS. took Shepherd to Independence and placed him in jail, and then sent three trusted men to Six Mile for the purpose of ascertaining if Jesse James and his party were really rendezvoused at that point. Maj. Leggitt soon learned that Shepherd had reported nothing but facts and he was then sent out, splen- didly armed and mounted, for the meeting place. Shepherd did not reach the trysting spot until the morning after the time agreed upon, and he found Jesse and his followers gone, but the party at whose house the meeting was to occur — Benj. Marr's — gave Shepherd the following letter, which is herewith copied verbatim. Friend Georg. I cant wate for you hear, I want you to meet me on Rogs Hand, and we will talk about that Business we spok of. I would wate for you but the boys wants to leave hear, dont fale to come and if we dont by them cattle I will come back with you. Come to the plase whear we meet going south that time and stay in that naborhood untill I find you. Your Friend. j — . Thus instructed Shepherd started for Rogue's Is- land, but met Jesse James at the head of Grand River. This fact furnishes one of the proofs of Jes- se's anxiety to have Shepherd as a comrade, for he was so anxious lest Shepherd would not meet them, or fail to get the letter he left with Marr, that he re- turned to find him. Jesse and Shepherd returned to JKSSE AND FRANK JAMES. 105 the camp, where they found Cummings, Miller and the unknown, and then the party rode directly for Empire City, the vicinity of which they reached about noon on Saturday, November I, 1879. They went into camp on Short Creek, eight miles south of Empire City, and at four o'clock in the afternoon it was agreed that Shepherd should ride into the town and learn what he could respecting the surroundings and location of the bank. It was after dark when Shepherd reached the place, and, pursuing his story, he was astonished at finding the bank lighted up and a close inspection revealed to him a dozen men inside the bank armed with double-barreled shot-guns. Shepherd stated to the writer that Maj. Leggitt must have notified the bank officers of the intended raid, by telegraph, but Maj. Leggitt denies having done so, and says that Shepherd must have told some per- son who communicated with the bank. Anyhow the arrangement was that Maj. Leggitt was to be in Em- pire City with a good force of assistants and was to be aided by Shepherd in capturing the outlaws when the attack on the bank should be made. Circum- stances prevented Maj. Leggitt from appearing in Empire City at the time agreed upon, but he sent word to the town authorities. Finding everything in readiness to meet the in- tended attack, Shepherd went into a restaurant and while eating his supper, Tom Geary, an old acquaint- ance, came in and greeted him. After supper the 106 THE BORDER BANDITS. two went to Cleary's house and remained all night, and Shepherd told his friend the part he was acting in the effort to capture Jesse James. Ed. Cleary, a brother of Tom's, was also informed of the scheme and Shepherd asked their assistance, or to at least follow him the next morning to the camp of the ban- dits. The understanding was at the time Shepherd left the outlaws that he should return to the camp by nine o'clock Sunday morning and, if his report was favorable, the raid on the bank would be made Sun- day night. Shepherd kept the appointment and returned to the place where the bandits had encamped, but found the camp deserted. He thought this strange, but soon found the old sign of a "turn-out" had been made to let him know where they were. It is well known that the James Boys and their comrades fre- quently separate. They have a sign, however, by which it is not difficult for them to find one another. This sign is the crossing of two twigs along the highway, which indicates that one or more of the parties, according to the number of twigs, has turned out of the highway at that point. Shepherd saw the twigs and after riding about half a mile in the direc- tion the branches lay he found the party, all of whom were slightly intoxicated. He knew they had no whiskey with them when he left on Saturday af- ternoon, and at once concluded they had been in town. Cummings was the first to speak. Said he : JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 107 " The bank is guarded ; how is this?" Shepherd re- sponded : " Yes, and I think the best thing for us to do is to separate and get out of this." Cummings had ridden into Galena on Saturday- night, where he had purchased some whiskey and there heard rumors of the intended bank raid. The party agreed with Shepherd that it would be wise for them to get out of that section, and they mounted their horses and divided, riding southward. Ed. Miller's position was one hundred yards to the right while Cummings and the unknown rode at the same distance to the left of the center which was taken by Jesse James and Shepherd. The woods were open enough for all parties to remain in sight of each other. • When they reached a point twelve miles south of Galena, all parties maintaining their respective posi- tions, Shepherd gave a smart jerk to the bridle rein which caused his horse to stop while Jesse rode on. It was the work of an instant, for as Jesse's horse gained two steps forward Shepherd drew one of his large pistols and without speaking a word fired, the ball taking effect in Jesse's head one inch behind the left ear. Only the one shot was fired, for Shepherd saw the result of the shot, and Jesse plunged head- long from his horse and lay motionless on the ground as if death had been instantaneous. Shepherd says he viewed the body for nearly one minute before either of the other outlaws made any demonstration. 108 THE BORDER BANDITS. Ed. Miller first started toward him in a walking pace, and then Cummings, and the unknown drew their pistols and rode swiftly after him. Shepherd's horse was swift and he put him to the greatest speed, soon distancing the unknown, but Cummings was mounted on a superior animal and the chase for three miles was a hot one. Each of the two kept firing, but the rapid rate at which they were riding made the shots ineffectual. Seeing that he was pursued only by Cummings who was gaining on him, Shep- herd stopped and wheeled his horse and at that moment a bullet struck him in the left leg just below the knee, producing, however, only a flesh wound. As Cummings dashed up Shepherd took deliberate aim and fired, and Cummings reeled in the saddle, turned his horse and retreated. Shepherd says he feels confident that he struck Cummings hard in the side, and that he killed Jesse James. He rode back to Galena where he remained two weeks under a surgeon's care, and after recovery returned to Kan- sas City. That Shepherd told the truth there is no room for doubt, and he had the best reasons for believing that he had killed Jesse James ; but two parties, at least, whose word is reliable affirm that they have seen Jesse James since the shooting and that Cummings has also been met by them, who stated that Shep- herd did shoot Jesse, and that the bullet did strike him just behind the left ear, but instead of penetrat- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 109 ing the brain it had coursed around the skull partial- ly paralyzing the brain and spine. Cummings fur- ther stated that while Jesse James was still living his career as a bandit was ended forever by the bullet from Shepherd's pistol. In other words, Jesse's mind has been totally destroyed. How much truth there is in this report is left for conjecture. Mrs. Samuels says she believes that Jesse is dead, and a meeting which she had with Shepherd since the shooting was such as caused those who witnessed it, to believe the woman was earnest in that opinion. WHY DID SHEPHERD SHOOT JESSE JAMES? The prime motive which actuated George Shep- herd in shooting Jesse James has never been suspi- cioned by more than one man, and acting upon suggestions made by that single person, the writer verified the theory. It is true that the rewards, amounting to nearly one hundred thousand dollars, for the apprehension or dead body of Jesse James, were a strong temptation, and it certainly had its in- fluence with Shepherd, but there was a stronger motive. Directly after the war Ike Flannery, a nephew of George Shepherd, reached the age of manhood and came into possession of five thousand dollars, a sum no THE BORDER BANDITS. he had inherited from the estate of his deceased father. Ike was somewhat wayward and was well acquainted with the James Boys and the guerrillas. Jesse James and Jim Anderson, a brother of the no- torious Bill, knew of Ike Flannery's inheritance, and they induced him to buckle on his pistols, take his money and go with them upon a pretended expedi- tion. Near Glasgow, Missouri, the three stopped at the house of a friend where there were three girls t the men of the house being away on business. Af- ter eating dinner the three started away, but they had been gone only a few moments when the report of two pistol shots was heard and Jim Anderson came riding back to the house where they had dined, and told the girls that his party had been fired on by the militia, and that Flannery had been killed. Jesse James and Anderson rode away while the girls noti- fied some of the neighbors, and when the body of Flannery was found in the road, there were two bul- let holes in the head and the five thousand dollars were missing. Shepherd did not learn all the cir- cumstances connected with Flannery's death until sometime afterward, but when he was told how An- derson and Jesse James acted, he was convinced that they murdered his nephew and plundered his dead body. It was more than one year after this tragic occur- rence before Shepherd met either of the murderers. He was in Sherman, Texas, when Jim Anderson /esse and Prank james. i i i came up to him with a cordial greeting, little