The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-11-22
THE BANDITS HEART.
ps1k Wells Bsss~asAs ~ 20 = N~A-
teal College fer Dtssse<stsa-The
sksBesss. 0esvs sd ne1p~ss
rosnA N she CsAas~r - &C. 10
the uusAsnA 81 His D4vesceA
WBfe--ose OF the Jsaes CANS.

Ter part ~ &srs~n per. In hss will he BE-
cseafh~T hts body 10 the medical college
for dsssecSing purposes He stipulated.
hanever. thai enc heart and skeleton. "a
vel a. the bullets ia nis body. should 50
. kFoers WArn>ke. who married Wells
divorced wife Walls claimed stsss sss had
peen ssos seventeen fsrnss. an6- that fbe
tuslefs were stu IN the body.
FMS career OF the d<sp~rnto was Thrill
sng and picturesque. His fuIleuanfe ~as
Charles Porn wesss. and he -v4s 80 yesrs
osd ss ste tIrna OF his death. ffe was z
son Of Col. loan E. Wells. of Mexicsn ~Ar
fame. ore OF the pioneer -eftifts OF Bs-
ehanan county. 40. OF whirfi g.. 1oseN
- me county ga lie fssearn~ fne mos
vsekses~ ard aarsag criminal tssas ever
operaf~t IA Northwestern Missouri or
Iowa when ne Was sorfy WARS old Ms
mother d.e-s. ard ne aftsvwara attributed
rs crimes 70 the Influences OF MS step
mother. She came on the scene TWO years
after hfs xIsofhsrs deaah. asri- when hs
was only Il ne ran away from the Oh
homestead where ne va~ ooru- al Rush
Wis, near ST. Joseph he r~rnsIned IN the
latter city as wa.Ee snd accumulated
enough money by doing odd i0ir to buy "A
cowboys outfit lie then started for The
pains 70 simulate Buffalo Bill .ss
franslernnan and scout
lie fell Into vicious associations at the
years and became tire associate and boon
companion OF the worst characters who
infested that portion Of the Wild West.
ate won fame. nevertheless AN Indian
fighter from the British sfamln'on 10 the
no Pecos. IN New Mexico. and from the
Missouri river TO the Pacific coast. He
zas twice captured bs the redskins. and
only escaped burning at the stake by the
timely aid of friends he was ia several
expeditions against the Indians with Buff
fato Eitl and Kit Carson. and the latter
comps:menief his splendid craftsmanship
and great courage by presenting 10 him
anesy polished httckhosn-handl~si hunting
knife. Wells preserved the weapon till hts
death as a memento of his early strug
giles on this plains.
Tsriug Of hts adventures and hair
breadth escapes he returned to ST. Jos
sph early in 1859 On March of that
year no was married there 10 Miss Jennie
Wilson Sire died about "a year later. In
iSi2 Wells returned 10 his old homo AT
Nashville, and WAS soon afferward mar
RED 20 Miss Nora Wilson his first wife's
cousin. He then seriously determined 10
reform and lead quiet life. He opened
grocery store. but. becoming involved
Ia litigation Aoon lost all FITS property
aud grew n,oro~c and discouraged, On
January l. 1875. he left hia wife and Ia by
with hi. sister aud went hack 10 his old
ard Wild life, promising to return some
daE when he was Ia better circumstances
necunisrily Hts wife kissed him good
rs and said she would wait.
