The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1883-02-27
TIE DEEos or THE JAMES GANG.
A Catalogue OF Crimes for which the Ex-
Bandit, Frank, May be Called TO Ae-

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ahead to last until he is toerably Old
mau, even if his calculations OF acqui,tal or
pardon in each case prove well founded.
No sooner is he done with one Indictment
than out pops another from some dusty
pigeon-hole, like Jack out OF the box.
When he arrived in Independence, in
October last, with good send.of from our
eccentric governor, the only indic,-
ment known to be on file against
him in Jackson county, was :or
the robbery of the Independence bank,
But while his friends were dis.
cussing the question of bail their attention
was called to another grand jury document,
charging him with having assisted in the
murder OF one of PinkertOn's detectives, in
March, 1874, The prosecutions on these
two indictments were dismissed tor lack of
evidence, but before leaving the court-room
the lawyers agreed upon the fourth Mon
day IN May, for trial on Il third allotment,
alleging that be helped to rob Express
Messenger Fox OF 500 at Blue Cut in Seq
TENDER, 1881. In the absence of conclusive
evidence for the prosecution, Franks at.
tOrneys may easily clear him OF the simple
plea that the James boys never intention
ally tagged train bearing so small atreas
ure. 1t they succeeded in doing this, jack
son county may stiil claim the illustrious
defendant on two other charges; one for the
Glendale express robbery in the fall of 1879,
when the gang made haul OF So 900, and
one for the dashing raid on the gate keeper
OF the Kansas CITY far some years earlier,
when seven armed men rode oil with
the box COncalning the gate money for
the big day Of the far, amounting to nearly
$4,000,
james could readily furnish the $3.50
bail required for his apposrancein May, but
there are several reasons Why he dare not
venture out from his comfortable quarters
at the Independence Jail, One is that the
authorities o. Davies count. seem eager to
arraign him on an indictment for the MUIR
der of Captain Sheets, the Gallatin bank
cashier, who was shot down by
one Of band of daylight rob-
bers in December 1869 The railroad viii
lage OF Winstonyil!e, where Conductor
Wesliall and stone-mason named McCul-
loch were murdered by train ROBBERS one
warm night in July, 1881, is also in Davies
county. The killing OF these three men is
generally believed TO have been The work OF
Jesse James. Yet Frank is in no hurry to
face DaViess county jury,
In his native county OF Clay there has
long been desire to clear up the mystery
Of the Liberty bank robbery, which dates
back to February, 1866, ard Melted the free
hooters, whoever they were, $1,000. A
farmer named Askew, neighbDr Of the
Jameses, who was suspected Of having pi-
loted night raid of Pinkerton's men 70
their home, was shot on his own porch on
the night of April u, 1875, by three men
hidden behind the wood-pile.
In Pettis county is lt,rvillc the scene
OF the Missouri Pacific train robbery in
July, 1876, and the amount of the booty
was $1,000. Rumors connecting Frank
James with this enterprise may require in
vestieation by the county authorities.
In Wayne county party OF robbers, be-
lieyeo TO have been the James gang, sig.
nailed train of the Iron Mountain road ii
Gads Hill at dusk on the last day OF Janu
airy, 1874, robbed the passengers, emptied
the express messenger sale, riiled the mail
bags and rode off with nearly $4,000 that
did not belong to them.
It seems certain that the ex.bandit
will be arraiened in the Mis-
ing completely IN the loregoing
oileAses, aud there may be number of pre-
cincts Yet to hear irom--not on tangible
evidence. perhaps, but on the fact that ali
these raids, with the possible exception o.
the liberty Bank robbery, are marked by
the unique and incisiye methods of the
baud IN which he was leader. Charges Of
impeding or robhing the mails may also be
pressed against him.
A number of other states are watching
for an opportunity TO put in their requisi
lions. Kentucky wants to hear what he has
to say about the Russellville bank robbery
III March, 1868. and about the transaction.
i'll Adair county, town OF ColumbiS, it
April, 1872, when profane and noisy gang
OF ruilians rode OFF with the cash drawer OF
the Deposit bank, after shooting Cash el
Martin through the brain for refusing [,
give up the combination of the safe.
A bank ROBBERY at Huntington, in April
1876, causes the authorities of West Viz
ginia to feel certain interest in the eX.
bandit, and the Arkansas travellers who
were relieved of their cash at Games
Place, on the stage route from Malvern tC
Hot Springs, in January 1874, would also
like to know whether he is one of the horse
fiddlers who mulcted them to such lively
tune that day.
Wynando county, i'll Kansas, is still Won
dering whether Frank was among the dash
ing robbers who got S5000) in gold dus
and bullion out ct an express car on Ia,
Kansas Pacific railroad ~ Murcie. in De
ce nber, 1865, Trained in the same schoo
were the land pirates who in Iowa, on Jun,
IS, 1878. robbed the Corydon bank of
large sum, aid few weeks later drtche(
the locomotive of train on the Chicago
Rock island & Pacific roat
! in order TO plumber the express car and rol
the passengers. A very dangerous requisi
ton is likely to come from Minnesota
| The robbers got nothing bu' bullets by thei
raid on the bank at Mortified, in iha
state, on September Z, 1876, when the,
killed Cashier Haywood, wounded Assis
tant Cashier Bunker, and killed u Norwe
gian in the street. Two OF the robber,
Cha-lie Pitts and Bill Chandwell, were sho
| dead in front of the bank by inmriateC
citizens, Alter a hot pursuit of two weeks
Clell Miller and the three noted Younger
were surrounded in thicket and lir
opened upon them, by nearly 100 men
| Clell Mi Ter was killed; the YOUNGER
were captured, more dead than alive
and are now serving lie-terms in the Still
water penitentiary. Frank and Jesse Jane
made good their escape. Possibly no com
potent witness now living could swear posi-
lively that Frank James took part in tina
disastrous days work, and he might evcl
produce unimpeachable witnesses to prov
an alib.
Did Frank James really take part in al
the outrages land at his door? Probabl,
not, in all of theul, possibly in even
smaller number than is generally supposed
Among border desperadoes the James an
ioungers have had many imitatois, bu
rarely a successful one. From first to las
their work is Enthusiastically stamped wit
Their own trade mark. BUT nobody knows
and nobody ever will know, in Just wha
exploits individual members of the bar,
bore hand, Frank James probabl
weighed all the chances closely before SUI
rendering himself into the clutches