Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-04-11

N
: ~, live the James brothers with theil
e mother, who has the reputation Of be
i ing as able and willing to shoot as eli
' ifher of her BOYS. They have a great
a many friends. some of them have beer
/ acquired by the lavishness with which
D after q robbery they scatter theil
= money among the poor of their boon
: companions, while others have been
/ coereed into aiding them Rumor
even has it that the authOrities-OT
: at least some Of them-have shared
? in their spoils, and so been brought TO
leave them unmolested or 10 warn
= them of danger. These two men are
: like the man-eating tigers of India,
one Of which will by the terror it in
spires desolate and depopulate a
whole district. The James BOYS have
made land worthless in Clay County,
business is at a standstill, and immi-
grafton has been checked. They have
! cost the country thereaway several
millions of dollars direct loss, and
several lives, though they have not
been as deeply stained with blood as
their confederates to the southwark
When they make a haul they retire to
st. Louis, New Orleans, Memphis, or
even Kansas City for a debauch and a
gambling carnival and, their money
spent, return home to plan another
Iraid IL was the Jameses and Young
ers, ,sFho last year threw a passenger
4 train flon TIE track at Alton, Iowa,
shot the engineer, and robbed the
mails and safe in the presence Of six
or seven carloads of passengers. The
| country rose to pursue them, but they
made their way safely home and, after
day or two at kearney, went South.
| Following this, about Christmas last
1 think, two men went into a country
| store lust across the Kansas line, about
six O'Clock at night and purchased
mufIer, talking pleasantly the while
/ to the stOre-keeper. When he turned
round after putting back the rejected
articles he was looking into the muZ-
Zle of two revolvers, and was promptly
tied and gagged. Six other people
who came struggling along after sup
per for the evenings loaf and chat
were successfully gagged. One tried
| to run away, but was shot through
the leg and brought back, the captors
examining his wound and assuring
him that it wasn't serious. The vii
lage schoOl-master was solamnly warn
ed never to go into society again I'M
less he had "more than a 10-cent
shinplaster and a knife with him"
Then the robbers dressed themselves
in the best clothes to be found in the
store, selected even gloves, hair-brush- |
es, and perfumery, took all the money, !
laces, silks and jewelry in the build |
ing, and filled their TASKS and cigar |
cases. Then they ranged their seven |
prisoners in front of the store and |
bandaged their eyes, one standing |
over them till his companion had made /
good his escape, when he stole quiet /
" off. A band was at once organized, |
which traced the thieves to MonegaW 1
Springs, where the robbers turned on 1
their pursuers and captured two hos
tages, whom they held, threatening
to kill them till the citizens agreed to
turn back. This was another exploit
of the James or Younger brothers,
though it has never been widely pub
ished. Their last performance was
on the st. Louis and Iron Mountain
Railroad, on the 31st of January, when
at Gad's Hill, 100 miles south of st.
Louis, they signalled an express train
to stop and went through it artistical-
", securing several thousand dollars.
It viii thus be seen that within very
few months they have worked away
up near Omaha and away down near
Cairo.
And the James boys live within an
hours ride of Kansas City, a town Of
10000 inhabitants.
After the Gad's Hill robbery the
Youngers and Jameses rode south and
west into Arkansas, giving out that
they were going west to Texas aud
New Mexico, then doubled and took a
short turu northsrartls, the former
making for the Monegaw Springs and
the latter for Kearney. The post-of-
fee Department, the Iron Mountain
Railroad, and the Adams Express Com
last organization boasts
that it never compromised with n rob
Der and never was eluded by one-hdd
set Pinkerton's detectives on the track.
They traced the robbers down to the
Arkansas line and then divided Al
pursuit.
The detective following the James
bows was Joseph w. Whicher. He
was a young man of twenty-six,
stood almost six feet, had blue eyes
and light hair, and o smooth, boy
ish face with but shadow of a
He was born at Des
Moines, Ia. but as a boy shipped
from New York on 8 fruit vessel J
trading to the Mediterranean, rising
to be mate. He fell and broke his
ankle in 1871, and then took to the
detective business, in which he pro-
missed to excel, being discreet, cool,
and courageous. He reached Liber-
ty, Mo, on the 10th, Tuesday, and
left his money with banker named
Atkins, to whom he contided his
errand. Atkins tried to dissuade
him, but at last sent for the Sheriff,
who told him that the James boys
were not at home, and that it would
be very dangerous work to go to
the house, as 'their mother was on
the shoot" Whicher resolved to
go on, probably intending to recon-
noitre before organizing an eXpedi-
tion. Report at Liberty has it that
the Sheriff, who went to school with
James bows, served in the rebel ar
my with them, and always was an
of theirs, "gave him
away" and sent them word that
an officer was on their track.
On Tuesday afternoon at five
o'clock Whicher reached Kearney /
and set ofTacross the fields towards
the James place. He was never :
again seen alive.
That night, or rather that morn !
ing, between one and two O'Clock, :
the ferryman on the Missouri River !
between jackson and Clay counties
was hailed by some mounted men ,
on the north (Clay) bank. They I
said they were Deputy Sheriff Jim !
Baxter's posse and had horse thief Z
with them, whom they were taking !
to Jackson County, where they ex- J
pected to capture his mate. His J
assistant was on the Clay side, but
could not ferry the flat alone, and ,
unless he came over they would cut /
his boat loose. The threat decided !
him to go, but when he had crossed !
be found that Baxter was not of I
the party, which consisted of three ]
men, whose faces were covered :
with their mufliers and slouched
hats, and a forth who was tied on I
his horse by 4 rope fastened TO both +
ankles, his arms also being pinioned. I
None of them said anything while {
crossing, but they let their prisoner ,
down and he stamped about the T
boat as if to restore circulation 20 I
his benumbed feet. Arrived on the
south bank they paid their fare and {
rode away. The clock struck three {
as the ferryman rc-entcred- his {
house. He noticed that Tie prison Z
er was on 4 gray horse.
A few minutes after thr-e, Mr.. {
Bolts, who lives about eighty rods !
from the forks, where the Liberty, !
independence, and Lexington roads
diverge, heard three or four pistol
shots and 4 sound of gallOping