Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-07-01
A RIDE TO JESSIE JAMES, OLD HOME


Excelsior Springs, Mo-, June 13.
My friend Smith and myself decided
that we must see the birthplace OF the
wonderful Jessie James. So we hired
team, for there is no use OF starting
out to go any distance with one horse,
in this hilly country, that is If YOU ever
calculate to get there, for you are con-
tinually going up and down hill. Most
OF the farmers here travel on horse
back, (women and all often two on one
, horse. We left our beautiful valley
town about one o'clock D. m, and climb
ed up n winding road to the top OF the
hill, from which point the scenery Ia
grand, you can see the hills for miles
around, which are nearly all green ut
this time OF the year. Here and there
we saw large droves of cattle pasturing
on the hill side. These cattle are much
larger than the eastern cattle. Take
one OF Wood county's fat cattle, place
it beside one OF Missouri's at about
eighty rods from the road, passer-by
would think they were COW and calf.
After we had travelled several miles on
this crooked road, lit is both crooked
up hill and down and sideways) and
after making all kinds of crooks and
turns, we commenced to get bewilder-
ed, and wished we had brought guide
along with us, for we were guessing at
our road most of the time but stuck to
the road that was most travelled, and at
last met a man who informed us that
we were all right and that we should
stick to the main read until we got
there. He could not tell us the direc-
tion to take, for the road is so crooked
that it don't run in any direction. Some
people say that it is the old track OF
cyclone, others think that il used to be
an old path used by Jessie James while
lodging away front the detectives. /
think it is Jessie's old path, which ac-
counts for it being so crooked. We ar
rived at our destination at last, we
knew the place by the sign board in
front of the gate, which read: "Stran-
gers twenty-five cents. We went in
and met Jessie's old mother, who was
very much pleased to see US. First she
told us about the sign in front of the
gate and we went down in our pockets,
then she told us some of the wonders OF
the place, among other things she
showed us piece of the shell of the
bomb which the detectives threw into
the house, and which killed her little
boy, also took off Mrs. James left hand.
After she had showed US the sights,
she 8 It down and commenced to gossip.
One of us entertained her while the
other went ont doors and stole pieces
Of rotten wood and leaves for relics.
,lessic's grave is in the front yard and
has very neat monument about seven
feet high. The yard is very neat and
is full of flowers, in which the OLD lady
takes great deal of pride. The house
is an old log house with siding on the
outside and is none the better for use
as it has been built for fifty years. The
chimney is huge affair being four
feet one way and five the other, think
that Fatty Lemons" OF Toledo must
have been acting the part of Santa
Claus when this chimney was built.
This chimney is as large at the top
us it is at the bottom and extends about
three feet above the roof, it is all made
of Line stone rock and is the same XII
of rock that our Pennsylvania friend is
quarrying out at Lime City.
Some people in the east might think
that this is u dry climate but you can i'm
agine how dry it is when the pole fence
along the road is growing, nearly all of
the poles have sprouts on them from
one inch to six inches long. This fence
was built last winter.
A. j. BRoWNSBERGER.
Last fall 1 was taken with kind