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THE BORDER BANDITS.
THE BORDER BANDITS.
AN AUTHENTIC AND THRILLING HISTORY OF THE NOTED OUTLAWS, Jesse and Frank James , And their Bands of Highwaymen. COMPILED FROM RELIABLE SOURCES ONLY AND CONTAINING THE LATEST FACTS IN REGARD TO THESE DESPERATE FREEBOOTERS. BY J. W. BUEL, Author of "Life of Wild Bill the Scout," "Legends of the Ozarks," etc., etc., and Member of the Editorial Staff of the Kansas City and St. Louis Press. ILLUSTRATED WITH LATE PORTRAITS AND COLORED PLATES. ST. LOUIS, MO.: HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY. 1881. ——— Co
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
The career of Jesse and Frank James has been as checkered 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 necessary as a part of the country's annals, in juxtaposition with the commendable heroism of our brightest characters. So many improbable and romantic incidents
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JESSE AND FRANK JAMES.
JESSE AND FRANK JAMES.
THEIR YOUTH. Strangely, and yet a not uncommon circumstance, Jesse and Frank James were the sons of a respectable 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
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THEIR CAREER AS GUERRILLAS.
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 attracted to his banner many impetuous youths of the West,
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THE FIRST SKIRMISHES.
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 participated. Upon his return to camp he was se
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THE DESOLATION OF LAWRENCE.
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 18th, 1863, the chief of the black banner held a consultation 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 conc
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DESPERATE FIGHTING BY SQUADS.
DESPERATE FIGHTING BY SQUADS.
After spending a month in apparent leisure, during which time Jesse and Frank James were frequent night visitors to their old home, Quantrell again called his command together for the purpose of resuming 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 fu
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DIREFUL MASSACRE AT CENTRALIA.
DIREFUL MASSACRE AT CENTRALIA.
Quantrell continued to direct the movements of the guerrilla bands, but he was rarely engaged in any of the battles; the active service he delegated to the most strategical and unmerciful members of his command. Bill Anderson, a human tiger in disposition, 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 after the attack on Fayette, the guerrillas
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FORTUNE TURNING AGAINST THE GUERRILLAS.
FORTUNE TURNING AGAINST THE GUERRILLAS.
The numerous and desperate deeds of the guerrillas received the earnest condemnation of the Confederate forces and for a time it was seriously considered, by many of the most distinguished Confederate 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 Missouri river in Howard county, a detachment of the guerrillas, headed by Bill Anderson, was attacked by a force of Federals under Montgomery, a
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THE WHIRLWIND OF DESTRUCTION CHANGES.
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 Missouri they came very near falling into the hands of Curtis, who pursued them hard almost to the Arkansas line, where the trail was lost. The guerrillas crossed the Mississippi river at Gaine's Landing, nearly twenty miles above Memphis, and made thei
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JESSE JAMES' CAREER IN TEXAS.
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 reaching Benton county Jesse James, Arch Clements and another comrade proceeded to the farm-house of James Harkness, who was known as an uncompromi
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ROBBERY AND MURDER.
ROBBERY AND MURDER.
It is a trite old saying that "one crime begets another," and in the life of Jesse and Frank James it is well illustrated. When the war closed and the occupation of the guerrilla, under color of authority, was gone, the James Boys were loth to change the exciting and dangerous vocation to which they had become inured by nearly four years of almost ceaseless activity. Other guerrillas, who had been their comrades in so many desperate struggles, which had made their very names a terror, had surren
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PLUNDERING A KENTUCKY BANK.
PLUNDERING A KENTUCKY BANK.
The bloody record of the James Boys had been almost forgotten, for they had not been seen in Clay county for many months and no specially reckless deeds had been committed to bring back a remembrance of them; when, suddenly, the town of Russellville, Kentucky, was thrown into a greater excitement than it had ever before experienced. The James Boys had paid the place a visit and left a souvenir of their desperate valor. On the 30th of March, 1868, Jesse James, accompanied by four comrades, George
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BANK ROBBERY AND MURDER.
BANK ROBBERY AND MURDER.
After the affair at Russellville the James Boys appeared 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 until 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 recklessne
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THE MYSTERIOUS HIDING PLACE IN JACKSON COUNTY.
THE MYSTERIOUS HIDING PLACE IN JACKSON COUNTY.
In perusing books and newspaper articles recording the adventures of the James and Younger boys, the reader must have been impressed with the somewhat 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
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A TERRIBLE FIGHT IN MEXICO.
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 Mexico. 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, 1860, Frank and Jesse James rode into Matamoras and, as there was a fandango advertised to take place at a public house on the nig
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PLUNDERING AN IOWA BANK.
PLUNDERING AN IOWA BANK.
In the spring of 1871 Jesse and Frank James secretly returned to their haunts in Jackson county, Missouri, where they remained for some time arranging 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, th
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ANOTHER BANK ROBBERY IN KENTUCKY.
ANOTHER BANK ROBBERY IN KENTUCKY.
In the latter part of 1870, Jesse and Frank James visited Kentucky, where they had a large number of 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 th
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ROBBING OF THE CASH-BOX AT THE KANSAS CITY FAIR.