sus- pecting the terrible result of that meeting. The two drank together and appeared on the best of terms until the hour of eleven o'clock at night. The saloon was closing and the darkness without was most uninviting. Shepherd asked Anderson to ac- company him over to the court-house yard as he wanted to talk secretly concerning a certain trans- action. When the two reached the yard, and about them was nothing but sombre shadow and the quiet of sleep, cautiously, yet determinedly, Shepherd drew from its sheath a long, bright, deadly knife, which gathered on its blade and focused the light unseen before, and then made ready for a horrible deed. Anderson had never thought of danger until the keen edge of the terrible weapon was at his throat. Said Shepherd: "You murdered Ike Flannery and robbed his body of five thousand dollars. I have determined to avenge his death, and to accom- plish my purpose I brought you here. What have you got to say ?" Anderson had killed many men and he knew how to die. There was no begging, no denying, only a realization of what he could not avert ; and he ac- cepted fate with a stoicism worthy of a religious fanatic. Before receiving the fatal stroke, however, he told Shepherd that Jesse James was the one who proposed the murder and robbery of young Flan- 112 THE BORDER BANDITS. nery, and that each fired a fatal shot and then divid- ed the stolen money. When this admission escaped his lips, Shepherd sprang upon him like a tiger, drew the glittering blade of the terrible knife across his throat, and the spirit of the murderer and robber took its flight into the realms of the unknown. On the following morning a dead body with a ghastly gash in the throat, from which the blood had poured until it dyed the grass a yard in diameter, was found and identified as that of Jim Anderson. DeHart, an old-time guerrilla, was in Sherman at the time of the murder, and was known to have a grudge against the murdered man, so suspicion attached to him so strongly that he had to leave Texas. No one ever suspected Shepherd of the murder, but his own confessions to the writer are given in this account of Anderson's execution. Shepherd has longed for an opportunity to kill Jesse James, but the surroundings, even during a long association, were never sufficiently favorable. The opportunity was exceedingly unfavorable at Short Creek, but revenge and the promise of such an immense reward nerved him to the undertaking. ROBBERY OF THE MAMMOTH CAVE STAGES. The James Boys, and especially Frank, nave re- mained in seclusion for a considerable period, and CO en o o 33 m JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 113 with the shooting of Jesse — whom many still believe to be dead — it was thought that the old remnants of guerrilla plunderers had entirely disappeared. It is positively known that Frank James resided in Balti- more during the winter of 1879-80, and his home was located on one of the principal resident streets. At that time he wore full whiskers which were very long, reaching to his waist. The name he bore while in Baltimore the writer has not been able to learn, for obvious reasons. He disappeared from that city in March last, and it is reported by Kansas City police officers that Frank was seen in Jackson county, Missouri, by two of his acquaintances in the latter part of July, 1880, and that his whiskers were cut short. The following account of the robbery of the Mammoth Cave stage again brings Frank James and Jim Cummings prominently into notice. The Concord stage running between Mammoth Cave and Cave City, in Edmonson county, Kentucky, was captured by highwaymen on the afternoon of Friday, September 3d, 1 880, and the passengers despoiled of everything they carried. At this season of the year Mammoth Cave is visit- ed by thousands of tourists and sight-seers, who are usually people of means, furnishing fat pickings for the robbers. One of the routes to the cave, and the one selected by the large majority of its visitors, is by way of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad to Cave City, and thence by the Concord stages to the 24 114 THE BORDER BANDITS. cave, which is about eight or ten miles distant. The stage road is through a lonely and rocky region, and about midway on the route it runs through a dense wood, which adds considerably to its dreariness. About 6 o'clock Friday evening, while the coach from the cave was coming to Cave City, it reached this wood, and while coming through the narrow road in a walk, two men, one mounted on a thin black thoroughbred horse, and the other on a fine sorrel, rode out of the dense forest, and, dashing up to the stage, covered the driver and passengers with their revolvers and called a halt. The stage was pulled up, the driver was ordered down and to the door of his vehicle, and then calmly dismounting and holding their horses by the bridle reins, the work of delivering the booty began. The rider of the black horse, a man about thirty-five years old, with a strag- gling red mustache and beard, was the leader and spokesman. He was rather small, not appearing to be over five feet six inches in height, and would weigh about 140 pounds. He had light blue eyes, a pleas- ant smile and distributed his attentions to the de- fenseless party of eight passengers with a sang froid and easy politeness which did much to alleviate their feelings. His accomplice was about the same age, with black whiskers and mustache rather ragged in trim, and had a pair of black eyes. He was rather slow in his movements, but the business in hand suf- fered nothing for that. JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 115 " Come out of the stage, please," said the spokes- man, in a light, high pitched voice. The passengers looked through the open windows and saw the muzzels of the impassive revolvers cov- ering the whole length of the vehicle, and, as there was not a weapon in the party as large as a pen- knife, they could not resist or parley. There were seven gentlemen and one lady in the coach, and the lady naturally was nervous and alarmed. In the ex- citement and bustle attendant upon rising and leav- ing their seats, Mr. R. S. Rountree, of the Milwaukee Evening Wisconsin, who was making the trip with relatives, slipped his pocket-book and gold watch under the cushion of the seat. Very few words were spoken, though the highway- men seemed impatient and ordered them to " hurry up." As each gentleman stepped out he was cov- ered with the muzzle of a revolver and told to take his place in line and hold up his hands. The lady, a daughter of Hon. R. H. Rountree, of Lebanon, Ky., was permitted to remain in the stage. After the passengers were all out the leader of the two villains tossed his rein to his accomplice, who covered the line while the spokesman proceeded to rifle their pockets, talkingly pleasantly as he went. J. E. Craig, Jr., of Lawrenceville, Ga., lost #670 ; Hon. R. H. Rountree, of Lebanon, Ky., handed out a handsome gold watch, valued at #200, and #55 in cash; S. W. Shelton, of Calhoun, Tenn., gave up about #50; Miss Ii6 THE BORDER BANDITS, Lizzie Rountree, of Lebanan, Ky., lost nothing but rings, one of them a handsome diamond; S. H. Frohlichstein, of Mobile, Ala., lost #23 ; Geo. M. Paisley, of Pittsburg, gave up $33 ; W. G. Welsh, of Pittsburg, lost $5 and a handsome watch. R. S. Roun- tree, of Milwaukee, saved his money as stated. Hon. R. H. Rountree felt very sore over the oss of an elegan* engraied watch, which was presented by Hon. J. Proctor Knott, the member of Congress from the Fourth District. Tv.e spokesman of the marauders explained that they were not highwaymen, but moonshiners, and were pursued so hotly by the government officers that they were compelled to have money to get out of the country. He asked each passenger his name and place of residence, and noted them down, saying that some day he would repay them the; losses When he came to Mr. Craig, of Georgia, he remarked that he hated to take his money because he had fought in a Georgia regiment during the war, but the case was a desperate one and he was com- pelled to do it. When Miss Rountree gave her name and place o5 residence at Lebanon, a pleased smile lighted up tru robber's face, and he asked : "Do you know the Misses of Lebanon?" " Quite well," answered the young lady. "So do I," he rejoined, "and they are nice girls Give them my regards when you see them, and tei them I will make this right some day." JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 117 After getting all the valuables of the party the marauders returned the pocket-books with the rail- way passes and tickets, and giving the passengers orders to get in, mounted and rode off. They told the passengers, for consolation, that they had robbed the out stage, getting $700 from Mr. George Croghan, one of the owners of the cave. The rider of the black horse was Frank James, and his companion was Jim Cummings. These tacts have been fully established by information indispu- table character, which came into tin .ssion ol the writer since the robbery. PERbUiNAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JAMES BOYS. Singula • aw it may appear, there is scarcely a single- feature of bi. mlarity in the character of the James brothers. Frank James is a man of more than or- dinary education, and his manners show some effort at refinement. He is very slim, and not more than five feet six inches in height, and weighs about one hundred and forty pounds. He has blue eyes, very light hair and usually wears a shortly cropped full beard and straggling mustache, of a pale, reddish color. His face is peculiar in shape, being broad at the forehead and tapering abruptly from the cheek 1X8 THE BORDER BANDITS. bones to the chin, which is almost pointed. In his motions he is neither naturally slow nor quick, but at times he affects either. His cunning and coolness are