The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-13
A JAMES'S AMBITION.
THE FORMER TRAIN ROBBER TAX
ING An INTEREST IN POLITICS.

nnd would Like 10 Hun the Police Force
or ~. Louis-Hia Work ns y ~Doorkeepor
or n Theatre, ana Averaion To Notoriety.
ST.. LOUIS, June 12.-If you should happen to
be in st. Louis some night during the theatrical
season and should drop into the Standard
Theatre. at Seventh and Walnut streets. you
would SEQ n tall, thin, rather elderly man stand
ing at the door. You will find him clad In sober
black, with a large black SLOUGH hat, creased in
tho middle and pulled down slightly TO shade
tho left side OF his face, which is thin al
most to emaciation. His nose is long and
sharp, his chin prottuding. his lips thin
and bloodless, closing tightly over his
teeth. A slight, dropping, grayish mustnche
does not serve to conceal their tirmncss.
Above all, his eyes will attract your attention.
They arc small and SGT close together. Their
color is a light blush gray. over them there
seems TO float a film which renders them Opaque
at times. and yet II he looks at you sharply there
will como = hard, cold CLINT into them that will
tell you their owner Is a safo customer to lot
alone when he is reused. Still, when tho lips
break into q smile these same eyes can twinkle
and dance with u mcrriment that Is magnetic.
They say In Missouri that this eye Is typical Of
men whose proudcst and most truthful boast is
that they have nerve but no nerves.
This man is Frank James, brother Of Jesse,
train robbcr and OUTLAW generally. Ho is door
keeper, and has been for three seasons past.
Col. James ]. Butler, politician and son Of tho
Democratic boss OF the town. Col. Ed Butler,
put him in this place. People fockcd to the
theatre Mt first Just to SEQ the old outlaw, but
the story became an old one by and by, and none
but strangers in the city took any particular
notice of the doortendcr. He comes and goes to
| his work rs regularly and soberly as any man
could, and holds his head high.
When Col. JaInes-cvery ono calls him Col.
| James now-surrendered twelve years ago and
stood his trials. ho settled down to face the
| world and earn n living. II was n hard tusscl for
a long time, but he had Troublesome of themin
high places, like Mayor John Edwards OF Kan
sas C%ity-and they kept him going whenever the
tide set against him. For a time he followed the
races, but as his only son grew up to manhood he
determined to get more substantial employment,
and with that end in view he came to st. Louis
and settled down with his wife and child. 1t
was then that he secured his place as door.
keeper in the theatre. Now. his rehabilitation
is complete So far as 1t is possible. He has OF
late dabbled more or less in politics. but, al
though he is a most pronounced Democrat, he
does not allow his employment at the theatre to
draw him into the circle Of politicians presided
over by the Buffers. At the party primaries he
fights the candidates of the old boss as earnestly
and in as outspoken a manner as though he
were thoroughly independent. In his hopeful
moments he sometimes thinks there Is a future
for him in politics. He has two ambitions. One
is that he may some day be made a Police Com
missioner, and the other that he may be Chief
of Police. One day he was standing in the
theatre lobby talking with some OF his friends
about the appointment of n new Chief of Police.
How would l do for that place = he asked
with u smile. No one knew exactly what to an.
swer. There was an embarrassing pause, and
then the old outlaw drew himself up and let
that hard CLINT into his eyes. For twenty
and guess l could do a little catching myself.
to realize the forbidding handicap under which
he labors. The newspapers of st. Louis are con.
t sE y TebSa1l Snd g it h nnne as 6 5hG s tsr9iSI8i and
why can't they leave me alone r. he cried
one day. after reading one of these references.
right thing. I've been working as hard and as
honestly as any man alive 10 earn an honest
give me a chance. But III tsIi You ihis"MHsnd
as he uttered the words. he took OF his hat and
an act in my lifo that 1 was ashamed of, and I
never stole a cent. They tried TO hang mo on
Col. James believes in personal liberty 1t
was this sentiment that drove him under the
Warfare at Which Missourians still shudder in
memory. 1t was this sentiment that made him
a hunted outlaw nd for tnhiS years; Now it has has
the most uncompromising enemy OF trusts and
corporations. In his eyes the country has gone
u lic uoSo.. - Nt'i oHis uih ANA
OF what he considers tho encroachments
n MON e1 peoplo G n. t eyes T5s fEanzs and G, his his T Som,
rises 10 a shrill treble. His views on this
loyalty to the stars and stripes. During the last
campaign when the Republicans had chosen the
American flag AZ the emblem OF their party and
the democrats were resisting and protesting
against their action as a usurpation. James
stood one night in a hotel haranguing a crowd OF
silvcritcs. He was urging every man to display
an American flag on the day set for this purpose
by the chairmen of both the Republican and
Democratic National committees.
stand ua addt4ti it.. It'll Be- I" the drst time I'm in thirty
: could help it. But it's all changed now.
, want to show these people that were Just as
The deepest concern that Col. James now has
in life Is over ecra hi H. boy; Just turning hFI -; Hs
=. i M%rr' the G average fash tnoi because oses ;" he T roaliz tas1 the
heritage that is LEFT him. BOT long ago he tried
to get him ffmPI9ymGnii ro He o finally !, s sac e e
, He couldn't understand the small salary. and he
laid i all 10 the trusts. ,
. emphasis. "a Niger was worth more that that
/, yes, sir. a niGger woman, Now here's IA boy
enough to live on. and then followed his cN
; planation of the causes for the change,
Although poor, James is proud. He is also
, modest. and refuses 10 take advantage in {
! monetary way Of his unwelcome notoricty; Twt
; years ago. after Steve BrOdie had made his sue
. cess on the stage, an effort was made to &c
. James 10 follow suit. but he stcadfastly refused
I Tom N M!aco' a VARIETY mr,n5 rn m MAJ a " {. m mad, On him nsn a.
r cially for him. tho principal incident Of whicl
! was to be n train robbery. James said he wa
I insultcd at the proposal.
. II could 90 on the stage" he said, "as
!, legitimate actor and make a success OF It,
! would be glad enough to do it, but I'm not goinl
D on to mako q show and sell my self'rcspect.'
James neither drinks nor smokes, He ncve,
. carries a weapon. He keeps away from place
= where, he thinks trouble is likely 10 occur. Onl!
: when he is reused TO a Rrea, state of excitemen
! does he use profanity. and then as soon AS h,
= = catches himself he tcmpers II with a Z" gol darn
u instead or tho real thing. lie has also bccomr
: quite studious. lie reads a great deal, and it /
: no uncommon thing to find him .on - the door o
4 the theatre, with n translation of Virgil or Homer
. reading it apparently with the kccnest enjoy
y ment In his leisure moments. lie Is n goo'
I talker and an entertaining man, but he rarel,
= speaks of the past, even TO his closest friends
? His illusions to his career after the war are fey
y and far between and always in general terms
Y He Is more prone to discuss incidents in his scr
y vice under Quantrcll during the rebellion.
TIE STRUGGLING YOUNG AUTHOR