The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-24
He MET JESSE JAMES.
The Outlaw Did Not Like the Way
The Stranger Stared at Him.


New York Sun: 81 have seen some
very bad men do some pretty good
things" remarked Tom Wilkinson. the
of the bad men l ever knew had a
streak of women in them, and most Of
them were believers in premonitions
One hot summer afternoon in 1878 /
was talking with jeff BrunSetter over
the counter of his grocery store in
Leavenworth, Kan. Jeff had been with
Quantrelrs gang of guerillas during
the war. He did not belong to the bad
class, but he had held his own in d
few gun plays since the war and he
never took the worst of it. We We're
old friends and I had stopped off at
LeavenWorth to see him for the first
time in several years. Well, 1 was
nibbling at Jeff'S barrel of dried apples
when a well set-up man with a thick
eyes, and wearing a linen buster that
reached almost to his heels, strolled in.
Hello, jeff said he, darling a swift
glance at BrunSetter.
Hello yourself said Jeff, who was
pretty quick at getting next to a situa-
ton. Come back and sit down. Then
he turned to me. Excuse me for a
while, old man, viii your he said
Just then I couldn't see through Brun-
an old friend for the first man who
came in and I was a little sore over it.
But / nodded and walked to the front
Of the store and stood in the doorway.
Jeff and the stranger in the linen
buster went to the rear of the store
and sat down on couple of bags of
corn and seemed to be having a great
hugger-m uggering time of it for ten
minutes or so, while 1 waited in the
doorway. 1 didn't very well know what
to make Of the game, and watched the
pair rather curiously. Finally the
stranger in the linen buster got up
from the bran sack and stretched him.
self. Then I saw him unbutton one of
the buttons of his buster, reach into
his belt underneath and draw out a
cartridge. He handed the cartridge to
Jeff and as he did so he shot a quick
look in my direction and caught me
gazing at him. / afterward found that
1 figured right in concluding that the
stranger was asking jeff about me.
Brunsetter shook his head deprecating-
ly and slipped the cartridge into his
pocket. The two men then went
through rather long handshake and
the stranger strolled out, sizing me up
narrowly as he passed through the
door. / watched him as he disappeared
down Pawnee street, for he was an
unusual-looking man and had an i'm
perious way of carrying himself
when I turned around Brunstetter
was at my side. He had quizzical
look on his face, and seemed to be
studying me a whole lot more than I
cared to stand for.
What the devils the meaning of
all this funny business, anyhow said
1. And how long since you became
a knocker, jeff? What was your idea
in shaking me for that chap?'
Easy, easy said Brunsetter; If
hadn't stood for you five minutes
ago you might have been full of holes
now
Come around to the point, quick,
then said I, for I couldn't see into the
thing at all.
Well, don't mind telling you about
it, said Jeff, becoming serious, for you
used to know how to keep your head
closed. This was the first time I'd
seen that friend of mine for six years.
I was brought up alongside Of him in
Missouri. guess you've heard his
name. It's Jesse James,
Had / heard his name? Brunstetter
gave me couple of minutes to recover.
Yes, that was Jesse, he went on,
and it looks to me as if his nerve is
on the break. He's got it into his mind
that he is near his finish. We were
pretty chummy in the old days, and
he slipped into town to see me.
couldn't talk him out of his notion that
the game is nearly over with him. He
gave me this cartridge out of his belt
as a keepsake. Jesse's the last man
I'd ever figure on to get like that
And about those holes that might
have let the sun through me?' I asked.
Oh said Brunstetter, Jesse didn't
like the way you sized him up, that's
all. He wouldn't have punctured you
without you'd made some kind of a
fool break. He is not taking any
chances, even if he is looking for an
early windup. He only wanted to
know if you were all right, and when
told him you were that settled it.
This was the first and only time /
ever saw Jesse James, and I've always
thought it peculiar that 1 should have
dropped off in Leavenworth to see |
Brunstetter on the same day that the |
outlaw drifted in there for the same |
purpose. His premonition as to his
death was verified a few |
months later, when the Ford boys !
plugged him from behind in St Joseph. |
Why didn't I reach out for the $50
900 dead or alive reward and go after |
James when I had this good chance?
Well, for several reasons that level /
headed men are fond of living along |
FOR While will appreciate, entirely |
aside from the fact that wasn't wear |
ing any badge in that year. and that
the presence of James in Leavenworth |
was revealed to me in confidence by a |
friend of mine.'