remarkable, and to compare the two boys in this respect would be like comparing the boldest highway- man with the lowest sneak thief, so great is Frank's superiority. In the matter of education Frank has improved his opportunities and is a student, being a lover of books and familiar with the different phases of life. He has murdered many men, and yet he is not destitute of mercy, and finds no gratification in deeds of blood. He has tried t© imitate the traditions of Claude Duval, whose fictitious adventures Frank has read until he can repeat them like the written nar- rative. Jesse James is a strongly made man, standing five feet ten inches in height, and will weigh one hundred and sixty-five pounds. He has brown eyes, dark hair and is of a nervous temperament. Jesse's pe- culiarity is in his eyes which are never at rest. In his youth Jesse was troubled with granulated eye- lids from which he has never fully recovered, which is seen in the constant batting of his eyes and a slight irritation of the lids ; besides this marked pe- culiarity, the first joint of the forefinger on his left hand is missing. He usually wears full whiskers of apparently one month's growth. His education is very limited, barely enabling him to read and write. He is revengeful in his nature, always sanguine, im- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 119 petuous, almost heedless. It is due to Frank James' strategy and Jesse's desperate bravery that the latter has not long since been punished for his crimes. In deeds of violence Jesse finds especial delight, and in his entire nature there is not a trace of mercy. It is asserted, by those who know them best, that Jesse and Frank are only half-brothers, having the same mother, but that Jesse's father is a physician in Clay county. What truth there is in this report the writer does not assume the responsibility of confirm- ing, giving it only as the assertion of many prominent men of Clay county. On one occasion, so George Shepherd relates, while Jesse and Frank were dining with their mother, with Shepherd as their guest, a dispute arose over a trivial matter, in which the brothers became very angry and drew their pistols. Mrs. Samuels made no effort to interfere, and the difficulty terminated without a fight. In the row Frank told Jesse that he knew they were not brothers, to which assertion neither Jesse nor Mrs. Samuels made any reply. It is well known among the confederates of the James Boys, and it has been so declared by Shep- herd, the Younger boys and Cummings, that there was no love between Frank and Jesse, and Shepherd told the writer that instead of Frank avenging the attack on Jesse at Short Creek he would applaud it. Going still farther, Shepherd said that at his last meeting with Frank, two years ago, the latter de- 120 THE BORDER BANDITS, clared he would kill Jesse if he ever met him again ; that Jess, as he called him, had tried to have him (Frank) ambushed and captured in Texas, and that that was not the first time Jess had played the stake to have him murdered. The fact of Jim Cummings' association with Frank James in the robbery of the Mammoth Cave stage coaches gives color of truth to Shepherd's declaration that he killed Jesse James near Galena, or to Cummings' statement that Shepherd's shot, while not killing Jesse, had paralyzed his brain and destroyed his mind. Frank James was married to Miss Annie Ralston, of Jackson county, in September, 1875. The mar- riage was one of those romantic episodes which brought great sorrow to Mr. Ralston, an industrious farmer living eight miles from Kansas City. Miss Annie was but a school girl whose reading of dime novels had so far impaired her judgment as to make her long for the association of a hero. Her meeting with Frank James was accidental, but she had read of his exploits and he was her ideal. Annie left her home clandestinely and met Frank James many miles from the old homestead; a Baptist minister performed the ceremony and the outlaw and his now ostracised wife went into the shadows of cave and forest, severing the bonds which bound them to so- ciety and civilization. When Mr. Ralston learned of the desperate step taken by his daughter he was almost crazed with /ESSE AND FRANK JAMES, 121 giief. He went direct to Kansas City and, with eyes suffused with tears, begged Judge Mumford, of the Times, to prepare for him and publish an article which would relieve him of the stigma which might attach to him by the error of his daughter. Mr. Ralston was anxious the public should know that he never had any association with the outlaw and that, FRANK JAMRS WINS A BRIDE. though Annie had been a child who had filled his heart with love, yet her alliance with a highwayman had banished the very memory of her from the fond heart which would know her no more. Such an ar- ticle did appear in the Times, and if Mr. Ralston ever became reconciled to his bandit son-in-law his neigh- bors never learned the fact. 122 f THE BORDER BANDITS. Jesse James was married to his cousin, Miss Ze- relda Mimms, in the Autumn of 1874, at the home of his mother in Clay county. Miss Mimms was an or- phan, who had lived with a married sister in Kansas City. Being of age there was no one to criticise her act, and she stepped across the threshold of pre- scribed citizenship to share the perils of an outlaw's life. The peculiar profession followed by Jesse and Frank James has prevented them from having any permanent residence, and their wives have been compelled, in a measure, to lead a life of seclusion, traveling from place to place, concealing their iden- tity and experiencing few pleasures because of the constant anxiety to which they are subjected. It is understood that Frank is the father of two children, and Jesse finds consolation in two little boys and a baby girl. The outlaw brothers make affectionate husbands and loving and indulgent fathers. THE UNION PACIFIC EXPRESS ROBBERY. The following account of the Union Pacific train robbery is not published in chronological order with other robberies, because it is not certainly known that the James Boys had any connection with it, and in this history of these noted desperadoes we have endeavored to give only such facts as are sustained JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 123 by indisputable evidence. It is generally believed, however, that the two noted brothers led the party, and, with their usual shrewdness, succeeded in es- caping southward with a large -amount of booty. The following letter, written by Jesse James to a for- mer comrade, in March previous to the robbery, is strong presumptive evidence that he and Frank were the planners and executors of the scheme, and that they had it in contemplation even before the raid in- to Minnesota : Fort Worth, March 10th, '77. Dear The boys will soon be ready. As soon as the roads dries up, and the streams runs down, we will drive. We expect to take in a good bunch of cat- tle. You may look out. There will be lots of bel- lering after the drive. Remember it's business. The rainge is good, I learn, between Sidney and Ded- wood. We may go to pasture somewheres in that region. You will hear of it. Tell Sam to come to Honey Grove, Texas, before the drive seson comes. There's money in the stock. As ever, Jesse J. There is a mystery connected with the Union Pa- cific Railroad robbery which, for more than three years, has remained impenetrable and will, doubtless, continue so to the end of time. The particulars of this daring outrage, gathered principally from news- paper reports at the time, are as follows : ~)n the ioth day of September, 1877, a party of 114 THE BORDER BANDITS. nine men, well armed and mounted, rode to a point on the Union Pacific R. R. near Ogallala, the capital of Keith county, in the extreme western part of Ne- braska. They made no special effort to deceive the people of the town, as the purpose of their visit was never mentioned. On the day following the encamp- ment, one of the party, afterwards known to be Jim Berry, a former resident of the State, went into Ogal- lala and purchased four large red handkerchiefs and a gallon of whiskey. That night the camp presented a 1 .us scene and the wild orgies were continued unusually long time that the citizens began to make remarks respecting the character of the nine strange men. Three days afterward the camp was abandoned, none of the citizens knowing which direction the party had taken, so that suspi- cion was directed against the object of the. singular visitors. On the 1 8th following, the mysterious nine sud- denly appeared at a small station called Big Springs, fifteen miles west of Ogallala, where the engines of the Union Pacific railroad almost invariably stop for water. The express train was due from the west at eight o'clock, p. m., and the party disposed them- selves, directly after dark, in favorable positions for the work in hand. Promptly upon time the train came thundering up to the station and the engine stopped under the water tank. As the fireman was about to mount the tender for the purpose of directing "OTS AN ENGINEER WHO MEANT FIGHT. 