The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-27

The arrest of the Winston train robbers
is a thing of the future, as the bestinforma-
ton from that locality is to the effect that
the county officer of Missouri permitted
the criminals to escape into Indian terri
tory
From the best evidence Gttainable, the
gang who robbed the Rock Island & Paci-
fic train, among who were Frank James,
Ed Miller, Jim Cummings and Dick Little
after leaving the train mounted their
horses and rode northward until they
reached the outskirts of Cameron when
they turned and took to the brush again,
making directly for the Missouri river.
just where they made crossing it is i'm
possible to state, but on the following
evening the 18th, they certainly passed
through Sni-a-bar township of Jackson
county, and taking a enthusiastically
couree. continued on to the Indian territory
The party, however, did not remain intact,
but divided up into couples, so as to de-
stroy the trail which so large number as
They were at no time SO far apart, though,
but that a arranged signal would have
concentrated the outlaws. Such a force
disciplined in desperation and schooled SO
well in the use of arms would be capable
of repelling any attack liable to be made
by a sheritfs posse.
REFLECTION.
An exchange, in speaking of the escape
of these men says:
Without intending any invidious refiec
tons upon the officers who pretend to have
been searching for the outlaws, candor and
earnestness incite the belief that these pur-
suers entertained no real desire to corral
the robbers; it has been with the posses
much like the experience of an amateur
hunter in search of grizzly; very ANXIOUS
until the game is in sight or run to cover,
when anxiety degenerates into doubtful
propriety.
1t is singular fact that with all the
atrocious crimes credited to the James
boys and their confederates, there is not so
much as one dollar of reward offered for
their capture, although at one time the re
wards offered by state, railroad and express
companies aggregated $4,000 During
Gov. Hardin's administration nearly all the
rewards offered by the state were with
drawn, then the private corporations that
had suffered so seriously at the hands of
the bold knights of the road withdrew the
incentives they had advertised after which
Gov. Phelps wiped out the few figures re-
naming, so that now there is no reward
standing for the apprehension of any of
the outlaws.
A PROPOSITION.
A proposition is now being discussed by
some of Kansas City's leading citizens
looking to the formation of fund by pri-
vate snbscription-say $50, 900, the amount
not considered-when raised to be offered
as a reward for the production of the bod
les of Frank James, Jesse James, Jim Cum
Minis and Dick Little, dead or alive. This
sum, it is thought, can be easily secured by
to the state, railroad and express
to whose subscriptions will be
added contributions from all the law low
ing citizens of Missouri The idea is not
only excellent, but undoubtedly practicable,
and by putting into effect such pecuniary
force the border outlaws would surely soon
be exterminated, root and branch.
GOV. CRITTENDEN
who met with the railroad officials at ST. |
Louis yesterday with reference to the re
cent crime at Winston, expresses himself
as follows:
1T seems to me-" said the governor, t
speaking of the recent robbery, that these
men ought to have been arrested if there |
had been proper efforts made by the coun- |
ties through which the robbers were likely
to pass Some of the counties have done
all they could, however. / telegraphed to
the Sheriff of Lafayette county to learn
from him if the reports published i'll the
that the supposed robbers had
passed through Lexington were true, and
If pursuit had been made, and a reply was
received that the main facts as reported
were true, but that the authorities were
not informed until too late to take the
necessary measures for capturing the fugi-
tives Mr.. j. O. Bowman, the deputy
sheriff of Lafayette, wrote me SO to-
day."
The governor, after a short pause, then
added;
.sYou may just say this, that when the
Lafayette sheriff discovered that
THOSE MEN HAD PASSED
down the river he should at once have
to the sheriffs of Ray, Carroll
and Saline counties and the marshal at
Boonville, and had he done so, and had
they taken the proper steps, they would
have surrounded these men and captured
them. They landed at Berlin on the south
side of the Missouri river, and had posse
commanded by these sheriffs and Marshal
De Long at Brownsville been ordered out
they would have surrounded them or made
it so hot they could not have remained in
that section of the state. Under no cir
cumstances," said the governor, fought
that portion of the state to sympathize with
murder and robbery or with any of those
people. There are few, l have no doubt,
in that portion of the country who do sym
pathize with them, but not many; but those
few are enough to bring odium upaaes Il
whole community and the state, and the
thousands who do not sympathize owe ii
to themselves, their property and their
state to discontenance the perpetrators of
such crimes. The railroad and express
companies owe it also to themselves and
the community to have no employees who
are
NOT ABOVE SUSPICION.
Governor the reward that may be of
fered by the state is but trifie is ii not?"
1T is small, but am willing to offer a
reward to the fullest extent the law allows.
In my opinion the railroad and express
companies, the state, and the counties
should offer reward, that would insure a
capture of the miscreants. think it
should be stated that / am informed by a