National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-04
PINKERToN's GRAND GUARD.
The Cruel Conduct of the Detectives in their
Efforts to Arrest the James Bows,


From the New York World.I
KANSAS CITY, No., Jan. 2s.-Your correspond
ent has just returned from q visit to the home Of
the famous James boys, in Clay county, the scene
Of the latest of o series Of tragic events which
have surrounded these two renowned border BAN
dts with more terror than all the other despers-
does Of this hslEcivilized, wild Western country
During the war they took part in the bloodiest
and cruelest events of the border warfare with
such leaders as Quantren and Anderson. Almost
ever since they have been continually hunted by
detectives, while all the boldest crimes in half
dozen Southwestern States have been laid at their
door.
At $50 O'Clock Tuesday morning desperate Mt.
tack was made upon the home Of the James boys
Dy party Of men generally supposed to be In the
employ Of Allan Pinkerton. His detectives have
been in pursuit Of Jesse and Frank James ever
since the robbery Of the train in Iowa last year
Last spring one Of the detectives, named Which,
er, undertook to make his way in disguise to the
home Of the James boys, and the next day was
found twenty miles from where he had been last
seen with three bullet holes through his body and
a card pinned to his breast, containing the warn
ing, This to all detectives"
The attack Of Tuesday morning was Of shocking
ST sHS the the s01r as sSf
there was nobody about the place except DIR.
Samuels, his wine, their children, (the eldest Of
whom Is boy Of thirteen and a negro woman
with her children. The family were up stairs
asleep when the negro woman, who had been
asleep in the kitchen, aroused them with the re-
port that the house was on fire. All hurried
down stairs. The weather boarding OF the kitchen
was burning briskly In several places and DR..
Samuels, with the two little boys, began tearing
remained inside. The negro Woman's bed was
atire, and this blaze she first extinguished. She
then discovered something burning on the floor,
which she took to be q turpentine ball, and tried
to pick It up, but found it too heavy. She then
tried to push it into the fireplace with her foot,
and with some difficulty picked up the blazing
ball and threw il into the fire. when It exploded,
the horrible results betraying the real character
One fragment struck DR.. Samuels Oh the right
side Of the head, and temporarily paralYzsd him.
mangling one OF her arms and necessita,ing ani-
putatiOD, from which IL was thought, when your
correspondent LETT the farm she could not receiver
third bit Of the fatal missile struck Archie
Samuels In the abdomen and penetrated the
bowels. The little fellow, only eight years Of
age, was carried out on the porch and died in two
hours.
DR.. Ssmuels, upon recovering from the shock,
ran out Of the house and called loudly for help.
His cries were answered by Tolley Of pistol shots
from the fence near the barn. Johnni5 SamueIs,
only thirteen years Of age, eomprehended the
situation, and, taking down q double barreled
shotgun and q brace Of reVolVers, returned the
fire. There was brisk fusilade for i've minutes
and then catter Of hOOfs, and all was still until
the neighbors, aroused BY the firing, came hurry
In the morning the trail Of horses was found
leading away from the barn. The fences were
riddled with bullets. The tracks were followed
IL was found that seven horses had been tied. Be-
side the ice-house was found navy revolver, evil
IDENTIFY dropped in the hurry Of ht. Filed into
the barrel were the initials P. q. g." the we'll
known abbreviation for PinkertOn's Grand Guard.
On Monday night the passenger train was tagged
in the woods mile from kearney, and four men
armed to the teeth jumped OFF and disappeared.
These are supposed to have been PinkertOn's
men, and 1t is believed that they were Joined by
several parties IN the neighborhOod. Jesse James
had been at home the Sunday before, and his
presence had doubtless been betrayed by spies
who were known to be lurking IN the nelyhbOr-
hood. On Monday he had gone to Independence,
Jackson county, and on Monday night, strange
as II may seem, he was attending the Methodist
church at Blue Bottom. The detectives, however,
were ignorant of that fact, and made their attack,
thinking that at least one OF the James boys WAS
in the house, and that in the confusion Of the IRE
and the explosion Of the bomb he would be thrown
of his guard and might be caught or shot down
from their ambush. Finding only the old people
and children at home they gave up In disgust
and hurried away. The sheriff Of Clay eouRty,
Colonel Groom, summoned q posse Of twenty
men, and at this writing is still securing the
county in search Of the detectives, but thus far
no trace Of them has been found.