Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-07-21
JESSE JAMES IN KENTUCKY.
How He Left the Somerset Bank
without Getting His Check Cashed.


''The late lamented Colonel Jesse
James called upon you once for cash
donation, did he not ?" asked Louis
VILE Kentucky, Post reporter of Judge
Il. i. Alexander, who formerly resided
at Columbia, Kentucky.
Not upon me individually, but upon
the bank of Columbia, of which I was
president"
was it ever known definitely who
was in the party at that timer
Yes; we learned shortly afterward
the names of all concerned. The gang
consisted of Frank and Jesse James,
two of the Youngers and Jarette."
when did this transaction take
placer
"ls was on Monday, April %, 1872.
l was not in Columbia at that time, and
therefore did not witness the high
handed act, but I will never forget the
affair. After killing Mr.. Martin, the
cashier, because he would not deliver
everything over to them, they took
what they could find and departed.
Their tactics were about the same as
those made use of on other occasions
that is, some went into the bank while
the rest frightened the citizens by firing
up and down the street."
How much did they get?''
They only got $1,000. which. |
reckon, was about the smallest sum of
money they ever raided bank for.
You see, they did not come into that
region to rob the Columbia bank.
They had selected the bank at Somer-
set, twenty or thirty miles east of Co
lumbia, as their objective point on that
raid, but were prevented from making
the attack by very peculiar circum-
stance. They entered Somerset on the
Friday previous to the attack on Co.
lumbia, and after accommodating the
situation were just getting ready to be-
gin operations when the incident re-
ferred to occurred, frustrating their
design and causing them to abandon
the undertaking. One of the party en-
tered the bank to have the customary
talk with the caekier; another was
posted on the corner close by to OBJ
serve the movements Of citizens, while
the other three went after the horses.
Two of them mounted and started in
the direction of the bank, and the
other followed, leading the horses Of
the two who were planning for the at
tack of robbery. The arrival of the
first two on horseback was no doubt
understood to be the signal for the
man on the corner to join his comrade
in the bank, when the work was to be-
gin is there; the two mounted men
were 10 keep the citizens from APP
preaching by indiscrlminate firing.
The man leading the riderless horses
was to have them ready by the time
the work was accom- plished, so that
the two mep i'll the bank could run
out, mount and all retreat out of town
together.
But fortunately for that bank and I'M
fortunately for Mr.. Martin and the
bank of Columbia, when the financial
member Of the gang entered he saw
something that caused him to alter his
plans. Two men, one stock raiser Of
that county, and the other mule
trader from the south, between whom
several transactions in their line OF
business had taken place, had appoint
ed that day and that bank as the time
and place to make settlement, and
when they came to compare notes they
could not agree. Both were hot-nead-
ed and impetuous, and instead of try
ing to reconcile their differences they
got mad; hot words passed, and they
came near having fatal encounter.
The quarrel was raging furiously when
the bandit-it was Je>se-entered the
bank. both had their pistols drawwn,
and the cashier was between them beg
ging them to desi t, and preventing
them from shooting each other When
Jesse's educated eye saw what was GO
ing on he either knew it was no good
time to inaugurate robbery, or he
thought the gang MS being watched,
and the row between the traders was
only ruse resorted to in order to get
them off their guard until they could
be surrounded. He took but one
glance at the two enraged traders, and
turning on his heel walked out of the
door, and signaled to his followers
that the Jig was up, and when the two
horses were led up the two men mount
ed, and all five of them rode out of
town. They went in the direction
of Monticello, and stopped for the
night in a country store, where q polit-
ical meeting had been held during the
afternoon. The candidates were still
there, and the bandit gang represented
themselves as stock traders, entered
into the discussions that were going on
and had a good time generally The
next day they rode over the hills of
that region and spent the night on. the
Cumberland river, and on sunday they
turned their horses heads toward Col
umbia, AMI stopped overnight at Il farm
house few miles from the town. The
next day one Of them entered Column
bia, purchased few articles at the
stores, examined the location Of the
bank, and after satisfying himself that
all was quiet, he returned to his COM
peers, and about two o'clock they dash
ed into town and did their work of
murder and robbery. As soon as the
citizens recovered from the helpless
condition into which they were thrown
by the sudden dash of the murderers
and robbers, a pursuing party was or
gained and followed them several
miles, but they did not come up on
them. They found the place, on a
creek few miles from town, where
the band halted and dividei the spoils.
They took from the bank package
of papers belonging to me. and these
were found where they stopped. The
papers were of no value 10 the high
waymen, and were left where they di-
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