Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-07-27
TRAIN ROBBERIES.
SOME OF THE EXPLOITS OF THE
JAMES BROTHERS.
HOW THE CAREER OF THEIR FORMER
COMPANIONS, THE YOUNGER BROTH
ERs, WAS BROUGHT TO A CLOSE
IN MINNESOTA.
TRAIN ROBBERIES.

IN MlNNEhOTA.
, KANSAS CRY, July 16, 1s8l.-Ir
formation has been received here of
train robbery which occurred at Wir
ston, a station on the road within
short distance of Cameron. The rot
bers were six in number supposed {
be under the leadership of Jesse james
The men boarded the train whicI
leaves this city at G:30 p. NJ, at Cam
eron. At Winston, where the trail
stopped, they stood up in the aisle o
the car with drawn revolvers. One o
the bandits, man with heavy blacl
whiskers, advanced with revolver il
each hand, toward VIM. Westfall th,
conductor, and ordered him to hold vi
his hands, The conductor was slow il
complying with the demand, and wa
shot through the heart by the des
perado. One Of the other men ther
shot through the heart John McCul
Tough, stono.cutter of Wilton juno
tion, Iowa, who turned outward in BIZ
seat. The men went through the trair
to the express car and overpowereC
the U. S. Express Messenger, Chas
Murray, Of this city, who was intimi
dated into opening the safe from which
$4,000 were taken The desperadoei
then went to the engine and told the
engineer to start his train. This hC
could not do on account of the auto
matte brake, and he was at once ired
upon by the robbers. The engineer
put out the lights in the cabin and
crawled along the footboard to the
pilot, extinguished the headlight, and
lay down on the pilot The robber:
made no search for him, but departed
No attemptwas made to rob the passen
gers. The population about Winston
roseup en- mdSSe, and armed men are
now industriously seeking the despera
does.
The railroad robbery at Winston
bears the marks of the famous James
and Younger "boys'" workmanship
though it has been the fashion of late
years to lay all such crimes to their ao
count when the perpetrators were un-
known, and less distinguished despora.
does have traded on the terror of their
name The Jameses and Youngers
were graduated from the Confederate
guerilla service in Western Missouri,
and TO desperate courage added per,
feet acquaintance with the West from
Iowa to the Indian Territory. They
had the further advantage Of q wide
circle Of relatives and acquaintances
more or less admiring and sympathetic,
and finally worked up their coups
skiiully under innumerable DISCUSSES
and aliases, appearing by turns wild
riders and as peaceful drovers and cat.
tle.traders. They rarely acted in full
force one, two or three of them,
probably under assumed names, would
recruit a small but sufficient band
from among the desperadoes Of the
frontier the blow would be struck
hundreds Of miles from the point at
which they had last appeared, then
retreating rapidly southward or west
ward the plumber would be divided and
the band would break up, while pur-
suit would be distracted by the dis.
covery that the other three or four
"boys," who had been positively
identified" had been at home in the
vicinity of Kansas City all the time.
Their history for the general public
opens with the descent on Russellville,
Ky, March 20, 1868, when a dozen
mounted men entered the town and
galloping up and down with cooked
pistols kept the townsmen within doors
whilc two Of their number entered the
bank, covered" the cashier emptied
the safe and rode away, being chased
across tho Mississippi and well up into
Northern Missouri, but finally escap.
ing, This was "beneft" excursion
to obtain funds to send a sick member
of the band to sea, In December, 1869,
a similar exploit was repeated at Gala
tin, Mo-, with one additional detail
one Of the robbers blew out the brains
of Cashier John W. Streets. They
were traced to Clay county, Mo-, where,
as usual, the trail was lost. The
Jameses, who have penchant for cor.
respondenoe, wrote TO the Governor
offering to stand their trial if guaran-
teod fair play, proving an alibi, but he
declared that such action was needless.
The next raid was on Columbus, Ky,
April 2Sth, 1871, when the "boys' got
away in safety to Missouri, killing
another cashier. June 3, 1872 six of
them struck Corydon, Ia, robbed the
bank and escaped, beating off the pur,
suing Sheriff, who came up with them.
In October of the same year, at sunset,
there was made successful raid on the
office Of the Kansas City Exposition
while some 10000 people were on the
grounds, May 26, 1873, Ste Gonevieve,
Mo, was attacked and plundered, and
the money having boen divided in the
woods near ST. Louis, the band rode
away. July 81, they ditched Rock
Island and Pacific train near Council
Bluffs, and while two of them held the
terrified passengers in check the others
robbed the express car. Again tho
freebooters got away, though chased
to the vicinity OF Monegaw Springs,
tho homo Of the Youngers. In No
vember they "hagged" an Iron Noun.
tain train at Gad's Hill, sixty miles
from st. Louis, terrorized the passen.
gers and "hands," robbed the express
car, sent q telegram to the 81. Louis
press reporting the occurrence and
rode away to the southwark. AT Nal
vern, Ark, inI Docembcr,and III Pasto,
Tex, in the following April, they over
hauled express safes on the stage routes.
After the last exploit the FIRST Of the
gang came to grist-Jim" Reed, who
was mortally wounded by n Texan
Sheriff in quarrel and who died ad-
hitting bis share in tho robberies but
refusing to divulgc the names Of his
At this time, too, occurred
several tragical episodes, A posse un.
Ter ex Captain Louis Lull, Of the Chi.
ago police, went to besiege the Young. |
,rs at Monegaw Springs and met Jim"
md John Younger on the road. The
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