125 126 THE BORDER BANDITS. the water spout, two men wearing red handkerchiefs for masks rushed up toward the engine. For some reason the engineer had a presentiment that some trouble was brewing, so seizing his pistol he stepped to the side of the cab and peered into the darkness. It was too late ; the fire through the open furnace door reflected his actions distinctly and in a mo- ment the engineer realized that he was looking down into the fatal depths of four navy revolvers and he and the fireman were forced to surrender and keep quiet. At the same time the two robbers took possession of the engine, two others, with the same mask of red handkerchiefs, boarded the express car, while the other five commenced discharging their pistols in order to intimidate the passengers. The express messenger made an effort at resistance, but he was struck a desperate blow on the head with a pistol and then forced to deliver up the keys to the Wells, Fargo & Co.'s safe. The contents of the safe in gold, silver and currency amounted to #60,000, be- sides 300,000 ounces of silver in bars, the latter con- signed to the Treasury at Washington. The robbers could not handle the heavy silver bars, so they were compelled to be satisfied with the other contents of the safe and about #2,000 which they took from the passengers. They then permitted the train to go on its way, and having divided their plunder they loaded the coin on three pack-mules and made off with it JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 127 The men had been carelessly masked and a pas- senger had recognized one of them as a fellow named Joel Collins, who had been passing for a stock man about that section. From this the railroad detec- tives obtained information on which to act, and though the pursuit which was organized failed to overtake the outlaws, there was still a hope of re- covering some of the treasure. Part of the gang had gone directly south into Kansas, and word was sent along the Kansas Pacific to be on the lookout for them. On the 25th of September, Sheriff Bardsley and ten soldiers were patroling a section of the road near Buffalo station. They had a description of one of the parties who were expected to strike about that point, and sure enough two men were seen com- ing down from the north with a pack animal. The soldiers kept out of sight in a ravine near by, and when the men reached the station and were watering their horses the sheriff talked with them long enough to be satisfied that they were the men he was ex- pecting. They only stopped a few minutes, then pushed on south. The sheriff immediately brought out his squad and demanded a halt, calling Collins by name. The men even then did not seem to appre- hend that they were known as the train robbers, but on being told to surrender they drew their pistols. This brought a volly from the cavalrymen which killed them both. In the pack was found #20,000 of the gold. Collins' companion's name was Bass, and 128 THE BORDER BANDITS. he is generally supposed to have been the Texas desperado, Sam Bass. The point at which this treasure was first recovered was only 300 miles south of where the robbery occurred. Subse- quently the detectives succeeded in tracing several others of the band and making them give up some of the money, but the greater part of it was lost. It was claimed at the time that Jesse and Frank James were along with this band and that they made enough out of the haul to reimburse themselves very well for what they lost on the Northfield trip. After the fight at Buffalo the remaining ban- dits separated for the purpose of dividing the trail which was being followed closely, and the hope was indulged for some time that all the robbers would certainly be apprehended. But after the bandits di- vided the chase was unavailing and the pursuing par- ties returned to their homes. Nearly three weeks after the robbery, Jim Berry returned to Mexico, Missouri, with a large sum of money, principally in gold. He had been a resident of the neighborhood but had left for the Black Hills — so he claimed — some months before. He had never borne a good character and was known to be an ac- quaintance, at least, of the James and Younger Boys and other noted outlaws. Further than this he was seen in Nebraska, near the place of the robbery, by parties who knew him. The exhibition of so much suddenly acquired wealth, together with the circum- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 129 stances of the express robbery fresh in the memory of overy one, created a suspicion on the part of the sheriff of Audrain county that Berry was one of the robbers. He kept his own counsel, however, and waited further developments. They came soon enough. Berry sold several thousand dollars in gold to the Southern Bank at Mexico ; exhibited several fine gold watches which he offered to sell at surpris- ingly low prices, and besides this he exchanged his ordinary habit for the finest clothes he could have made. Another very suspicious circumstance was in the conduct of Berry ; he kept himself in secret places and appeared apprehensive of some effort to catch him. The sheriff, Mr. Glascock, now felt certain that his suspicions were founded upon facts. In the middle of October a young fellow by the name of Bozeman Kazey came into Mexico with an order from Berry for a suit of clothes then being made by a tailor of the place. The sheriff learned of this and he at once arrested Kazey, after which a posse con- sisting of Robert Steele, John Carter, John Coons and Sam Moore was deputized by the sheriff to as- sist in the capture of Berry. Kazey was compelled to act as guide, and on the 14th of October the offi- cial party set out for the haunts of Berry near Ka- zey's house. They reached the latter' s home before daylight on Sunday morning, and leaving their prison- er in the custody of Steele the remainder of the party surrounded the house for the purpose of catching 25 130 THE BORDER BANDITS. Berry when he should come to obtain the clothes he expected Kazey to bring. Shortly after daylight sheriff Glascock made a little tour out in the woods, and after skirting a bridle path for some distance he saw Berry hitching his horse preparatory to walking to Kazey's house. The sheriff crept cautiously towards Berry and was within forty feet of him before the latter discoverd the officer. Berry then started to run, heedless of the sheriff's cry to halt, and never paused until the second discharge of buckshot? from the sheriff's gun tore through his leg and felled him to the ground. Prostrate as he was the bandit tried to draw his pistol, but the sheriff was upon him too quickly. Berry was disarmed and then carried to Kazey's house and surgical aid speedily summoned. On his person was found nearly #1,000 in money, and a fine gold watch and chain. After the surgeon arrived, Moore, Coons and Steele were left in charge of the wounded man and Kazey, while the sheriff and John Carter rode over to Berry's house to see if new discoveries might not be made. When they entered the house the sheriff addressed Mrs. Berry and said : " Mrs. Berry, where is your husband ?" U I am sure I have no idea," she responded ; " he has not been at home for several days." " Then let me inform you," said the sheriff, " that we have just captured him, but in so doing he was JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 131 badly wounded. You had better go over and see him, at Kazey's house." Mrs. Berry manifested the greatest grief, and the wailings of the wife and little children quite unnerved the sheriff and his deputy for some time, but they had to do their duty, and, before leaving, the house was thoroughly searched for money and valuables, but nothing was discovered. On the same afternoon Berry was taken to Mexico in an ambulance and given quarters in the Ringo hotel, where he was attended by the best surgeons rn the town. The wound was much more severe than at first supposed. Seven buckshot had pene- trated the leg, cutting the arteries and fracturing the tibia bone. His sufferings were excruciating until Monday night when mortification began, and on the following day he died. At all times Berry positively refused to give the names of his associates in the express robbery, nor did he ever admit his own participation. The mystery connected with the robbery is found in the impenetrable veil which masks the identity of the robber band. The three who were killed gave no clue as to who were their comrades. In the ab- sence of any proof, judgment being laid entirely up- on circumstances and conjecture, it is popularly sup- posed that the four whose personnel has never been discovered were Sam Bass, Jack Davis and the two James Boys. 132 THE BORDER BANDITS. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE YOUNGER BROTHERS. In the early part of September, 1880, Col. George Gaston, of Kansas City, while spending a summer vacation at Minnetonka and the Minnesota lakes, went to Stillwater for the purpose of seeing the Younger Boys, whom he had known before the war. He was accorded an interview with the imprisoned bandits, the result of which was published in the Kan- sas City Times of September 6th, from which the fol- lowing is taken. This interview is of special value, considering the obscurity which surrounds the shooting of Jesse James by George Shepherd, and the identity of the James Boys in the Northfield robbery. After describing his introduction to the prison au- thorities and entrance into the penitentiary, Mr. Gas- ton proceeds as follows : " There was a man at the top of the steps to receive us, another official with the conventional bunch of keys. ' Come this way,' said he, and we followed him into a square room with walls and ceilings of stone. There were chairs and we sat down. A door at one side opened and three men walked in. They were Cole, Jim and Bob Younger. They took chairs opposite and directly facing us. They wore the prison garb, and their faces were shaven and their hair crop- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 133 ped close. They looked so genteel, despite their striped clothing, that my nervousness disappeared at once. I told them who I was and whence I came, and introduced my wife. They were very courteous, and bowed, and said they were glad to see me. Jim hitched back in his chair, and addressing my wife, said, laughingly: ' It is so long since we have been permitted to converse with anybody that I don't know as we can talk/ Then followed a desultory conversation. Cole said his health was poor; he complained of suffering from the effects of the wound in his head, received at the time of his capture. The rifle ball entered near the right ear and lodged