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 immediate circumstances which suddenly involved the city in a furore of excitement. It was on Thursday, 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 c
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PLUNDERING THE STE. GENEVIEVE BANK.
PLUNDERING THE STE. GENEVIEVE BANK.
The success of the bandits thus far greatly encouraged 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 laurels and living royally upon their immense gains. During this period of jolly hibernation, schemes were proposed for wrecking railroad trains, and before the appearance of spring, Frank James and Jim Younger were sent into Nebraska for the pu
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WRECKING AND PLUNDERING A TRAIN.
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 authorities, 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, Roc
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THE STAGE ROBBERY NEAR HOT SPRINGS.
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. Accordingly, on the 15th of January, 1874, five of the highwaymen, consisting of Frank James, Clell Miller, Arthur McCoy and Jim and Cole Younger repaired to the scene of their intended operations and sec
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THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT GAD'S HILL.
THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT GAD'S HILL.
After leaving the scene of their Hot Springs adventure 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 jung
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WICHER'S UNFORTUNATE HUNT FOR THE JAMES BOYS.
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 consent, and Wicher set out at once for t
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MURDERING COW-BOYS AND DRIVING OFF CATTLE.
MURDERING COW-BOYS AND DRIVING OFF CATTLE.
The excitement following the murder of Wicher was so great that the James Boys, Clell Miller, Arthur 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 f
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THE ATTACK ON THE SAMUELS RESIDENCE.
THE ATTACK ON THE SAMUELS RESIDENCE.
William Pinkerton, a brother of the chief detective, was sent to Kansas City immediately with five of the most trusted men in the force. Upon arriving 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 homestead 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
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ASSASSINATION OF DANIEL ASKEW.
ASSASSINATION OF DANIEL ASKEW.
Immediately after the defeat of the "outlaw amnesty 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 member of the posse which made the attack on the Samuels residence, and this belief was justification sufficient, in their estimation, for murdering that gentleman; but the plan of its ex
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THE SAN ANTONIO STAGE ROBBERY.
THE SAN ANTONIO STAGE ROBBERY.
After the murder of Mr. Askew, the bandits, in anticipation 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 Territory 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 apprehension was confined to western Missouri, the outlaws rode into Texas and soon formed a plan for robbing the stage running between San
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THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY AT MUNCIE.
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 forgotten incidents of the past. In December following, however, another 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 Pacific Railroad, and that it would
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THE HUNTINGTON BANK ROBBERY.
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 McDaniels, a brother of Bill, and a small black-eyed fellow called Jack Keen, alias Tom Webb, confederated 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 ban
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THE ROCKY CUT TRAIN 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 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 exceedin
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THE FATAL ATTACK ON A MINNESOTA BANK.
THE FATAL ATTACK ON A MINNESOTA BANK.
The efforts of the detectives to capture the outlaws seemed to be chiefly confined to the south-western States, and learning this the bandits, after remaining within the seclusion of their undiscoverable haunts for a few weeks, grew tired of the inactivity such life imposed, and as Bill Chadwell was well acquainted 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
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AT GLENDALE—THE LAST GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY.
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 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 surprise. 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 cat
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SHOOTING OF JESSE JAMES BY GEO. SHEPHERD.
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. Leggitt 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
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WHY DID SHEPHERD SHOOT JESSE JAMES?
WHY DID SHEPHERD SHOOT JESSE JAMES?
The prime motive which actuated George Shepherd in shooting Jesse James has never been suspicioned 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 influence with Shepherd, but there was a stronger motive. Directly after the war Ike Flannery, a nephew of Geor
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ROBBERY OF THE MAMMOTH CAVE STAGES.
ROBBERY OF THE MAMMOTH CAVE STAGES.
The James Boys, and especially Frank, have remained in seclusion for a considerable period, and 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 Baltimore 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
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PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JAMES BOYS.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE JAMES BOYS.
Singular as it may appear, there is scarcely a single feature of similarity in the character of the James brothers. Frank James is a man of more than ordinary 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
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THE UNION PACIFIC EXPRESS ROBBERY.
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 by indisputable evidence. It is generally believed, however, that the two noted brothers led the party, and, with their usual shrewdness, succeeded in escaping southward with a large amount o
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AN INTERVIEW WITH THE YOUNGER BROTHERS.
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 Kansas City Times of September 6th, from which the following is taken. This interview is of special value, considering the obscurity which surrounds the shoot
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ANECDOTES OF JESSE AND FRANK JAMES.
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 contemplation of the true, the beautiful and the good in humanity. Jesse James was once baptized, and became a member of a Baptist church in Clay county, Miss
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BASSHAM'S CONFESSION OF THE GLENDALE ROBBERY.
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) Bassham, under circumstances already related on page ninety-nine. The writer visited Bassham at the county jail
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THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT WINSTON, MO., JULY 15, 1881.
THE TRAIN ROBBERY AT WINSTON, MO., JULY 15, 1881.
FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS REWARD OFFERED FOR THE ARREST OF THE GUILTYPARTIES. 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 corporations 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 cancer, the ge
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