Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-24
JEssE's CAREER.
Some interesting Facts About His
Methods.
His Adventures with Detectives-His Court
ship and karriage-HOw He Moved
rom Place to Piace-Ihe Crimes
in Which He Was Concerned.
A SHORT INTERVIEW With HIS WIDOW.

lanes the wife OF the Missouri bandit
| leader who has been in Kansas City sew
eral days, and-if the published reports be
true-been interviewed every twelve hours
since her arrival, submitted to a genuine
interview for the first time since
her departure from st. Joe, this
evening. The interview was arranged
through the kindness of the attorney, Mr..
r. J. Kane, and its object was to secure
current history of her wanderings since she
became the outlaws wife. Mrs. James is
the daughter of highly respected parents
who have lived in or near Kansas
CITY for over thirty years, and
as she remarked, she had lived
here ever since she could remember until
she married Jesse Their courtship was
highly romantic one, and was not by any
means of the nature of a smooth current.
Theywere first cousins, and their betrothal
was bitterly opposed by her parents. She
was romantic, however, and expressed her
determination to follow his fortunes
| wherever he might lead, and, to prevent an
eIOpement, the old people consented to an
engagement. This was in 1859, just after
Jesse had been made IN outlaw under the
| civil code, and price set upon his person
Their courtshiP
Lasted Five Years,
during which time Jesse very fre-
| ouently visited his inamorata at the resi-
dence of her parents in this city. She
several times went to his mothers, Mrs.
| Samuels, at Kearney, to see him by appoint
of those visits the Two
went together to the yard at the Samuels
residence, when party OF five men, led by
| one of Pinkerton'S S detectives, came to the
house, and all the time they were search
| inc the place Jesse lay on the ground
| within twelve feet of the door, under the
shadow of rose bush, while his aihanccd
was secreted in fence corner. Mrs James
| saws that Jesse has frequently said since
| that if he had killed couple OF these men
| that night it might have saved his step
| brothers and his mothers arm, but he re-
| trained, because he
Was Afraid His Sweetheart
| might be injured in the fight. They were
| married April "a, 1874, at the residence OF
| the brides sister, Mrs. VIM. Browder,
| of Kearney, the Rev. VIM. James
a cousin officiating, and the following
| month went to Sherman, Texas, where
| sister of Jesses still living. There Mrs.
James passed as Cou> in OF JeSses sister
| without giving any parli'1'aT name, and he
was in and out of the city constantly be-
cause he was afraid of being followed by
| the officers for the Hot Springs robbery,
which was committed in January OF that
wear. and the Gad'S Hill robbery, which
| figured in the same month. The first OF
these he was not in, so he says, but admits
that he was in the latter, and as both were
charged to him. it was deemed wise TO act
| as though he had really been there. At
this point Mrs. James took OCCASION to dc
nounce the reported estimate OF
Jessc's Stealing,
which, II true, would have made him rich
man at his death. She declares that 50 lar
| from having at any one time $lOOWO, he
| never had that sum in all his life, putting
every cent into the calculation. The Gals
| Hill affair nettcd about $1,000, OF
| which he reserved one fifth. and. upon
| that they went to Texas for their honey
n,oon. Things grew hot in Sherman and
they moved to Dallas in September, where
they remained up to the winter ot lei4-o'
when Mrs. James returned to Kansas city,
and visited her sister, Mrs. Mcbride, ana
other relatives for several months, while
yJesse went on a scout ltwaS during this
time that the COrinth, Miss, and Muncle.
Kansas, robberies were perpetrated, in both
of which Jesse participated, but the amount
secured, his wife says she does not know.
| When he returned
He Had Plenty of Money.
and they went to Edgefeld, Tennessee. Q
small village near Nashville, and remained
there until that fall, when they removed to
Baltimore. 1t was in Edgetield that the boy
that now begins 10 look 50 much like his
father was born and Mrs. James declare,
that the child was nine days old when the
| Ia nNhl s1Nl- ,N1a f,n
and that instead of berry there Jesse wa;
with her and the baby in Nashville at the
time living under the name Of J. u. How
ard. They removed 10 Baltimore III No
vember 1875. and remained there one year
or at least sne did, but Jesse was away {
good de2.t of the time, and she says sht
does Lot know where, except that he Wa'
At the Centennial One Week.
where he saw a great many people from
Missouri whom he knew very well, bu
who did not know him. 1t was durine
this time the Baxter Springs (kanSas) anC
Otterville (Missouri) robberies were perpe
trated. but she disclaimed all knowledge o.
his. s.compliCity in them. In speaking o.
the Huntington affair, Mrs. Jane!
backs up her assertion that JESSE
the statement. which she say,
can be verified, that about that time he
bought two carloads of flour from Nash
willie miller named o. +. Noel on specula
ton. and took it to Savannah, Ga, where
he sold il under his name of Howard
From Baltimore they again returned to Ia
| wilson county. Tennessee, near Nashville
where they rented small farm, and Jesse
went into the
Fast Horse Business.
and where they, or rather she, continued
to live until March lst. Among the horse,
which he owned during that time anC
which have since made records for them
selves, we're the colts Jim Scott and jim
Malone, the latter OF which he sold to jim
Grecner. a Nashville druggist, and which
Won. two valuable purses in St
Louis the year after, under the
name of Jim Greener.' During
this time the noted bandit was also dele
gate from his district 10 the Nashville Con
ventiOn, which nominated a Governor
MrS. James remained on the farm in Da
wilson county during the Glendale and
Winston raids. The Northield one was
made during their residence in Baltimore
and her little girl was born during hel
father absence on one of these Journeys
She says that Jesse always
Came Straight Home
Vfter an affair of that kind and remained
there until the hue and cry was all over
and that 81 far as they knew was never
suspected, a. he was known as q horse
trader and speCulator, whose absence from,
home was not worthy of comment. They
concluded IN March, last year, that as the
search for him was getting wider and more
thorough, the safest place for them would
I've at home, and they accordingly re-
turned to Kansas City, where they rented
house on Woodland avenue. and lived
there from June |, to September l, under
the name OF J. 7. Jackson. 1t was in this
house the
Blue Cut Robbery was Planned,
and TO which most OF the men returned
after the affair, and remained hidden for
more than week, while the officers were
securing the eastern end OF the county.
September lst they removed TO Z asst Ninth
street for fear that too long a residence in
one place might result in discovery. The
Il house was not in good repair, however, and
they left il in a month, fearing that II
III i