under the left ear and has never been removed. Jim was shot in the mouth, but there are now no signs of a wound. Bob had his jaw broken, but he too has en- tirely recovered, and is the handsomest one in the trio. He is the youngest. I remember him as a boy. He has developed into a robust, fine-looking young man. The escape from death these men had at the time of their capture was a miracle. Sixty guns were discharged at once. Cole and Jim lay on the ground— the one with a bullet through thehead and the other with a frightful wound in his mouth; Bob's jaw had been broken but he did not fall — he threw up his arms and cried, ' Don't fire again,gentlemen,they're all dead.' And so they were to all appearance. The pursuers picked them up and carried them back. Slowly they began to mend and ultimately they re- 134 THE BORDER BANDITS. covered. By pleading guilty to the crime charged they escaped the death penalty and were sentenced to life imprisonment." " It was really very touching/' pursued Col. Gas- ton, " to hear them talk of the past and of the pres- ent. Cole told of his army life — how at the age of nineteen he had been promoted to a captaincy in the Confederate army. He spoke of the murder of his father and of his career since the close of the war. ' My exploits in the army were exaggerated/ said he, 'just as my exploits as an outlaw have been exagger- ated. In one instance I have been too highly praised, and in the other grossly wronged.' "I learned from their own lips the story of their prison life. Cole Younger is a changed man. I found him positively entertaining. He converses with a correctness, fluency and grace that are charm- ing. None of the brothers are compelled to do very much work ; they spend a great deal of their time reading in their cells. Jim is reading law books and Bob is studying medicine ; Cole seems to have devel- oped a theological turn of mind. These three men are great favorites in the prison — they are looked up to by their companions as sort of demi-gods, creatures immeasurably above the ordinary inmates of the pen- itentiary." " The most dreadful feature of their life," said Col. Gaston, " is the fact that though they occupy adjoin- ng cells, they are not permitted to converse with JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 135 each other. It is only once a month that they can meet and talk to one another, and then only for a few moments. They told me that they prayed earn- estly every night that the month might pass quickly. It was touching beyond expression .to hear Cole speak of his early days. His misspent life he charges to the faults of his early training. He says he was taught to be ruled by his passions and his passions alone. And as he talked in this vein the tears came into his eyes and I felt that he was indeed a penitent man. He inquired after his old army friends, and I told him what I knew of them and their whereabouts. In the course of our conversation the James Boys were mentioned. * Do you believe Jesse is dead?' I asked. Cole straightened up, glanced quick as a lightning flash at his brothers on either side of him, and replied, ' He is, if George Shepherd says he is.' I asked him what he meant, and he answered : ' There are sometimes two things alike in the world, and Jesse James and George Shepherd were as near alike as they could be, in character, I mean. Both are quick, nervous and brave. Jesse was so nervous that some- times he did things rashly/ As Cole said this he leveled out his right arm as if he were aiming a pis- tol. Instantaneously it struck me that he sought to convey the impression that it was Jesse James who perpetrated the Northfield bank murder in a mo- ment of nervous rashness. But the subject was pursued no further. As we left them I felt that we 136 THE BORDER BANDITS. were leaving the most wretched and hopeless of -- - - » men. Col. Gaston said that upon his return from his in- terview with the Youngers, inspector Reed told him the following, which has never before been made public : " A short time before the Northfield rob- bery," said the inspector, " I was on my way home to St. Paul from a point in Iowa. I endeavored to secure a Pullman car berth, but found that I had been preceded by two men who had engaged eight berths — the only ones remaining in the car. Later, however, I was informed that I could have one of the berths, as one of the party had failed to put in an appearance. As I sat in that car that evening a man wearing a slouch hat sat directly behind me ; in the seat opposite him was a man whom I subse- quently discovered was Cole Younger. While thus seated, a big, boisterous countryman, accompanied by his young lady, entered the car and demanded my seat. ' We've been to a dance and are tired ' — that was his apology. I told him that his lady could sit beside me, but I didn't propose to yield my seat to a man. As we were arguing, the man in the slouch hat came over and said to me quietly, ' Why don't you throw the d — d yahoo out of the win- dow?' I made no reply, whereupon he turned to my persecutor and said, ' Here, you d — d loafer, if you don't go about your business I'll throw you off the train. You have been dancing and enjoying JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 137 yourself and I guess you can stand up awhile. This gentleman has a long way to travel, he has paid for his seat, and by G — d, he shall keep it.' This was quite enough. The big man moved off. The next day, when I was in my bank, in walked the two strange men who had secured the berths on the car. They asked for a bank almanac of last year. I told them we had none to spare ; that the almanacs were issued to banks alone and were really invaluable. Then they asked if they could borrow an almanac of the previous year, and I said yes, if they would be sure to return it. As I passed it over the counter the man in the slouch hat pushed a ten dollar bill to- ward me. * Take this/ said he, ' so you will be com- pensated if we should fail to return the book/ I re- minded him he had promised to return the book — that it was part of a file and could not be spared. He insisted, however, that I should retain the money, because something might occur preventing the re- turn of the almanac. Well, the book never came back. Three days later the Northfield Bank was robbed, and shortly afterward I identified Cole Younger as one of the two men who had taken the almanac from me. From the descriptions I have read and the pictures I have seen of the men, I am satisfied that the other man, the man with the slouched hat, the one who came to my rescue on the train, was the notorious outlaw, Jesse James." 138 THE BORDER BANDITS. ANECDOTES OF JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. Sometimes incidents, in themselves trivial, serve to reveal the character of persons connected with them better than those actions which are esteemed as more important. The James Boys are robbers, but nevertheless they are still capable of generous actions. It may be that the remembrance of former days sometimes disposes their minds to the contem- plation of the true, the beautiful and the good in humanity. Jesse James was once baptized, and be- came a member of a Baptist church in Clay county, Missouri, and it is said that for a considerable time before the war, his conduct was exemplary in the highest degree. But he has since sadly fallen from grace. Some years ago a tenant on the Samuels farm had a difficulty with the mother of Jesse and Frank. In the heat of passion he denounced the old lady as a liar. Jesse heard of the affair, and, as he always ex- hibited the warmest affection for his mother, those who knew of the circumstance fully expected that the tenant would be called to account in the usual way by Jesse James. One day the offending tenant was engaged in some domestic labor near his home and adjacent to a corn-field, when suddenly there was JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 139 a rustling of the dry corn-blades and the next in- stant the dreaded outlaw leaped his horse over the fence and dashed up to the affrighted citizen with a heavy revolver ready cocked in his hand. " I have come to kill you !" he said, at the same time making an ominous motion with the pistol. " Did you not know better than to call my mother a liar? Now, if you want to make your peace with God, you had better be at it." The poor man dropped upon his knees and began to pray. As he proceeded, he be- came more and more fervent. He asked God to par- don his transgressions and have mercy upon him. Then he commended his loved ones to the protecting care of that Beneficent Being to whom alone they could look, now that he was so soon to be taken away from them. The prayer had become pathetic in its earnestness. As the man proceeded, the hard lines in Jesse James* features relaxed, a shade of sadness stole over his countenance, the muzzle of the pistol was unconsciously lowered, and when the poor fright- ened farmer had finished, the look of stern resolve was all gone, and the outlaw's pistol had been sheath- ed. "I cannot kill you thus," he said, "but you must leave the country," and Jesse James wheeled his horse and disappeared as he had come. , What tender reminjscences may have come to Jesse James then? Who can tell? The farmer settled up his affairs and departed from the country soon after- ward. His prayer had prevailed with Jesse, and he was spared to his loved ones. 140 THE BORDER BANDITS. The following anecdote illustrates a trait promi- nently developed in the character of the outlaws — that is, their willingness to make personal sacrifices to serve anyone whom they regard in a friendly light. It was during the war. Col. J. H. R. Cundiff, now editor of the St. Louis Times, had been in North Missouri on recruiting service for the Confederate army. The whole country was overrun by Federal soldiers, and the situation of the