The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-12
WINSTON TRAIN ROBBERY
The Story of Plumber and Murder
Told by a Participant.
Clarence Hite Makes a Confession-OnIy Five
Men Concerned in the Robbery
Waiting for an Opportunity.
Kansas City Special.

Police Commissioner II. Il. Craig, to whom
Clarence Hite, the noted train-robber, made
a confession before his death in the Missouri
penitentiary, consented to give the reporters
the document, which is one of great i'm
portance. Your correspondent succeeded
in securing the confession and Hite's YER
sion of the Winston robbery is given
herewith. In speaking of this robbery Hite
says;
when the robbery was planned at Mrs.
SamuelS's there were present Jesse James,
Frank James, Dick Liddell my brother Rob-
ert Wood Hite and myself We five were
the only ones engaged in the robbery. l do
not know where my brother is now. 1 last
saw him in last November, at home. His
name is Robert Wood Hite. He left home
without saying where he was going. We
robbed he train about one month after the
robbery was planned We went there once
before to do it, but all got wringing wet, and
Jesse caught the toothache out IN the woods,
and his face swelled up so he could hardly see,
and we gave it up for the time being,
and Jesse got a man who lived half
mile from the Hannibal and ST.
Joe railroad to take him to Hamilton
in buggy. He had large flock of sheep,
and his house was long way from the
fence. jesse took the train at Hamilton and
in the buggy to Hamilton. 1t was about
three miles. As you go east the man lived
on the right-hand side. Jesse told me he
paid the man $3.50 to haul him
to town. When the party first left Mrs.
Samuels's, jesse, Frank, Dick Liddell and my
brother rode down to Ray county to Mrs.
Bottoms, and l came on to Kansas City to
get some newspapers and cartridges. got
them and went down to Ray county to Mrs.
Bottoms. l got there one night, and left
there next morning for Richmond Mo. and
then left for Plattsburg, Mo. Frank,
Jesse, Dick and my brother went on
horseback to Gallatin. l went to Platts-
burg to get a bill changed, and then
took the Rock Island train for Gallatin. We
all then went out in the woods and had
talk. They got on their horses and rode to
Kidder, and got on the train and went
there. | went on the train because had no
horse. When the party was at Mrs. Bottoms
her three children and Charles Ford, Captain
Ford, Robert Ford and another Ford, a
great big fellow, were there Neither the
Ford boys nor Dr. Samuels or his wife or
their son knew what was brewing when the
party was at Gallatin. They staid out in the
woods After Jesse was put on the cars |
rode his horse, and Frank and Dick led my
brothers. We went down near Mirable,
and from thence to Mrs Samuels's and back
and Frank went from there to Mrs. Bottoms
My brother got GU the train and went to
Mrs Samuels's.
THE gang came back again to Mrs. Sam
uels's before going to Winston. 1t is about
thirty-five or forty miles from Mrs. Sam
uels's to Winston. When we started to
Winston we left the Sunday night before the
robbery About s o'clock we went above
Plattsburg about six miles. The first night,
a few miles from Mrs Samueis's we met a
man riding a horse whom Jesse said he
knew, named Peder. We arrived at the
point about PlaJtsDurg at daylight. We
laid down in the woods and went to sleep.
We slept till about sunrise. We then
crossed the Rock Island road and went close
to little town and Dick and myself went
in and bought some candy and stuff. Dick
had a shoe put on his horse This was
on Monday morning. The rest went on out
side of the town and stopped. We went
through the edge of Cameron and Frank my
brother and myself went up to an oats-ield,
pulled down some shocks and laid down,
while Jesse and Dick went into town and
bought some sausage. ETC., and looked at the
Rock Island train. We then slept until day
light. Jesse and Dick came and walked us
up about II o'clock and they then went past
us down into the woods, hiding around
Cameron We then went on close to Came
ron and stayed in the woods till late in the
evening, and then went on to Winston
Frank and myself went on through to Win
ston, and the rest came on afterwards We
all went down in some woods below Win
ston, and that night Tuesday, Frank and
myself went back to Winston and got some
thing to eat We went back then to where
the rest were and slept till morning Frank
and myself then went above Winston about
five miles northeast, and had our horses shod.
We all then went up near Cameron, intend
ing to rob the train there, but there We're too
many people got on, and We went back in
the woods and slept all night The 18th we
got up before sunrise. The 14th we went to
Gallatin. That night we intended to rob the
train at Gallatin, but we hitched our horses
TOO far away and the train passed. Friday
morning we got up about 8 O'clock. Frank
and myself went together Jesse and my
brother went together. and Dick by himself
We went 10 Winstan Thursday night We
staid about one and a half miles from Gala
tin. We got to Winston Sunday and went
into town after htching our horses three
quarters of mile out in the woods east of
Winston. The horses were hitched on
the south side of the road. The
horse | was riding Jesse and Dick
got from some one near Kearney They
stole it one Sunday night, Jesse was riding
bay horse belonging to Jones Samues
Frank was riding little bav mare belonging
to a man in Ray county. Dick Liddell was
of Lamartine Hudspetch and sold back
again. My brother was riding bay horse
about nine years old that Frank and Dick
got near Vibbard, in Ray county.
I'VE were at Winston when the train came
along. Jesse was our captain, and our rela-
tons were as follows Frank James, Jesse
James and my brother got on the smoking
car, and Dick and myself got on the front
platform of the express car. The under
standing was that Dick and myself as soon
as Jesse or Frank should pull the bellrope,
were to climb oyer the coal and pull down
on the engineer and fireman and make them
obey orders. AS soon as they rang the bell,
which was before we reached
the bridge, we climbed over the
coal and made them stop the train. The
understanding was that we were to stop the
train anyway before reaching the bridge.
Jesse, Frank and Wood were to go in and
rob the car. At the first stoppage Frank ran