The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-30
MOTHER OF THE N D
ThiP r0RK HSS,S CfLL At THE HOME
On THE JAMES BOrs.

Now n Kansas Nan Absufvea the Pink
ertons from the charge of Throwing II
II was In the home Of the mother OF Jess
and Frank james the morning after the nttncI
upon her house. by which tho mother Of tn
bandits, Mrs. Samucls tshc was twice married
lost one hand and her youngest child, n boy
years old. was killed. Snid a man now llvini
In New York TO sur reporter.
Tho remark came up because Of tho recon
arrest In Kansas City OF Young Jesse James
charged with tho lntest train hold-up in Mis-
souri,. For n long time" tho former Mis-
sourian continued. Mrs. Samuels. her boysnn
the friends Of the family charged tho Plnkertoi
agency with tho manning Of IN old woman ant
tho killing OF a child. know William Pinker
ton very VOL, and I havo talked more thar
once with him about tho attack. and / nm con.
WINGED that his agency IL guiltlcss. Thore Il
no denial by Pinkerton that he WIS engaged &c
capture the james boys. dead or alive. The
State Of Missouri would not or could not run
down the bandits. They had confederatef
everywhere. Why, one OF the most prominent
merchants of Kansas City, n banker also. and a
churchman. was kinsman OF the Jameses. and
protected them when they went to Kansas
City. DR.. Munford, editor of the Kansas City
Times. personally honest and courageous and
n lawahiding citizen, honestly believed the
James boys were prosecuted, and he was their
apoloRist and their mothers friend and adj
wiser. So you can see why the capture OF the
bandits was no easy matter.
THE story OF the Samuels family and the
James boys Is n part of the civil war history OF
Missouri. The bandits were Quantrell's trusted
outriders. and any man who was true to the
guerrilla always had protection In Missouri.
When Jesse and Frank James Joined Quantrell
they were 10 and 10 years old. respectively.
nlN.s. a. n 81
Toned. backwoods practitioner. was taken
from home one night, horsewhipred. hanged
to a tree and left for dead. His wife cut him
down. Jennison's Jayhawkers did the whip
ping and hanging because Samuels had joined
n posse to drive them from the county. That
was the be inning OF the career of the Jameses.
which eliminated in n feud that defed the
authorities.
Il was in Kansas City the night the news was
received OF the attempt to capture the .Jameses
in their mothers home. I met Dr.. Munford,
EDITOR of the Times. who told me about it. He
said he was going over to see Mrs. Samuels,
and invited me to go with him. We left Kansas
City the following morning by rail. and got to
Kearney. Clay county. after a two hours run.
The farm OF the bandits people is six miles
from the station. A few miles from the station.
in another direction. the railroad touches the
farm. and the house can be seen.
I'VE rode to the house on horseback. At that
time it was a structure of logs put up in the
simplest manner. The upper part OF it was less
than a half story, and Just under the caves, on
the sides and ends of the house. were holes
large enough TO admit of a rifle barrel. The
James boys were at home occasionally, and
when they were the house was barricaded
and the holes were bored for the pur-
pose of enabling them to make a fight
i they were trapped. The family, when
uels and his wife. the boy who was afterward
killed and an old negro man, and his wife. They
all knew hoy to shoot. And when the bandits
were in the house every member of the family
had a bunk at night near an auger hole up
stairs. The, house is a half mile from the
within twenty. feet OF it.
W REACHED the house soon after the. ampu-
was. The. explosion OF the hand grenade.
thrown through the window of the dining
Of the right arm Of Mrs. SamuesiIs.. and a fraasseo
ment OF the. shell killed her boy.
,,n niEEve eS the woman said and all she did
tress. Without apparent effort she unbound
her . wound sSn Ia and explained the amputati0n.
dining room. where the explosion occurred.
With perfect cocmposure, she pointed to the
.were seated the e'n night before. The sne ser wants
were In the room. and the time. had come for
the evening prayer. As her husband was read
window. Mrs; Samueis Kicked the ball OF fire.
as she called 1t. into the fireplace; aud there the
who had fallen at her feet, and despite her
wrist. she CARRIED his lifelesS body
int II Tbs sd bodY mg f TTo nb,, T9 81. that at room ! on 81 che led
ssSycrIet from hsr dead and showed u US
picture she would have evinced no more con-
cern. We dined with her. and her faithful ser
cannot give Won nnV dngnriDtiOn nf
her face which would give you an idea of 1t.
EXCEPT to say that some years, later. when 1
bered Mrs. Samuels. There can be no offence |
in this. for Mrs. Samuels was also a remark
able woman; and one you would look at when
While l was looking about the grounds. and
t troy showed no TTeHdSa care and taste: pr; Munford game
minutes with Mrs. Samuels. and he said to
9 iSt nearly as can remember;
the bomb, The bomb was thrown one
f h!Sn' this his TINT th'asti the he b9ys' hia ShG been RRS oms PRe
night before, but he did not say SO. We rode
back e. kearney. In the evening we went back
head. When we were within a mile OF
he house we met a mounted posse and, were
81 am the sheriff Of Clay county, who
are Rou; nmH where are you going
tno p H,s Mnn sGn1tS ,demtihSd himself and he and
After that we returned to Rcarney and boarded
the nrSt tram Tor Liberty. tho ancient county
seat. DIR. Muntord was reticent. When we got |
10. Liberty we walked TO the county Jail. At
the iailer admitted several deputies
who had Mt least fifty prisoners. nearly ali
young men. farmers sons.
IL has always been a question In my mind
whether they were arrested for conspiracy with |
the Pinkcrtons. or conspiracy with the bandits. |
They were released the following day. and / |
recognized some Of them Mt the funeral Of Mrs. |
boy. The feud in Missouri was in |
tensiled. 1t ended in the killing Of Jesse
James IN bis own house by Bob Ford. his sup
MLssourL,s Goyern9r, T. ,CElttenden.
his friend, and editorial writer. delivered |
Frank to the Governor. in the office Of the
mansion, one day while the Governor was
holding a reception. The thing was dramati-
'ally done. and here were those who said 1t
was nrearranged Frank James wore his pis;
aid them on the table OF tho Governor, and
hen the notahles present were introduced to
he bandit. j was not a witness to this last
stage business. but one who was told me OF II.
Frank James was never brought to trial for
my crime with which he had been charged.
Every indictment against him was quasled.
became a qgiet citizen. When Coy, Crit
MS Consul-Generai in Mexico, he resumed
lease ,JnmpS- Jr. son OF fhn hanHit and |