Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-27
R0BBING HIS BESEFACTOR.
1esse James, First Bank Robbery, as
Described by an Eye Wifncs~.
Prom The st. Louis Globe penocr..

NY OfHutOu II gwen from peTs0udl
edge Of some of the acts of the James boys.
with whom / was on quite intimate terms at
one time In their history. Ny home is in the
vicinity Of Russey lie, Ny. In 1868 was law
student with a relative in Russellville, and was
there at the time the bank was robbed by the
James boys. At that time RussellvIlle had a
population OF about 1900 The bank was a
private Institution. and was conducted under
the name Of n. Long i Co, and was situated
at one end of the town. Mr.. Long. the princi-
pal proprietor of the bank. had been a partien-
lar friend of the James family, who lived in the
Vicinity of Russeiiville. Mr. Long had, with
Mr.. orion, donated sufficient amount of
money to the father of Frank ard Jesse James
10 support him during the several Years he was
IN college studying for the ministry, ard he
was also friend of George Hite the father OF
Wood ,iite and uncle Of the James bows
Dnriny the civil war. Logan county, In
WHICH RusSellyiile Is situated sent two COM
panies Of men to ii@h: on the confederate side
ald the town was so largely southern i'm it's
sympathy that there were only four or FIVE OUT
spoken Union men in the place, even at ths,
time the rad was made on Tire bank | went
into The confederate service from that town
and while in the army became personally ac-
quainted with Cole Younger and George Sher-
herd The Shepherd family lived q few miles
from RuSSeilyille and were we'll known After
ttic Hdf CiDSSI L itLuTfleH 10 hQSSPtEIiIp anti
went to college and one of my classmates was
wood Hite, and from him ! heTad frequently
about the war adventures of his cousins, Jesse
and Frank James
About the middle of March. 1868. five men
came to RUSselvlie two stopping at one hotel
and three at another and among this party !
recognized Cole Younger and George Shepherd
and discovered that the Others We're Frank and
Jesse James and Dick Little Younger regis
tered at the hotel as Coleman and Little as
W DDIS. tpQDUpT associated ,vIfh b.. oIor
OF the town, and acted as though he was going
70 establish a new store in the place. Shepherd
Little. and the James boys associated with the
horse-traders. and engaged in iOckeyiBg horses
while IN town. In the evenings the visitors gave
poker party in Jesse James room in the hotel
and for three nights took q hand in several
poker games with them as an army friend of
Younger.
The raid on the bank was made during the
dlnner-hOuT OF Saturday. March 90 1863 while
Has examining some records in the Courthouse
about SG feet distant from the bank and on the
same street. Five men rode down the street
facing the bank. two stationed themselves at the
Intersection OF two streets nearest the bank be-
hind COW of trees which lined the sidewalk
and three entered the bank one of whom pre-
sented a counterfeit note to Mr. Long and asked
him Ii t was good; when told that il was not the
three drew their pistols and demanded that the
persons in the bank, y. Long. Hugh Barclay and
Thos- III. Simmons should surrender Mr. Lon"
attempted TO escape and was shot the ball taking
effect IN the upper part of his head intiietinw a
flesh wound only. He was then felled to the
floor 10y a blow from pistol. The robbers then
Commanded the bank people to keep still as
surfing them that they would not be harmed:
but, nothing daunted. MIR. Long spranr into the
street and rave the alarm, while the two men
on horseback Kept up continual fire at him.
but. strange to say, lie was not struck hr them
BY TINS time the alarm had spread over the bust
ness part OF the town, and the citizens came
nOcaln% TO the scene OF action in great hurry
but, being unarIned, We're compelled to retreat
1n'o houses along the street. Some few man
eSed 10 secure weapons of very inferior char
aeter, and, while the loads held out. fired at the
robbers quite freely. But for every shot fired
by the citizens, the men on horseback and one
oil those in the bank, who had come to the door.
sent back three in return. Mr.. O. c. Owens.
whose residence joins the bank stepped from
the door and fired at the man on the steps who
returned the fire, striking Mr.. Owens In the
Side. infiicting severe, though not dangerous
wound The alarm having spread all over
town, and the place being rather too hot for
comfort. the desreradoes left, carrying their
Booty with them, tiring down the street as they
rode Off
heard the first shots fired and ran into the
street and Went toward the bank; saw Shep-
nerd and Younger. mounted on horses at the
intersection of the streets In front of the bank:
saw Little standing in the front DOORWAY of the
bank, and behind him was Jesse James, and
further back in the bank saw Frank James
30 apPtoathru TIE DJEh Il saw Younger ana
Little shooting az group of citizens in the
street and net Long running toward me with
his face covered with blood Not being armed
ct that time, hurried away from the scene net
WISHING 10 unnecessarily expose myself to the
wild shooting.
From the information collected i'm the after
noon felt satisfied that Jessee James was the
one who first attacked Mr.. Long. his fathers
OenefaetOr. in the bank, while Little assaulted
III. owens IN the doorway, nd frightened
~ inv
side door, thus leaving Frank James to secure
the money IN the open safe. 1t was ascertained
oy actual settlement of accounts that the bank
was robbed of about Sl4.250. Noone was killed
mt the shooting in and about the bank. though
nearly a hundred shots were fired The day
after the robbery weilknOwn and reliable
citizen of Russellvile informed me and several
Others That he saw young son of one of the
richest and most respectable citizens helping
the bank robbers, but he would not give any
name. Since then circumstances strongly indi-
cate that he meant Wood Hite who was known
to have been in Russellville an hour before the
robbery. The day before the robbery Younger
Little Shepherd and the James bows were seen
by several persons seated on grave Of an ex-
governor OF Kentucky. in the suburbs of Rus
seilyiile in close consultation. ard it was after
The robbery, supposed that the raid was planned
In that graveyard
Several days after the robbery Shepherd was
arrested as one of the principals in the affair.
anu on trial was identified by a number of the
Citizens as being the nan on horseback who fired
shots at the people who came to- the assistance
OF Mr.. Long at the bank. During the trial of
Shepherd his wife, who was fascinating
woman, was at his side i'm court, and. by her
winning ways. had apparently such influence on
the jurors "a 10 cause them to assess the lightest
pa nishn mt possible on Shepherd He was sent
TO the pententiary. While Shepherd was in the
penitentiary rich old man in the vicinity of
Louisville led Mrs. Shepherd to believe that she
was divorced from Shepherd because he was I'm
the penitentiary. and then took her as his wife
when Shepherd came out of prison, his wife de.
serted her foster husband and went to Dallas,
1exas After Mrs Shepherd left the old man he
pODnely accused her of having taken aboat
$1,000 IN cash from him ON the day she ran OF
with Shepherd.
When saw Younger. Little and Frank and
Jesse James in Russeliville before the bank rob
berry, they acted in such gentlemanly and pleas
ant way as to make them very agreeable CON-
panions. They dressed neatly, as though they
were rich and were gentlemen of leisure Frank
James was the most intelligent. and had re-
eelyed 4 fair education. and have heard him
talk as well in the French. Spanish and German
languages as in the English and, from his pecu-
mar manner OF dress and actions, he could have
easily passed as a priest or minister. Frank
James was good lmpersonator and am Of the