The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-04-26

James u not Dead.
81O Wi6o'D Doninl and 8ls lCothae'o
8vasion OF IN Important ouoo-
ton. Was Il Q Job 70 Obtain
the 1OWard?- ?-0ovoenoe
0t1tto0d0n.

~ 0Oe DEAD, ana gives h10 reasons at
length. The reporter asked him, do
yeu know the James boys?" He replied,
"How long have you known them?''
II have known them since 1851"
Are they ~ bed men ~ they are Ne
ported to be?" "As to that I canuOt
thing about the alleged murders and
f;'1 : ;ca4 "aee e.aS ssx eeses on
that subject?'' "Well, the general inn
preston in Missouri seems 70 be that
they are, to . certain extent, guilty Of
many of the outrages with which they
III it II not impertinent, Colonel,
may I ask you how long it has been
since you saw the James boys?'' "Well,
it hes been about three months since l
saw Jesse. / have not seen Frank for
about = year,"
''Where was Jesse when you saw him
last?''
I'm jackson county"
''C0lonsi, what do you know about
the alleged killing Of Jesse few days
ego in st. Joseph, M0.?" "Allsged iy .
good way to put it; but, really, l do not
know anything except what l have read
in the pspers."
NOT JESSE JAMES.
'.Il0 you believe that 1t was Jesse
James that Was killell?" IL am satisfied
that it WAS not Jesse James that was
killexl."
"Why do you think thus?'' BE
cauxe Il n not like Jesse James to 90 to
st. Joe, . city Of 5.l, ,OOO inhabitants, and
live. That h, do not believe he would
70 to any town "r city with . view Of
staying there himself Then you take
all the publjshed accounts Of the killing,
the evidence Of his Identification, and 1t
10 decidedly . very weak story. In the
6Ist placo, this was the first time that
he was ever accused Of horse stealing In
Missouri. He could not afford to steal
q horse, because the hOrve would besure
toGjvo him away; besides, when . man
loses . horse in Missouri, he and his
neighboEu turn out and they never stop
until he thief y captured Or killed In
the attempt and the horse got lack.
Thea take the circumstances Of his kill
inG; Il b n0teoaoonab)e 70 suppose that
JeSse James, Who had learned to doubt
every human being ON earth, except bis
mother. brother and wife, would dis
ann himself and put two well-arnled
men, although belonging to his gang,
between himself and his arms, when he
knew there WAS price Of 80, ,OOO ON his
head, dead or alive. And beside that,
he knew that men who had been with
him-men whom he had known for
years, too-were betraying him every
day. No, sil; that h not Jesse James.
Then We are told by the Ford brothers,
that he and his wife had separate sleep.
ing apartments. Why should they?
Then they tell W that one Of them had
been with Jesse but few weeks, and
he disarmed himself and put them be-
tween himself and his arlns"
''COlOuel, does the description given
compare favor.bly with Jesse'' ''O"'y
toler.b!y WE'LL"
"Are there any other reasons that
lead Won to doubt that the murdered
man was Jesse James?'' ''Oh, yes. YOU
zee the authorities did not call In any
one whom the country recognizes ~
cOmpetent. especially Us MissOurians,
! who were not Interested parties either
| in the reward or in Jesse himself TO
! identify the body. You zee that neither
Jesse's father-in:law nor any of his
vife's people were summoned or re-
ouested to identify the body; nor was
| his stel,-fisther, Dr. Samuels, nor anyone
else that Is known to beacquainted with
! "But his wife says that it was Jesse. 8"
| "If you have read the published ac-
counts YOU will, perhaps, recOllect that
Mt first she denied that is vas jesse
IN e.. Subsequently she said 1t was
him. That she should have played her
! ,mrt well is not strange. tell you no
one has identified him except those In
! tereste.l in the work."
| .Rut his mother said it was Jesse. "
"Nfrs. Samuels, his mother, Is y very
shrewd woman. Sho Is the very wo-
man Of all women who do that. But
call vOur attention to the fact that when
! she was asked ut the inquest II that was
her SON Jesse, she replied: Would to
l;Ud il were not So you see she ev~ded
n direct and positive answer. tell you,
sir. that the man murdered In st. ice,
and paln,ed of for Jesse James, Is
fraud. It il not Jesse James: No doubt
but somebody was killed; who, ! have
no idea, hut venture that 1t Will not
he a month before the country will l,e sat
isfied that It was not Jesse James"
DENOUNCED AS AN OUTRAGE.
"What do you think of the means
adopted to capture Jesse ana FRANK
Inn,es:.'' II think It an Outrage, and
ne detrimental to good order and law ~
any of the alleged crimes Of the James
I.ovs. inst a. hurtful to the State. II
th:. Governor can put . price on the
The the head of an alleged outlaw, and have
him killed for money, at the same time
nublishing to the world thai the law Of
f;ccrs Of tie State are poweriess to ex'
...ute the processes Of the court, 1t }:
nls,ut time f,r all good citizens to get
",,t 0f the State and warn all honest pet'
nle from going into it. Gov. Crittends en-
had no more right to offer reward i"'
the body Of Jesse James. dead or aHve
, than he had for yours. The for''
ought to be hung. and the Governor %