Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-12
TIE JAMES FAMILY.
a Review OF the Organization of
Which They Were Long the Head.
st. Louis Post.Dispatch.


forty miles from Kansas City, on the
Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. Their
father was a Baptist preacher, their
mother, woman of remarkable courage
end singulsr force of character. They
were a rebel family, outspoken and
bold. During the early days of the war
on the border, when there were crimina-
tions and recriminations, their father
was taken from home, tied up to a tree,
and thrashed The boys took an oath to
avenge this wrong. And then began a
career which has no counterpart any
where in the history of this country.
There came to their aid a combination
which was ready to move at any hour
for spOils. The first depreciation was in
their own native county, when they
planned and executed the robbery of the
Liberty bank Their confederates were
Andy MCGUIRE, Archie Clemens and
Dick Burns. Mcclure received his
share of the money, stopped on his road
OuS of the country to talk to his sweet
heart, fell under her pleading, married
her, tarried to taste of the honeymoon
sweets and was Overtaken and hung up
to a tree. The next one to go was Arch
Clemens, who was riddled with buckshot
in the streets of Lexington by the militia
of Bacon Montgomery. Dick Burns
was killed by a party of harvesters a
short time after. The James brothers
were left. and at once began to recruit,
for their work was only
begun. The following is a list of the
league which had Jesse James as a
leader and Frank for a Lieutenant.
George Shepherd, Jim Reed, Bud Nc.
Daniels. Hobbs Kerry, Arch Mccoy,
John Younger, Ced Miller, Bill Chad
well, Berry, Charlie Pitts, Call, Jim and
Bob Younger, Tucker Basham and the
Ford bows. They scattered, and at va
riOus times in the season came together
to hear the report of each and renew
their VOWS. Shepherd participated in a
bank robbery at Lexington, KY. He
was arrested, convicted and served out
his sentence. He went into a scheme
when he came out to give the James
boys over to the authorities. He at
tempted, or claimed, to lead detectives
into the iungles where the James broth
ers were. He was shot, and came back.
He is living in Kansas City now. Jim
Reed, who was at the Gad's Hill train
robbery, was shot later on in Texas by a
Sheriff Bud McDaniels, who was at the
Glendale train robbery, rode into Kansas
City few nights after to give his sweet
heart some of the stolen property, and
was captured He escaped from jail
after a year, hid himself in thicket,
and was shot to DEATH refusing to sur
render. He had a Brother, Thomas
McDaniels, who was shot in Huntington,
w. Va, while trying to rob bank
Kerry confessed to the Otterville rob
berry, and is in the penitentiary. Berry,
who participated in a robbery on the
Union Pacific Road, was killed by a
Missouri Sheriff. Mccoy was killed in
Texas. John Younger killed Captain
Lull, of PinkertOn's Agency, who had
gone to Missouri to capture him. The
raid on the Mortified, Mimi, bank is
of recent date. Miller Caldwell, Pitts,
Call, jim and Bob Younger were there
1t was out of their country. The first
three were killed in the attempt
to escape; the Youngers were riddled,
but still live and are doing time
in the Minnesota State prison. Basham
and Ryan are in the Missouri peniten
tiary. The raids on banks in out Of the
way villages, the frequent railroad
train robberies out West, the sudden
flight of the perpetrators and their es-
cape, were for the most part planned and
executed by Jesse and Frank James.
The States of Missouri and Kansas
suffered from the work of the James
boys until immigration was checked
and business injured. The work of the
dare devils grew more frequent and
each time waxed more daring. The
present Governor of Missouri and the
managers of the various Western roads
met year ago and offered large re-
ward fOr-the capture of Jesse and Frank
James dead or alive The story of the
killing of Jesse James by one of the
Ford boys, at st. Joseph, No, last April,
is fresh in the mind of the average read
er. The Fords were living in Jesse's
house and Jesse was living there under
an assumed name. He was hanging up
picture one day, having laid by his
revolver for a moment, and was killed.
The assasslns, who had been his com
paniOns in all the crimes he had ever
committed, gave themselves up, were in
dicted, pleaded guilty, and were pardon
ed at once by Crittenden, the Governor
of Missouri. The killing Of Jesse by
those whom he had trusted, was the
final entering wedge of the disso-
luton. The only man out was Frank,
and then it was that he threw up his
hands, for ever since Jesse was killed
Frank has been busy seeking to make
negotiations looking to a surrender. He
has accomplished it. He was the younger
of the two. He was more reticent than
Jesse, who had the dash of Quantrell
The mother of the boy is living on her
farm yet in Clay county, where shelived
when her boys went out to join the band
of revenge. Somebody threw a hand
grenade in the window of her house a
few years ago. 1t exploded, blew off one
of her hands and killed her youngest
child. The mother was true to her chill
dren of the road, and took risks and
journeys to protect them. She shared all
of their revenges, and was always their
champion. When Jesse was killed she
at once began operations to have Frank
pardOned, and has succeeded.