Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-07-25

of the twenty-one wounds l bear. But,
notwithstanding this, | still wanted to
return home, and in 1875 number of
my friends proposed an act in the legis-
lature granting me amnesty. l only
asked that my war record be forgiven,
as I was willing to. stand a trial on any
charge that might be brought against
me.
"The amnesty bill failed by three votes.
Whatever has occurred since was due to
this failure, as it maze me a virtual out
law, tho in fact / have never been form
ally outlawed, and never, until after the
Mortified affair, was there a price on
my head or an Indictment against me.
My failure to receive those three votes in
the legislature was because of the Gala
tin bank robbery, it having been charged
that I was there, though l could have
brought scores of witnesses to prove that
was not there, but was in Texas. Out
side of the Mortified affair, no man can
lay a single crime to my door; there is no
blood Oh my hands.
''The Mortified affair occurred in the
summer Of 1876, and a most foolish piece
of business it was / first opposed it but
my advice was overTuled. Yet the plan
was not conceived before we LEFT Mis-
souri,, nor was robbery our purpose when
we went to Minnesota. When we arrived
there our party consisted of eight men.
Seven of us left Missouri by train. At
Council Bluffs we met my brother Jim,
who had been in California for two or
three years and where at the time / still
thought he was; the meeting was a sur
prise TO both of us. Learning that we
were going north on a pleasure trip he,
after d little urging, consented to go with
us. Each man of us had several hun
dred dollars in his pocket and our trip
was merely one of pleasure among the
Northern lake resorts. We visited sew
eTai of these resorts and everywhere we
were taken for wealthy visitors from the
South, as we were well dressed, well be-
haved and spent our money freely.
''The Mortified robbery was more a
creature of circumstances than anything
else, and whisky and gambling was " hat
led to It. Some of the boys got to drink
ing and gambling for high stakes, and
we soon realized that we were long
way from home and almost out of
money. 1t was then that some member
of the party suggested that we rob a
bank. After q preliminary survey of
the surrounding towns, Mortified was
finally selected. Having purchased
some horses, we rode into Mortified
about noon on September Z, 1876. At
2 O'Clock we dashed up the street
on horseback and halted in front of the
bank. Bob, with two others, enteFed
the bank and the rest of us remained on
the outside, and, while firing our revolt
ers into the air, ordered the people to gets
off OF the street. We did not shoot to hit'
anyone, our object being simply TO scare
the people and gain our end by a suddttpj
dash. But the plan did not work and
from the windows of the surrounding
houses the shot began to pour into us;
two of the men were soon shot off their
horses and Jim and myself were
wounded. As the shots that were
fired at Us began to grow in volume
and as two of our party were dead, l
rode up-tO the bank door and shouted to
the boys on the inside to come out as
the game was up. At that time Bob and
another of the boys came out of the
house and then just as the third man !
came running out we heard g pistol I
shot in the room but gave no heed to4t,
as we supposed no one was hurt but orr
selves. While on the retreat the man q
who came out last told us that he hadgl
shot the cashier, who was getting hrs
revolver to begin fire on us. This man /
was killed when we were surrounded sat
Madelia, being shot through the heart.
LAS soon as Bob came out of the5bBhlSa,j
he got on his horse, but Immediately !
they were shot, the horse falling to the
ground. l then took Bob up behind me
and we galloped out of town, leaving two
of our party lying dead in the street. |
Then came the long pursuit of two weeks |
over a terrible section of country. The |
whole country was against us, and we |
had soon to abandon our horses ana the |
roads and take to the woods. All of us |
were badly wounded and our sufferings |
during that terrible chase are awful to |
think about Bob had received a bullet |
IN his hip and could hardly travel, and I |
had to nurse him great deal Of the time. |
Finally we decided to separate, the two
men who eventually escaped pushed |
ahead while myself and jim remained to
nurse Bob and the other man, who was
also badly wounded. Our situation was
seyiOus, all badly wounded and suffering
from hunger while an army of men sur
rounded us.
''Then came the capture near Ma
leila. We were all exhausted. Bob
lad four wounds, lin seven or eight
md I eleven. The other man was
killed at the first fire when the officers
us. 1 thought it useless to
'esist any longer, and calling out 10
hose who were closing in on us I told
hem that we were shot to pieces and
wanted to surrender. Now, he con-
,Iuded, you know the whole story, iu
he subsequent trial you are not inter
,sted, and our presence here gives you
he result.
81 questioned him, - said Mr.. Threl-
-eld, Gas to who the men killed were
nd what was the names of those who es-
aped But this he refused to tell me,
kept that of the eight men engaged,
My he and his brothers were now alive
yes, he said that Frank James was not
here, but would give me no answer other
han what told you when 1 asked him
bout Jesse.
'After talking TO him 4 little longer I
Oncluded to go over to the prison post
flee to see jim, who IS the postmaster
lie has not yet been deposed by the new
administration, though l have heard that
e is n good Democrat.
Concerning the robbery Jim would
OF talk much of his being there, he said
nat it was matter of strange chance,
nat he had been ont to California and