recruiting officers in that region was perilous. One night Col. Cundiff and several officers visited the house of Mr. Bivens, in Clay county, to obtain food and secure a trusty guide to pilot them out of that region. They learned that a man who resided some miles away was thoroughly acquainted with the by-ways of the coun- try, and could be relied upon in such an emergency. Among all the men present not one knew the way to the house of the person whose services were sought. Miss Bivens, a beautiful and accomplished young lady, at length offered to venture through the darkness and find the guide. Frank James was there, and spoke up, " Oh, no, that is not necessary. Just get on my horse behind me, and I will take you there." The lady, who was at that time very fond of the society of the guerrilla, trusted herself with him, and mounting on the horse behind him they rode away into the night, she indicating to him the route to be taken. Though the roads were guarded by Federals, the gauntlet of pickets was successfully run, JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 141 and the guide was secured. In those days Frank and Jesse James were esteemed as chivalrous gentlemen, and fit guardians of female honor. Col. Cundiffand his fellow officers were enabled to effect a change of base in c jmparative security, by the chivalrous ser- vices rendered by Frank James. A story is told of Jesse, which shows that he is not impervious to the appeals of the suffering. One day he was riding in a sparsely settled region in west- ern Texas. Passing through a belt of timber along a stream, he came to the camping place of an emi- grant family. There a most distressing spectacle pre- sented itself. The "movers" were people in indi- gent circumstances, evidently. The old blind horse and poor mule which had drawn the rickety wagon seemed as if their days of toil were about numbered. The man who had driven them had died there under a tree two days before ; the woman was extended on the earth, almost in the agonies of death, and three children, the eldest not more than nine years of age, were crouched around, wailing piteously for some- thing to stay the ravages of hunger. Jesse saw the miserable condition of the unfor- tunate emigrant family. He at once dismounted, examined the poor sick woman, administered to her necessities as best he could, and also gave the chil- dren something to eat from his own small store of supplies. He then bid the woman be of good cheer, 142 THE BORDER BANDITS. promised to come again before night, mounted his horse and galloped away in search of assistance. Ten miles from the camp he found a physician, and two miles further he found a coffin-maker. The first he sent to the lonely camp by the stream, the other he set to work to make a coffin. Then he found a man with a spring wagon and engaged his services. With a supply of things of present necessity, he turned once more toward the camp. Arrived there he prepared the food and made the coffee himself for the unfortunate family. The physician came and prescribed for the sick lady. The undertaker brought the coffin, and the owner of the spring wagon came to remove the bereaved woman and her little ones to a place of shelter. The stranger was buried — where ? — in an untimely tomb. 11 No human hands with pious reverence rear'd, But the charmed eddies of autumnal winds, Built o'er his mouldering bones a pyramid Of mouldering leaves in the waste wilderness." The bereaved one and her orphaned children were carried to the house of a pioneer some miles away, and every want was bountifully provided for, and in a pleasant farm-house she and her children call their own home, she blesses the outlaw, and prays that he may be kept from harm, and that he mav be led aright at last. They tell a story of Frank James which illustrates one peculiar trait of the outlaw's character — that is, JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 143 his gallantry and knightly devotion to the honor of the fair sex. It happened in Kentucky. There was a young lady resident in a neighborhood where Frank James was a visitor, who had become the vic- tim of the persecutions of a certain fellow whose ad- dresses she had refused. On every possible occa- sion this low-bred person sought to mortify and in- sult the young lady, who was unfortunate in not hav- ing any near male relatives to champion her cause. One evening, at a social entertainment, the neigh- borhood coxcomb and instinctive ruffian approached the young lady in a very rude and offensive manner, just at the time when she was engaged in conversa- tion with Frank James, who had been only a few minutes before presented to her. Without appar- ently noticing the insolence of the person, Frank suggested a promenade, and the young lady took his arm, and they walked away. In no long time they met the rude fellow again, and he took special pains to mortify the young lady, and threw out a gratui- tous insult to her escort. Very politely Frank begged the lady to release him for a moment, and he fol- lowed the coxcomb. Coming up with him, he qui- etly requested him to step aside for a moment. The fellow treated the request' with contempt, and added insult to injury. Without the least show of passion, Frank rejoined the lady and conducted her to her friends. He then calmly awaited his opportunity. It came that same evening. Some persons present 144 THE BORDER BANDITS. knew the desperate character of Frank James, and had told the fellow he was in danger. The fellow attempted quietly to withdraw from the company, but he could not effect his purpose. Frank James had his attention fixed upon the ill-mannered man. When he had gone away from the house some dis- tance, Frank arrested his progress. He had a pistol drawn, which he presented. " You deserve to die," said Frank James in a low, quiet tone, " but on one condition I will spare you, under the circumstances. Will you comply ?" " Name your conditions ! " re- sponded the other, now thoroughly frightened u These : " said Frank James, " You must write a note to the lady, abjectly apologizing for your con- duct. It must be done before ten o'clock to-mor- row, and you must leave the country within five days, and never return. If the letter does not reach the lady by noon to-morrow, I will hunt you until I find you, and then as sure as there is a God in heaven I will kill you. If after five days you are found in this country, I will shoot you. Remember what I say ! " The man promised compliance, and Frank James re- turned to the merry-makers, and no one who saw him suspected that the quiet gentleman had thoughts of bloodshed in his mind. The letter came, and in three days the neighborhood fop had disappeared. /ESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 14$ BASSHAM'S CONFESSION OF THE GLENDALE ROBBERY. The robbery of the Chicago and Alton train at Glendale, Missouri, as already described, has been surrounded with considerable mystery, concerning the identity of all those engaged in the outrage. The large rewards offered for the apprehension of the robber-band, — amounting to #75,000 — caused a very active search, which resulted, at last, in the capture of Daniel (better known as Tucker) Bass- ham, under circumstances already related on page ninety-nine. The writer visited Bassham at the county jail in Kansas City, in October, 1880, for the purpose of interviewing him, with the hope of ob- taining some interesting facts concerning the rob- bery, but though he had made a written confession, he refused to talk on the subject, saying that he had already told too much for his own good. On the 6th day of November, Bassham was brought into court for trial, having entered a plea of " not guilty," despite his confession, but this plea was soon changed to that of " guilty," and he then threw himself upon the mercy of the court. The following summary of his confession appeared in the Kansas City Journal of November 7th : 11 On Monday night preceding the robbery,' said Bass- ham in his confession, " two neighbors of mine came to me and said they had put up a job to rob a train, and wanted me to go in with them. I told them I didn't want nothin' 2€ 146 THE BORDER BANDITS. to do with robbin' no train, and wouldn't have nothin' to do with it nohow ; but they kept on persuadin' and f.nally went away, sayin' they would come back in the morning and that I must go with them. They said a very rich train was coming down on the C. & A., and that we could make a big haul, perhaps $100,000. Wa'al, that kind o' half per- suaded me, but still I didn't like to go. They finally told me that Jesse James was arrangin' the thing and that it was sure to be a success. " Wa'al, then they left, My wife kept pesterin' me to know what was goin' on an' what they wanted, but I didn't like ter let on. I kept thinking about it all night. Of course I'd heerd often of Jesse James and kinder had con- fidence in him, then I was pretty poor, there wasn't much crops on my place and winter comin' on, and I tell you it looked pretty nice* to get a little money just then, no matter whar it kum from. 'Sides I thought to myself, ef I don't go it'll be done jest the same anyhow, they'll be down on me and ten to one I'll be more likely to git arrested if I ain't thar as if I am. " Wa'al, I kep' kinder thinkin' it over an' in the morning they came to the house early and eat breakfast, and then went out and loafed around the timber and in the cornfield all day so nobody wouldn't see 'em. In the evenin' they all cum in and we eat supper and then they giv' me a pis- tol, an' we all got on our horses an' rode off together. We soon met another man on the road, an' when we got to Seaver's school-house, 'bout a mile and a half away from my house, they giv a kind of a whistle for a signal, and two men came out of the timber an' rode up. I was introduced to one of them as Jesse James. This was the first time I had ever seen Jesse James in my life." " And who was the other ? " demanded the prosecutor. 