Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-08-04

upon the heels of the st. Geneyieve ep-
isode. There was a political gathering
OF some kind at Corydon. when the
gang rode into Corydon. captured the
bank and about $4,000 in currency.
and took their departure with the ut
most GOODNESS. loudly cursing the Odd
anks Tor towards as they left. Rob
ert A Plnkerton was dispatched TO the
scene, and, together with a number of
citizens, followed the raiders 10 the
missouri line. The Iowans abandoned
the search at this point. and Robert
went on alone. He traced them To
Blue Mill ferry over the Missouri. on
the border of Clay county, aud spent
several days in the vicinity acquainting
himself with the history of the men
VINO were engaged in the expedition.
Durlng the progress Of his investiga-
ton he visited the house of Mrs. Sam
uels, the mother of the James brothers.
and called on several persons who were
more or less intimately connected with
the gang. He failed to get hold of
much information Of value. While
looking about he ran across an old wo-
man who warned him that
WAS BEING sHADowED
by tall, powerful man with red whis-
kers, who intended to kill him if he got
troublesome. Robert was a young fell
low then and quite boyish i'm appear.
ance, fact which warmed the old wo-
man to him. The tall man turned out
to be Arthur Mccoy, one of the most
ferocious of the James gang. Soon af-
terward the bank determined to give
up the hunt and Robert returned home.
"This was in 1871, 1 believe. The
plunderers, soon after the Corydon ex-
plot, turned rOad-agents, and a series
of stage robberies in southern Mis-
souri, and Arkansas are laid to their
credit They did quite a business in
the neighborhood of Hot Springs, and
after one Of their boldest operations in
this lins they jumped across the coun-
try to Gadds Hill, station ON the Iron
Mountain railroad. Here they stopped
train, robbed all the passengers, and
carried away the contents of the safe
In the express car. The Gadd's Hill
case was put into our hands. was in
Europe at the time, but the case was
In progress on my return. The gang
was traced to st. Clair county by the
man who was sent on to make pre-
limlnary report, and there the men,
bers scattered, the Youngers remaining
in that county and the Jameses proceed.
ing to Clay county, where they lived.
operatives were detailed to 90 into the
respective vicinities 20 obtain evidence
or the guilt or innocence of the parties
carged with the robbery. Capt. Louis
j. Lull and John Boyle were sent to
st. Clair county, and J. w. Witcher
was dispatched to Clay county. Lull
assumed tho name of w. j. Allen, and
Boyle that of J. w. Wright. The de-
tectives were not expected to make ar
rests, their duty merely being to look
over the ground and report what they
could learn. Witcher went to Kansas
City, where he changed his clothes and
appearance and assumed the disguise
of farmer, having previously harden
ed his hands In order TO better person.
ate the character. On his arrival at
Liberty, a village near the home of the
James boys, he made some injuries
which must have attracted the atten-
ton of some of the friends of the out
laws. This was fatal error, and was
contrary to specific instructions, which
were to make no inquiries. From
Liberty Witcher started out ostensibly
to find employment. lie proceeded to
Carney, from which point he made his
last report, detailing what he had done.
and stating that he was on the point of
starting on foot to the James farm
near by. AS we learned subsequently.
he reached the house shortly after dark,
raped at the door and was invited in
by Mrs. Samuels. He had SCARCELY be-
gan to state his errand when he was
bounced upon by Frank James and
Clel Miller, Overpowered and bound.
An attempt was made to extort con
fession from him that he was detect
i've, but this he refused to do and ad.
herred TO his original story. They
were unable to get anything from him.
but being convinced that he was an
enemy, they determined to put him out
Of the way. Notwithstanding to COM
NIT murder in their own house, which
would enlist the authorities of their
county in an effort to capture them,
they bound the operative upon horse,
and took him to Blue Mills ferry.
Accusing the ferTyman they informed
him that they were deputy sheriffs and
that their prisoner was a horse thief.
He accordingly consented to take the
party across the river, and did so. In
relating the story afterward the ferry
man said he did not say word. If the
ferryman told the truth, Witcher must
havy been gagged as well as bound, or
he would have disclosed his identity.
Nobody can ever know whether he told
the truth or not. The next morning
Witcher's body was found on the main
road three miles from Independence,
Jackson county, not far from the ferry,
with
TWO BULLET HOLES IN HIS HEAD.
The first we knew of his death was a
telegram in the Times telling of a mys-
FERROUS murder that had occurred near
Independence. An operative who was
sent brought the body home, and it
was buried in Allan Pinkerton's lot in
Graceland.
WORD was Immediately sent to
Cap. Lull to be on his guard, but be-
fore he had received it he had fallen
in with McDaniels, dupty sheriff, to
whom he intrusted the secret of his
name and business. McDaniels was
trusty fellow and brave man. The
three, McDaniels, Boyle and Lull, de-
termined to work together. They
made up their minds to visit the
Youngers, near Monegaw Springs, and
the better to carry out their purpose
and avoid suspicion, Boyle and Lull
assumed the guise of land buyers.
Arrived in the Younger neighborhood
the party stopped at the place of Owen
Sneiffer, a former friend of the out
laws. They maidstone injuries relat-