The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1894-06-27
+ BROKE THEM UP.
A Full HI story of How Tom Crit
tenden Exterminated the
lanes Gang.
z 1And How The Misrepresentation Of
His Plans BIighted His
Career.
It Kept Him from Being a Senator
and Lost Him the Mex
lean Mission.
But the Unfortunate Error Was
Righted Eight Years
AfterWard.
IS NOW IN MEXICO.

As Ex-Governor T. Il. Crittenden, o.
Missouri is Cloverport boy the follow.
ing sketch from the New York Herald
: will prove of interest to our readers:
1t was in little group of Western pol
iticans in an up town hotel, few even.
ings ago, that one of them, Missourian
remarked Actively:--"It is odd tina,
one Of the most courageous pnblic &C.
tions since the war should have served
to blight the political career of perhaps
the ablest man west of the Missouri riv-
err. Stranger STILL" added the Missouri
an, shat the story should never have
found its way into print refer to the
break up OF the Jesse James gang by
Governor Crittenden and the curious
Nemesis which his brave act became in
the Governors subsequent career. 1t in
wolves the inside story Of the end of that
famous gang which in its entirety has
never been told"
The speaker was w. A. Anderson,
formerly prominent attorney in Kan
sas City, now OF New York.
The party was all attention, and
through cloud of fragrant smoke the
Missourian told his story. Fr
"To begin at the tail of things, as l
usually do, when Grover Cleveland was
first chosen President, Governor Critten-
den was a candidate for the Mexican
. Mission. His case was presented to the
President by the two Missouri Senators,
Vest and Cockrell. They told of the
Governors eminent services, not alone
to the Democratic party, but to the state
and to the west, as we'll. The President
heard them patiently to the end, and
turning abruptly said:
~ will never appoint to Office man
who has contracted for the life of
human being. l cannot make the ap-
pointment you DESIRE
"The Presidents reply Senator Vest
communicated to Governor Crittenden
in a remarkable letter. Any one who
knows the Governor knows thst his
dignity and pride are hardly less prom
inent characteristics than his upright
ness and courage. 1t was this that had
led him to bear in silence all the calum-
ny which had been heaped upon him by
his political enemies, and he had little
disposition to undertake to refute the
SANDER then. Senator Cockrell had
haau hiu fOrpanr la ~ M md SonakAr
Vest had been his friend from his youth
in Kentucky. They knew as well as lie
that the poison which had taken root ia
the Presidents mind was absolutely
groundless and he felt that refutation
was their office and not his. In digni-
fed, but still indignant, letter he replied:
II will never stoop to refute SO base a
SANDER. Any honorable man would
never be guilty OF such an action as the
President believes that was guilty of,
and any man who knows me knows that
would be the last to think OF such
thing
whether it was because the Governor
stood in direct line of succession to one
OF the Scholarships or what know not
But at any rate, neither OF the Missouri
Senators ever took upon himself the
office of which the Governor believed
was their duty, and the latter's reply was
never communicated to the President.
The result was that the friendship of
long standing between the Senators and
.he Governor was abruptly broken and
the breach was only healed at very re-
cent day. Eight years interviewed and
Cleveland again returned to office. The
suggestion was made to the Governor
that he again seek the Office and that the
President be appraised of the truth. He
spurned the suggestion, of course. But
his action became known to his life long
friend, Secretary Carlisle, and the latter
went to the President and told him the
whole story. The Mexican Mission had
already been filed, but the next day
Governor Crittenden received word OF
his appointment as Consul General to
the city Of Mexico, which position he
now holds.
BREAKING UP THE JAMES GANG.
$50 much for bit OF political history.
Now for the inside story of the killing OF
Jesse James and the break up Of his no
torious gang. When Governor Crittend-
60 took Office in 1881, the chief step he
had determined on was TO rid the state
Of these outlaws. please God he said,
4 will make this state as safe TO dwell in
a. New York or Massachusetts,. The
undertaking was not so easy one rs il
might appear. And what II meant to
the state Of Missouri can only be com