44 The other was Ed. Miller, of Clay county." Bassham said that Jesse James then gave him a shot-gun and furnished each man with a mask, and that they all then rode on in silence toward Glendale. No instructions were given to any one man. When they arrived at Glendale JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 147 they noticed the light in the store, and Bassham was order- ed by Jesse James to go in, capture the inmates and bring them over to the station. On looking in the windows he found the usual crowd of loiterers had left the store and lounged over to the depot to wait for the train to come in. He then went on over to the depot and found the crowd in the waiting-room guarded by one of the men. Jesse James then told him to walk up and down the platform, as the train approached, and fire off his shot-gun in the air as fast as he could. The telegraph operator was forced, at the point of the pistol, to lower the green light and thus signal the train to stop. Jesse James then asked him if there were any loose ties there that they could lay across the track, and he said he didn't know of any. The men then went and got logs and laid them across the track to ob- struct the train if it should take the alarm and not stop for the green light. Meanwhile the train approached ; Bass- ham walked up and down the platform firing off his gun ; Jesse James and one of the men jumped into the express car, and Miller jumped on the engine in the manner already described and with which all are familiar. The train was not stopped more than five or six minutes. As soon as it was over, Jesse James fired off his pistol, which was the signal for all to leave, and they jumped on their horses and rode rapidly for about half a mile, till they came to a deserted log-cabin. Here they alighted and en- tered. Somebody produced a small pocket-lantern and somebody else struck a match. Jesse James threw the booty down on a rude table in the middle of the compart- ment, divided it out, and shoved each man a pile as they stood round the table. Bassham's share was between $800 and $900. Jesse then said : " Now, each one of you fel- lows go home and stay there. Go to work in the morning, and keep your mouths shut, and nobody will ever be the wiser. This country will be full of men in the morning hunting for me and you." It will be observed that in the confession, as re- 148 THE BORDER BANDITS. | ported, only the names of Jesse James and Ed. Mil- ler appear, when it is now positively known that the gang comprised not less than six persons. The con- fession implicated two of the most respectable farm- ers in Jackson county, Kit Rose and Dick Tally, one a brother-in-law and the other a cousin of the Younger brothers, both of whom were arrested, but soon after- ward released, as not a scintilla of evidence could be discovered corroborating Bassham's disjointed state- ments. The other party, who Bassham swears was connected with the robbery (and in this he certainly guessed rightly), was Jim Cummings, who shot George Shepherd in the affair at Short Creek. In November last (1880), Bassham was brought into court with a plea of " not guilty," notwithstand- ing his confession, but he had so completely con- victed himself that the plea was withdrawn, and he threw himself upon the mercy of the court. He was then sentenced to the penitentiary for a period of ten years. Since his confinement at Jefferson City, there has been a considerable change of opinion respecting his guilt, and there is no doubt but that now a large majority of persons believe Bassham innocent of any complicity with the train robbery, and that his so- called confession was the result of influences which the writer does not wish to assume the responsibility of naming. The James Boys Heard From Again. THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT WINSTON, MO., JULY 15, 1881. FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD OFFERED FOR THE ARREST OF THE GUILTY PARTIES. The Border Outlaws, those whose crimes began with the hot and infectious breath of war and left a bloody trail around Jackson, Clay and Harrison counties, Missouri, still survive to wreak a desperate vengeance, and live by tributes levied upon corpora- tions and individuals. Many of the old band, it is true, have been palsied by death, dying, belted and armed, by a fate anticipated, but like the excision of a can- cer, the germs have remained from which a new growth has constantly developed to harass the State and disorder society. The James boys, aside from their reckless courage, are possessed of extraordinary capabilities, cunning resource, domineering resolution, woods-craft and dash. As if by a thorough consideration of the ben- eficial result to be secured thereby, they first terror- ized the people of Western Missouri, and then hero- ized themselves in the eyes of those whose political sympathies were in consonance with their own. Thus upon the one side the people were afraid to at- tempt any punishment of the outlaws or give infor- 149 150 THE BORDER BANDITS. mation of their rendezvous ; while upon the other they were protected and encouraged without con- cealment. It is for these reasons that the James boys and their confreres have eluded every pursuit and been able to give free license to their impious passions. There are peculiar features, however, connected with every outrage perpetrated by the James gang which readily manifest them in the deed. Among these several distinguishing features are : their ap- pearance in the vicinity where the robbery occurs some days before its accomplishment; the thorough maturity of their plans ; the wearing of long linen dusters; unhesitating disposition to commit murder; a splendid mount; the invariable sack carried in which to deposit the plunder; the line of retreat al- ways southward when the robbery has been commit- ted north of Clay county, and vice versa ; masks of red handkerchiefs, and the ease with which pursuit is eluded. In addition to these unmistakable pecu- liarities, another fact is particularly noticeable, viz : within twenty-four hours after the James boys com- mit a robbery, Mrs. Samuels, their mother, never fails to make her appearance in Kansas City, the purpose of these visits being undoubtedly to discover what means are employed looking to the apprehen- sion of the gang, and gather up any and all such in- formation as might prove serviceable in aiding the escape of her sons. Considering well all these points of evidence, any shrewd analyzer of human nature can readily deter- JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 151 mine whether or not either of the James boys was connected with any robbery reported. On the night of July 15th, 1881, an outward going passenger train from Kansas City over the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was robbed at Wins- ton Station, Daviess county, Missouri, under the fol- lowing circumstances : The train left Kansas City at 6:30 p. m., in charge of William Westfall, the con- ductor ; Wolcott, the engineer, and Charlie Murray, express messenger. The train consisted of six coach- es and a sleeper, all of which were well filled with passengers. Reaching Cameron, a stop was made for supper, and when the train started off two men were observed to jump on, each of whom wore a large red bandana handkerchief around his neck, partly concealing his features. Nothing indicative of the robbers' intentions, however, transpired until the train reached Winston, at 9:30 p. m., at which station four men took passage, each having his face covered with a handkerchief identical with those worn by the two that got on at Cameron, and all wearing long linen dusters. Getting under headway again, the train had proceeded nearly one mile from Winston when suddenly, as Conductor Westfall appeared in the second car to collect tickets, the passengers were startled by the largest of the robbers rising from his seat and shouting out in a loud voice, "All aboard !" which was the signal for action. The large man, heavily masked with a red handkerchief, as were all the others, seven in number, thrust out a large pis- tol, and saying to Westfall, " You are the man I 152 THE BORDER BANDITS. want," fired. The ball struck Westfall in the arm, producing only a flesh wound, but as the wounded man turned to run out of the car two more shots DEATH OF CONDUCTOR WESTFALL. were fired by the same robber without effect. This bad shooting seemed to exasperate another one of the outlaws, who gave an exhibition of his skill by JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 1 5 3 shooting Westfall in the brain, killing him instantly, the body falling off the platform onto the ground. While this unprovoked murder was being perpe- trated three others of the outlaw gang rushed through the cars toward the engine. Wild confusion follow- ed, and a stone mason named J.McCulloch, from Iowa, who had been working near Winston, attempt- ed to get out of the baggage car as the robbers en- tered it. Suspecting that he was either the engineer or intent upon raising an alarm, one of the outlaws shot him dead and pushed his body off the train, which had now come to a stop. The robbers then went about their business of robbing, two mounting the engine, three were left to guard the passengers, while the remaining two made for the express car. Mr. Murray, the express agent, hearing firing and suspecting the real cause, made a hasty attempt to close and lock the doors of his car, which had been left open, owing to the oppres- sively warm weather, but while he was thus engaged one of the robbers jumped through the partly closed door and grabbing Murray, struck him a violent blow on the head with his pistol, at the same time saying, " Open up, d — n you, or I '11 kill you !" Looking into the muzzles of two large