Two years later Wells returned pros
porous prnIteut. and reformed. only go
ind that his wife had In the meantime
taken uu with another man Al Narneke
and Was living with him The little boy
baby VAS dead. Wells was astonished
AT his good resolutions We're at once
"A
he aid not make II hot for Warnoke, he
phslosoahically replied:
oh. Warreke was hzrd-working
young fellow. and 1 determined not 10
tnt.rf~rs. gave the woman who might
have been the making OF ms 800. and
kissing her goodby rode away-to my
DOOM
II was in May. isss that Wells COM
rnitted the first highway robbery Then
followed two express train rohherses
fnrss hank fohberieE. aud several stage
coach hofdups. With two companions he
once rode IN Pullman ear through An
afsws county. in Northwestern Missouri
With three Pinkerton officers who were
ora the search for him. Conductor Hem
ingway OF the train pointed Wells out
10 them. but no finished the Journey
from Council fsIusrs 10 st. Joseph unmo-
Tested. THE cool nerve and daring he
usually exhibited we're his hest protest
OF u was only a week before that he
bad robbed the Princeton. Iowa hank in
bread daylight. shooting the cashier and
getting away with several thenSsnd dol
lsrS
Neiir next appeared ~ ittie town
81 Northern Missouri where Miles or
tons cirrus vas giving an exhibition Tie
sissidsd TO rob the treasury box and the
ticket wagou by placing couple of
shooting irons against the nose OF the
ticket seller Wells said however. that
Re was deferred from the robbery on
observing nrtnn'N admitting quite a mum
Ter at peer people into the show free
That might Wells stopped al a farm
hossse several miles from town. tfis dar-
sng exploits wsre already Well known.
and Wslis Mas lpnkei Oh as something
81 ogre. Afisr supper he was left
wiane with two little twin girls. who be-
cam. involved in quarrel The mother
threatened thar II they did rot behave
sho would give them both 10 Polk Wells.
not dreaming that the bandit WAS then
t,es guest. The children promised Co he
koesi As long a. they Mere not given 20
Wells. After the mother bad stepped
snta another room Wells took the little
olses on his Knee and rocked them 20
steep after having convinced them that
Polk Wells wasn't such ar awful had
faaa after all. lie asserted IN telling
the story that this little experience uIled
ifim With rculorse and shame, Tor he
lowed eHlisiten and always manifested a
Renerous disposition toward them.
in the Srrsnx OF Issl wetss nes and iotnes
the notcstosF Jexse and FRANK James. theT
ogs~rattrx With marked SUCCESS through
eat Western Missouri VIII them h.
lseipsd IA hesa Up and rob a t%faicaso Rock
Island a Pacific train cfs Friday evening
July ~ iSSi The train 1ssr Kansas CITY
thss nssht win passengers and abou
s. se ~ espTv~s money. Arriving ar Win
ston. seoas forty Sais~s out. the Jane
xanS stopped IL. boans ana gagged ~,
express nsssSen ger. sEs to-A ths xsossa ans
efh~r vaissasass. Tsse passengers were shes
rfsstsfersd and William Ae~tfs5L the con
dssssor. VAS hfutaliy murdered. T1seu
wrrs saveV IN ths xanr ana Polk We'll
wss one 90 Tho raost active II was 80
NeStfsifs murder that Frank James w
sfts~i and acquitted after ne amFFcndeFes
about scar later
The nsxt train robbery that Wells par
sissnafea An was the holding ~ Of ~.
sAsfeeans s>nacago & Aifoa pAS$e57ge
train near Glendale. Mo. IN Septcsnhef
t<st. Thts = kuesn as ts@ Blue cut rob
eess. having osCaFrasa Al a station 81 TIA
nsnss ros f@s from Kansas gstv WIFI
hssnk Jsrtes VAS sae arstVe leader ia IN
WtmSsca rcseery, Jesse James ws< a. ga
bead az she Biee IA. SaR~. with Poi
Weiis as 1ast - Nh&Txe. Bg Wis Rsu
sas robbery tAe sang secured hos,rf
amounting - about s5ssa About 81 y,
Vas sas.ss fron ire express car and f,.Yf
s@a from the pa~seuEets sra xy,s,
~strhs~ diamond strftaG~ brooches nm.
ether 3eMssrg Naisssva Sf about s. 30 er,
seeas~s. There were seven coaches load
- vita Passenger. ssit not enc ~ fAes,
ga rea - nrer srx rxsfss Ssses
rotA webs Kftersara zgs,saExa "a Kan
>sas city alsns Cracked a safe ara 81
as.aas g sa Ma nsxs shaMs-t ~ az -.