The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-08-11

n
ture to return him 10 the United States SEN
ate, applied the epithot of the "robber state"
to Missouri. 1t was just after one Of those
dAshing raids by train and bank plunderers,
but the record then was comparatively a
short one. Now il has lengthend until there
are twenty red letter dates on the calendar
of the Missouri bandits, and the scenes of
their exploits are located in dozen differ
emit states.
THE RECORD.
Russellville, Ky, March, 1868. Gallstin,
No., December, 1869, Columbia KY, April,
1871. Corydon, Iowa, June, 1872. Kansas
City, No.. October, 1872 Ste. Genevieve,
Mo-, May, 1879 CRI&P railroad, July,
1873. Gadshill, Mo-, November, 1873. NAL
vern, Ark, December, 1873. III Paso,
Texas, April, 1874 Muncie, Kansas, De.
cember. 1876. Corinth, Miss, December,
1875. Huntington, w. Va, March, 1876.
Otterville, Mo, july 1876. Northii SD, MINI
September, 1876. Glendale, Mo-, October,
1879 Union Pacific railroad, 1880. Wins.
ton, Mo-, July, 1881.
From each of these places thers leads a
bold trail made by reckless, dashing free
booIers who attempted no concealment. The
trail grows less AMI less marked as II leaves
the scene of rspine, sometimes blood IS well,
and fades away entirely in the western coun-
ties of Missouri. From each place. North
field alone excepted, there goes with the
band bag of booty, always cash, the
amount ranging from Us 900 TO $50 600.
THE TACTICS
on these rides have been the same from Rus.
sellyille 10 Winston. -Four snd.ten rough
looking fellows come and go like the wind
Indeed theirs is the cyclone of crime. There
is popping Of pistol shots, q
confusion of yels and the coarsest
of oaths to intimidate by half Of
the party, five minutes, desperate nervous
work by two or three savage leaders, warn
ings not to follow, iluale Of wild yels and
the rush s.of hoofs of hard ridden horses
growing fainter in tho distance, and the ban
dts areotf, lost to sight but to memory dear
A COSTLY RACKET.
The express companies have always been
chary about giving defHiLe information re-
speeding their losses, but the aggregate of the
amount of pluader, taking the estimates
made at the time of each raid, gives but
little short of a quarter of q million Of dol
lars. The amount recovered by the occa-
sionsl capture of member OF the gang has
been less than $4,000. The sum spent by
the suffering corporations and by the au-
thorities of. different states Ia the pursuits
and still hunts has been very grest.
From the outset of their career these rob
bers have proved themselves more than q
match for the best detective talent of the
country. Now and then one has died with
his boot, on, or been picked up ate the
accumulation of circumstantial evidence,
but the war of determination wsged for a
dozen years seems almost farcicsl after the
exploits of three weeks ago at Winston,
The stigma which Missouri has borne by
reason of these outrsges has been no light
one. The train robbers have national rep
u'atitn, tnl 'ha country at large holds the
state responsible for their existence and
continued success. 1t is tho general
belief that they are hsrbored and
protected in the western countie s
Probably there was some ground for this in
earlier years, following upon tho war. The
outlaws had friends who believed that they
were being bounded by reason of acts of dew.
iltry during the war and vera objects of TN.
just pursuit. For this condition of affairs
blame in part. The cry from the start which
was raised after every raid was "lhe Jsmeses
and the Youngers." Oftentimes one or more
of the members of these two brotherhoods
were able to sustain complete slibis, and the
result was the mysliilcation of the authorities
and the feeling among friends that they had
been accused wrongfulIy. After the Gala
tin bank robbery and tho killing of the
hp xrhn hn tran la
into Clay county almost to the home of the
james boys, the latter proved by numerous
atfidsvits that they were elsewhere than at
Gallatin to the satisfaction of that stern old
believer in the maintenance Of law and order,
Gov. McOlurg.
THE GENIUS OF THE GANG.
II took the detectives ten years TO learn
the character of the crime and tho genius Of
the gang they were dealing with, When
ever one OF these raids was made they
counted In the Youngers and the Jameses as
far as they would 90 to make up the quota
OF robbers. The truth probably is that up
on but one occasion were both Frank and
jesse James and the three Youpgets en-
gagged all together in a raid, and the eXcep-
ton was the attack on the bank at North.
field, Minnesota. One two or three OF
these ex-guerlss could always recruit from
the desperate clssaes party ready 10 follow
them. They picked their men with tolorsble
care, but often took in those with whom
they had little previous acquaintance. Some
of the minor participants in these affairs
only knew by suspicion or inference that
their leaders we're from these famous out
laws The gang recruited, the members
were carefully drilled each in his part,
lad the descent was msde, A rapid ride
was followed by brief halt to divide the
plumber, and then the leaders dismissed their
followers summarily and. went their ways.
In each robbery the details we're carefully
treat was made out aud no departure made
from the programme from nmt TO last.
II was long time before the detectives
learned that these leaders had
DOUBLE LIVES.
To.but limited circle OF nesr'relatives and
friends have they revealed themselves in their
true identities for many yeirs, but under
assumed names and in tho guise of stock
dealers they have travelled about tho country
without moleststion, visiting st. Louis and
Chicsgo and talking unreservedly Of them.
selves, but always in the third person. In
all their letter writing they sustained the
fictitious characters until the assumed life
became the most natural one and the mask
was thrown of only when there WAS a Job
planned against some banking or express
corporation.
Tho Phonogreph's Prospective Use.
New York Times.