pistols, Murray was forced to comply, and delivered up the safe keys. The treasure box was quickly opened and its contents ex- tracted, consisting of coin and currency to the amount of $8,000 or $10,000, which was thrown into a sack the outlaws carried for the purpose. The train was then started up by one of the robbers, but 154 THE BORDER BANDITS. after" proceeding a few hundred yards stopped again and the bold free-booters jumped off, running for their horses which were tied in a clump of trees less THE SHOOTING OF J. MC CULLOCH. than one hundred yards from the track. They did not take the time to untie their horses, but cut the reins, and mounting, rode in a half circuit around JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 155 Cameron, then took a course almost due south. They crossed the Missouri river near Sibley's Landing, in couples, having divided up immediately after the robbery was consummated. On the morning following the robbery, an exam- ination of the immediate vicinity about where the train was stopped, resulted in finding where the rob- bers had tied their horses, and there, lying on the ground, was found the f ollowing letter : Kansas City, July 12. Charlie — I got your letter to-day, and was glad to hear that you had got everything ready in time for the 15th. We will be on hand at that time. Bill will be with us. We will be on the train; don't fear. We will be in the smoker at Winston. Have the horses and boys in good fix for fast work. We will make this point again on the night of the 16th. All is right here. Frank will meet us at Cameron. Look sharp and be well fixed. Have the horses well gaunted, for we may have some running to do. Don't get excited, but keep cool till right time. Wilcox or Wolcott will be on the engine. I think best to send this to Kidder. Yours time and through death. Slick. After receiving the first particulars of the robbery by telegraph, I went to Kansas City, and from thence to various points in the vicinity, for the purpose of prosecuting an investigation with the view of discov- ering, if possible, who the outlaws were, where they came from, whither they went, and how the authori- ties prosecuted the pursuit. From these efforts I am prepared to state, with circumstantial posi- 156 THE BORDER BANDITS. tiveness, that Frank James and Jim Cummings were the parties who planned, and with the aid of their confreres, executed the robbery at Winston, and that the proof may not be wanting, the follow- ing several facts are recited : A few weeks ago I received a letter from Frank James, acknowledging the receipt of a copy of " Bor- der Outlaws," which I sent to him by a relative. Shortly after its receipt, this same relative, who is known to be in communication with Frank James, visited St. Louis and confidentially conferred with my publisher upon the advantages which we might mu- tually reap by a sudden stimulation in the sale of " Border Outlaws," for which he was then acting as agent. His proposition embraced a statement that Frank James and Jim Cummings were at that time in Missouri planning a campaign; that a large robbery would soon be consummated, attended with some startling results. All these facts he agreed to furnish us the very moment the robbery should be com- pleted, comprising the names of those engaged, how they had organized, where assembled, cause for their acts, etc., provided my publisher would give him a certain sum of money. The incentive on our part to comply with his proposition was in securing this re- liable information, which might be added as an ap- pendix to a new edition of " Border Outlaws," and issued contemporaneously with the first newspaper reports, thereby creating a largely increased demand for the book. Of course there appeared so much doubt involved in this singular proffer, and the propo- /ESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 157 sition within itself being of such questionable char- acter, that it was rejected with little consideration of the probability of a robbery such as was declared about to take place. At this time, however, the as- sertions then made assume an interest which throws much light upon the problem, " Who committed the robbery? " But this is not all the evidence I am in possession of respecting this latest adventure of the old gang. In pursuing my investigations I visited Olathe, Kas., twenty miles south of Kansas City, and there found a gentleman well known in that town, who had met Frank James walking on the south side of Olathe's public square, well-armed, on the 10th inst., or only five days before the robbery occurred. It was not a mistaken identity, for the gentleman in question was raised within four miles of the present residence of the James boys' parents, and was for years upon terms of the greatest social intimacy with them, at- tending the same school, participating in the same sports, and in later years meeting with them as old acquaintances. Being well acquainted myself in Olathe, I can positively state that this information regarding the presence of Frank James in the town referred to is true beyond all doubt. But what his business was or when he left, I could not ascertain. Within eighteen hours after the robbery, Mrs. Sam- uels appeared in Kansas Gity, evidently for the pur- pose of collecting such information as might be use- ful to Frank James and his confederates. She talked freely of the robbery, but protested, with repeated 158 THE BORDER BANDITS. declarations, that both Frank and Jesse were dead, going so far in her assertions as to say that Frank died three years ago of consumption, in Texas. What she hoped to gain by a claim so easily disproved it is difficult to conjecture. From the best evidence attainable, the gang who robbed the Rock Island and Pacific train, among whom were Frank James, Ed. Miller, Jim Cummings and Dick Little, after leaving the train, mounted their horses and rode southwestwardly until they reached the outskirts of Cameron, when they turned and took to the brush again, making directly for the Missouri river, which they crossed near Sibley's landing, and on the following evening, the 16th, they cer- tainly . passed through Sni-a-bar township of Jack- son county, and, taking a southwestwardly course, continued on to the Indian Territory. The party, however, did not remain intact, but divided up into couples, so as to destroy the trail which so large a number as seven riders would have made con- spicuous. They were at no time so far apart, though, but that a prearranged signal would have concen- trated the outlaws. It is a singular fact that with all the atrocious crimes credited to the James boys and their confed- erates, there was not so much as one dollar of re- ward offered at the time of the Winston robbery, although atone time the rewards offered by the State and railroa4 and express companies aggregated $?$,- OOO. During Gov. Hardin's administration nearly all the rewards offered by the State were withdrawn, JESSE AND FRANK JAMES. 159 then the private corporations that had suffered so seriously at the hands of the bold knights of the road withdrew the incentives they had advertised, after which Gov. Phelps wiped out the few figures remaining. On the 26th of July, eleven days after the train robbery at Winston, Governor Crittenden visited St. Louis and called a meeting of leading railroad offi- cials in the gentlemen's parlor of the Southern Hotel. The call was responded to by representatives from nearly all the principal roads running into Kansas City and St. Louis, and upon assembling plans were thoroughly discussed for the apprehension of the notorious outlaws who have wrought such injury to Missouri's reputation. The session lasted for nearly four hours, though there was the greatest unanimity of feeling and disposition, and at its conclusion the Governor expressed much gratification at the results. The power of the Executive is limited by law, so that he could not offer a State reward sufficiently large to accomplish the arrest of such notorious des- peradoes as the James boys and their gang are known to be, so he conceived the excellent idea of calling upon the interested railroad corporations for needful assistance. The result of this conference was the immediate issuance of a proclamation by Governor Crittenden, in which an aggregate reward of fifty- five thousand dollars ($55,000) was offered for the capture of the seven train robbers, or five thousand dollars for the arrest and conviction of each one of the robber gang. This proclamation was supple- 160 THE BORDER BANDITS. merited by the offer of an additional reward of five thousand dollars each for the arrest of Jesse and Frank James, and delivery of their bodies tc the sheriff of Daviess County, and a further reward of five thousand dollars each for their conviction. The public which, generally speaking, believe that Jesse James was never shot by Geo. Shepherd, credit the assertion made by many that both Frank and Jesse were engaged in the Winston robbery, but whatever the impression, this belief is undoubtedly without foundation. The most intimate acquaint- ances of Jesse James, those who have seen him many times during the past year, are ready to make oath that he is a paralytic from the effects of Geo. Shepherd's shot; in fact, in a demented, helpless condition. At one time arrangements were about perfected, through the outlaws' cousin, by which I was to have a personal interview with Frank James, each of us to be accompanied by a friend, but owing to some en- gagement, which was never explained to me, that meeting never occurred. Frank, after receiving a copy of " Border Outlaws," expressed a desire to make a statement, with the understanding that I would embody it in all subsequent editions of the book ; this I agreed to do, but I am now convinced that the intended interview was not granted b ^cause of the engagement which was kept at Winston.