Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-04-29

was hliiCQ anu Ills UIOtilSI OdulGf
wounded. Lull was fatally injured
and Daniels, the sheriff of st. Clail
county, killed. The James brothers
and surviving Youngers, We're com
PEELED to find refuge in Texas, be-
cause their capture was so persist
emily attempted. In January, 1875,
the detectives heard that the James
brothers were living with their
mother, and large body of men
was sent to capture them. They
surrounded the house and attempt
ed the destruction of the outlaws by
use of hand grenades, one of which
exploded in room killing an infant
and destroying the left hand of Mrs.
Samuels. 1t is stated that of the
fifteen men engaged in the affair
which, by the way, proved unsuc-
cessful, neither of the outlaws being
at home-only three are alive now,
the remaining twelve having been
murdered by the brothers, or by
men acting under their orders. On
ly few months later, the James
gang robbed train on the Kansas
4 Pacific railroad, near Kansas
City. They confined their attention
to the express car, from which they
stole to the value of $25, 900. The
robbery of a bank at Huntington,
w. Va, was quickly followed by
the pluuder of train on the MisSOu-
ri Pacific, in a rocky cut in Pettis
county, Mo. This feat resulted in a
profit of $4,000. At Northfield,
Mimi, in Sept, 1876, the gang, led
by Jesse, met with serious repulse.
Having taken possession of the
bank and killed the cashier, who
refused to open the vault, they at
tempted to escape from the city,
but were resisted by a considerable
force of armed men. Two of the
gang were killed in the town, and
others badly injured. In swamp,
whittier they were pursued, another
robber was Killed, the three surviv-
ing robbers wounded and captured
and Jesse wounded, but not so bad
as to prevent his escape, which he
accomplished in company with his
brother Frank. They fled to Dako-
ia Territory, from whence, after
having remained there some time,
they returned home to Missouri.
The Youngers were indicted, tried,
convicted and sentenced to lifelong
Imprisonment. They are living
and profess to be religious men.
The James brothers were not heard
of again until Oct, z, 1879, when
they robbed train on the Chicago
& Alton railroad, twenty-five miles
east of Kansas City. They were
accompanied on this expedition by
four other men. No less than $35,
000 was taken from the express car
of the train. George Sheppard,
who had been with the James BROTH
ers in Quantrell's band and in some
of the subsequent adventures,
treacherously rejoined them, acting
as a detective. In this capacity he
apprised the authorities of an in
tended attack on bank at Empire
City. Jasper county, Mo-, and of the
place at which the gang met. An
attempt to capture the robbers was
organized, but frustrated by their
vigilance, Jesse James attempted to
kill Sheppard, whom he suspected
of having betrayed him, but his
intended victim proved quicker
than he in the use of the pistol,
thereby making good his escape
after having wounded his assailant.
The last robbery in which Jesse
James is known to have been en-
gagged was that of July 10, 1881,
when a train on the Rock Island d
Pacific railroad was plundered by a
gang acting under his leadership.
Previously to this event, the young
er James had retired from associa-
ton with his brother.
No proof is needed that Jesse was
man of singular courage. The
prolonged success of his career as an
outlaw and the domination of the
fierce spirits in his gang, were un-
questionably due, in great meas
ure, to his indomitable pluck, of
which particular instances have
been made public. During the civil
war he was captured by the feder-
ais, and on the trip up the Mississip-
pi river chained to one of his !
guards. This guard having fallen
asleep, Jesse killed him and freed |
himself of the corpse by cutting off |
one of the arms, and swan ashore |
with the limb attached to one of his |
own. The story is also told of
detective surprising Jesse in a bar
Der shop, where he sat with his face
covered with lather and his hands
in his lap. He refused to Surren-
der, and, jumping up, tried to draw
his pistols. These catching under
the arms of the chair, the detective
had time to fire before Jesse, who |
received bullet through the neck,
which, coming out through his
struck out three of his teeth.
Notwithstanding the injury he kill
ed his assailant and escaped.
As before stated, Jesse James was
killed on the Sd of April last, in a
house standing on bluff on the
of the city of st. Joseph,
Mo. He had been living there, it is
stated, some months under the name
of Tom Howard. The killing of
the outlaw was a treacherouS deed
which grew out of the confession of
John Land, who had been arrested
for completely in train robbery.
These confessions were made at In
Mo-, and were followed
by the surrender of Dick Little, an
other of the gang, who has worked
with the officers of justice.
Little's revelations resulted in an
agreement between Gov. CrItten-
den and one Robt. Ford, an ex-rob-
Der working in connection with Lit
tie, that Jesse James should either
be captured or killed by the latter
''for a consideration" Ford and
his brother Charles made their home
at James house. About ten in the
of April Sd, while the out
law was unarmed and dusting pie
lures on the wall with his back
turned to the Fords, Robt. Ford
shot him through the head. His
wife was in the house, and rushed
into the room in time for her miser-
able husband to die in her arms.
A Democratic View For What 1t Is