San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-04-20
THE JAMES GANG.
Something shout the James Banditii from Begin.
aing TO End-rhe killing Of Jesse.

alas to End-rhe killing Of Jesse.
The news OF the death OF the last man
to hold out, Jesse James, recalls some
"Reminiscences OF the family and the
offspring of ii, who knew every rabbit
track in the west.
THEIR FATHER WAS A PREACHER.
In the good old days he was pious
man and "Walked with God" though
il must be confessed that his sons took
very different kind of promenade.
In the dark days of Missouri, Jesse
and Frank James espoused the cause
which TAINTED the bars. They were
never soldiers; in this they were not
alone. The woods were their haunts,
and in their barbarian code there was
no such thing ever known as white
flag; their bugles, if they ever had
any, never were tuned to the peaceful
notes of truce. The only camp stories
that were ever told about their retreats
were those which told of the way in
which the last man died, and then they
drank from their tin cups to the next
one who was to go. In all probability
they never thought of the day when
there was to be dawn of peace. 1t is
said that their first determined oath to
live their days out as terrors, was when
their old father was taken from his
home by some of Jennison's gang and
hung up to tree, where he was sound
ly thrashed until his pious limbs danced
a hornpipe between heaven and earth.
Their first attempt to avenge this fam
cied injury was in their own county
seat, Liberty, Missouri. This was in
the shape of bank robbery, in which
they were assisted by Andy Mcclure,
Archie Clements, and Dick Burns. 1t
may not generally be known that one
of this gang, in very short time after
this first attempt to get even, paid for
the "pastime" by being
CHoKED ID DEATH,
suspended from tree almost in sight
of the spot where the robbery took
place. This was Mcclure. When he
had been given his portion of the
"swag," his thoughts were immediately
diverted from the darings of the James
brothers to something exactly antipodal
love. With his gains he attired
himself in broadcloth and went to In
dependence, the county seat of Jackson,
where he planned and carried out the
capture of woman who had given him
her approval. They were united while
mounted on horseback, and Immediate
ly made for the first railroad station,
where they boarded the first eastward
bound train, which carried them into
st. Louis. While he was occupied in
making such reinsurance as young men
in like positions are wont to make,
waiting for the next train, he was ar
rested and taken back to Liberty. A
few weeks later the people of that sec
ton, who eviuced better spirit then
they have since toward such char
acters, vent to the Jail one evening and
called for "Mr." Mcclure. In spite of
the fact that he was fresh from the nup-
tial altar, they went with him to the
woods, and
HIS BRIDE
went the next day to the funeral of a
groom with broken neck.
Not many months after this little
event Archie Clements sauntered into
the aristocratic town of Lexington for
the purpose of airing himself, when he
fell in with squad of Bacon Mont
gomery's noted militia. There was an
evident desire on the part of the latter
folks to settle up an old score, for that
night Clements friends took him out
of house dead. The buckshot that
entered his body were never counted,
but there were enough to bring out a
large funeral.
It was not many weeks later that
some of the neighbors in an adjoining
county, who went out to help in harv-
est field, had their days labor inter
rupted by "burying" which they were
called upon to attend, in which Dick
Burns took the role of a corpse. No
effort was ever made to learn who split
his head open, or who hid him in the
hay-stack.
Ia the meanwhile it behooved the
Clay county pair to recruit their ser
vice, and George Shepherd, Jim Read
and Bud McDaniels were in the field
ready for spoils,
Shepherd participated in bank rob-
| berry III kentucky, ZOE WHICH no "aa
arrested and tried and convicted. On
the expiration of his term he returned
to Missouri and entered into league
with Marshall Liggett, of Jackson
county, to plan capture of the james
Boys. He went to Joplin, Missouri
and a few miles from there he found the
old gang in the bush, to whom he re-
newed his allegiance. A day or two
after he made some excuse to go to
Kansas City and departed. This was
regarded with suspicion by the james
boys, who awaited his return with some
anxiety. He went to Kansas City, and
the plans for the capture of the noted
outlaws seemed assured. He returned
and was to have been followed by Lig.
gett the day after. When SHEPHERD