The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-04-29
rode of. Pursuit was given, but availed

Columbia, Kentucky, killing the CASH
ier. Only $500 rewarded them for this
raid.
In the fall of the same year they per-
petrated one of their most noted and
daring exploits. A county agricultural
fair was in progress at Kansas City,
when three men rode up to the gate.
They were we'll mounted, and wore long
linen busters and wide brimmed hats.
On reaching the gate ore dismounted,
handing his bride reins to his com
rades. He approached the ticket Office,
and, looking through the window, said
to the cashier: "What if I was to say /
was Jesse James and told you to hand
out that tin box of money, what would
you say?"
"Id say Til see you in - first, !" was
the contemptuous reply.
'sWell, that's just who / am-Jesse
James-and you had better hand it out
pretty id quick, or I'll" and the
rest of the sentence was finished by lev
cling huge navy revolver at the cash
ier. The box was handed ont with its
contents of SIC, 900. Returning with the
cash, Jesse remounted, and the three
| desperadoes began firing their pistols
and hurriedly rode off. The alarm be-
came general, and almost Immediately q
Ipursuing party was organized, but the
boys got away with the money.
| Six weeks later they relieved the bank
at st. Genevieve, Mo-, of $40 600, though
| without bloodshed.
In June, 1873, they wrecked train on
the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific
Railroad, and robbed the express mes
senger of $4,000.
Several stage robberies in Arkansas
followed, and were credited to the same
parties, who were held responsible for
all the outlawry committed throughout
the country during these years.
They put climax to their audaci0us
career in that section of the country by
the robbery of an Iron Mountain train
at Gad's Hill. They took possession of
the station, switched the train on side
track. and at their leisure Clell Miller,
Jesse and Frank James and Jim and
Cole Younger stripped the passengers of
their surplus wealth and robbed the ex-
press car of $40, 500.
Later they robbed train a few miles
from Kansas City, securing $23 900 from
the express messenger, and a large
amount of jewelry which was being ship
ped to New York.
In the fall of 1876 Frank James, with
Cole Younger and others of the gang,
visited Huntington, W. Va, and robbed
bank in that village of $50, 900. The
four robbers, after securing their booty,
rode off, but in less than two hours
posse of over one hundred men started
in pursuit In the mountains, nearly
one hundred miles from Huntington, a
fight took place between the officers and
the fleeing robbers, and Thompson Nc
Daniels was killed, and Keene, alias
|. Kinds captured, but, as usual, Cole
Younger and Frank James escaped.
In July, 1876, the two James boys and
others of the gang raided an east bound
passenger train on the Missouri Pacific
railway at point about twenty miles
east of Sedalia, called Otterville. The
party consisted of Frank and Jesse
James, Cole, Jim and Bob Younger,
CIell Miller, Bill Chadwell, Charley
! Pitts and Hobbs Kerry, green country
minor, who eventually was captured and
at Boonville made full and free confess
sion Of the plot, and named Jesse James
as the leader.
In September of the same year they
| made their disastrous laid on the North
| field bank, in Minnesota On the after
noon of the 7th of that month the rob-
bers, eight in number. entered the town
at furious pace, shooting their re-
volyers right and left in order to intimi
| date the people on the streets. With
| their horses on a dead run, the party
halted directly in front of the bank. and,
while Frank and Jesse James and Bob
! Younger entered, the other five remained
outside TO guard against attacks. j. L..
| Haywood, the cashier, and two clerks
were in the institution at the time, and,
for refusing to open the time lock, Jesse
James killed Haywood in wanton
cruelty by sending ball through his
brain. To the meantime the citizens on
1 the street realized what was going on,
and opened fire on the robbers. Chad
well was shot from his horse by man
from the courthouse window just oppo-
site the bank, and in a few seconds
Clell Miller, who had escaped dozens of
times In Missouri, was also killed. By
this time the firing became general, but
it was seen by Jessee James that he was
/ in the tightest place of his life. Jim
/ Younger had bullet in his mouth, and
Frank James one through his left leg,
/ but the entire six succeeded In mount
ing their horses and escaping from the
town, and then began fight and pur-
suit which for persistency and endur-
ance is almost without parallel. The
| robbers were in strange and unknown
| country, followed by fifty armed men,
and when it was seen that the race was
to be one for death, proposition was
made to separate. Before this time
Jesse James wanted Bob Younger
killed. As the blood from his wounds
made plain trail, but Cole Younger
| would not allow it, and said he would
kill the first man who dared lay finger
on his wounded brother. As settle
ment Frank and Jesse James went off in
northerly direction, while the three
Youngers and Charles Pitts remained in
| body. As, on all previous occasions,
luck followed the James boys, for while
they escaped after being pursued nearly
500 miles, the Youngers we're shot down
and captured, and Pitts killed. The
three former were terribly wounded be
fore they would surren Ter.
This disastrous affair quieted theil
operations for long time, but in the fall
of 1879 the James boys recruited q new
party and made descent on the Chicago
and Alton road at Glendale, little sta.
ton in Jackson county, seventeen miles
from Kansas City. Like all proceeding
train robberies this was success, and
after battering down the door of the ex
press car, Jesse James aud Ed. Miller
entered with revolvers in their hands
and compelled Grimes, the messenger
to unlock his safe and hand over the con
tents. variously estimated at from $25, ,00t
to $50. 200.
| Their next noted exploit was the Win
ston robbery, on the Chicago, Rocl
Island and Pacific road. That occurred
| on the night of July ID, 1881. Winston
is small town on the Rock Island ant