St. Landry democrat., 1882-10-14


here to be mailed. An answer addressed IN
care of my wife ut Independence, Mo, VIII
reach me, and need not say how tervently
pray that it viii not be the answer OF a
Nemesis.
Yours, contritely and hopefully,
FRANK JAMES.
After writing the above letter Frank james
went to jackson County and remained in or
near Independence until the receipt OF the
following
GOVERNOR CRITTENDES's REPLY.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT. !
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo-, Oct. ), lSS2.
Frank James:
SIR-Your letter. dated st. Louis October l,
1852 has been received, in which you apply to
me for an amnesty or Il pardon. Under the
Constitution of this state | can not grant Il
pardon. even if inclined to, before convlctlon
of some crime Whether you can be con
victed of any violation OF the la" 1t Is not
for me to say. That the courts OF the
State will determine in the proper way when
YOU are before them. | think 1t wise IN YOU
TO abandon the life you are charged with
leading, and in surrendering to the legal au-
thOritcs of the state or the county IN "hicn
you are located. 1t innocent OF those thalSts,
then you will have an opportunity To- prove u
to the world. If guilty the law dictates tlle
punishment. If you surrender, you, Us any
other man charged with crime, SHAH ana MI
have a fair and impartial trial Inc
intelligence and character OF the courts OF
this State are ample guarantees Oh suth d
not based upon nor governed ny the prea1u.
dice or the sympathy OF the people, Du. nil ,
the judicial forms of just and well -estaDllsheu
laws. Determined as | am to see the laws
enforced against al grades OF crime, i am
none the less convinced of the importance
to society of having every man WITHIN
I his sr Iisbts Oh h .v er" iawess he
may have been, when he yields
voluntarily and submissively to that law, ana
appeals to it and to me for justice and mercy:
ny q innocent
all the various crimes charged to you: 1ha Ina,
the courts will determine, as before salu allu
after the voice of the court Is hearu, theh, IL
it becomes necessary, | will decide what my
''(''' 0'''',- THOMAS I. CRIrTESDES.
When the train from the west rolled
nto the depot in this city at an early hour
this morning there aishted from 1t two men
VINO, without mounting the depot PLATFORM
climbed the hill and walked leisurely south
ward to the McCarty House. Nobody was IN
the Office when they arrived, but they regis
tered as John Edwards, Sedalla, anu Is. r.
Winfrcy, Marshall, Mo. When the proprietor
I entered the Office, just as they had hhlsheu
registering and was introduced by Major Ed
wards to MIR Winfrey, he considered it an
| every day affair and assigned the two to
room. At O'Clock the two strolled about
! town. the Major meeting numerous acqualn-
| tances and Introducing Wlnfrey. Re-
turning to the hotel they took dinner, and de-
voted the afternoon to reading the morning
papers. About O'Clock they again emerged,
and walking over to the Capitol grounus
| climbed the hill and entered the window lead
| ing to the private office Of Gov. Crlttendeh.
| The latter having had a few hours notice Oh
| their coming, naturally felt jubilant over TINS
! gratifying elimination OF his long hSh'
against the outlaw band and summoned
! ,>S f;nin1 lie RI witness
torical event. While they were commenting
upon the letter from Frank, to which the
| Governor had called attention, Major Ed
wards and his companion walked in. stop
ping in front OF the Governor, Maj. Edwards
said
Governor this is Frank James. He is here
to give himself up" This brief Introduction
brought face to face the Executive OF Missouri
and the noted outlaw whose name has Deen
a terror in this State and is familiar through
out our land, if not the whole world. 1t was
scene without a precedent in the annals OF
the State, and to all present was intensely IN
teresting and dramatic. TO all appearances
Frank james was the coolest man in the
room. While Mai. Edwards was introducing
him his countennnce was as quiet and calm
in its expression as if the business in hand
we're no concern of his. He advanced step
toward the Governor, and by a dexterous
movement unbuckled a belt from around his
body and, holding it toward the Governor,
said:
"Governor, l am Frank James. surrender
nv arms to you. have removed the loads
from them; they are not loaded. They have
not been out of my possession since 1854 No
other man has ever had them since then 1
now give them to you personally. l deliver
, myself to you and the law"
, Governor Crittenden received the profered
. belt. pistol and cartridges, and with charac-
teristic courtesy requested Frank to be seated,
saying that he was very glad TO mee1 hlui'
particularly i'll this manner.
Frank James answered that he had come in
and surrendered himself because he desired
to do as he had done for years-that IS, live
the life of law abiding citizen He hoped
, to be able to prove that he was not so bad as
he had been painted. Although he had been
living the life of aauiet orderly and law ab1d.
l ing citizen for four years, he well knew thai
> everything criminal and bad that had been
committed of late years had been credited &c
him.
} To the Governor he said, with more earnest
ness in his tone than he bad hitherto SHOWN
t "If some one were to assassinate you, al
: though might be able to prove myself en-
8 tirely innocent would not be able to con
4 vince people that was gu1iuiess W VIC c'iiiio
f They have been in the habit of attributing al
g manner of crimes to me, and are ready TO De
= | lieve anything they hear"
- Governor Crittenden said: 81 have re
t ceived over half a bushel of letters from you
Q or from those protesting to be you. l have
= received them not only from three or tou
b different men on the same day, but from
8 several different StateS.'' .......
= "Yes," answered the outlaw. "ths prove
n that any crime, no matter by whom com
e mitted, is likely to be laid to me. have sur
9 rendered because 1 wish this to end, ana t.
y prove as 1 can, that for four years l hav
It been a law abiding citizen and that l hav
d been painted blacker than l ana. DO 1t 10