The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-04-09
STUDY IN TRAIN ROBBERTE
The James Acquittal as 1t Appears to New York Pm,
Why Kansas City Permits Condition That s. S
Louis St. Paul or Omaha Would Not
Tolerate for Minute

The New York Evening Post. Under the
caption "A Study in Train RoboeTies,''
published the following editorial recently:
Every newspaper reader must have Oh
served the frequency with which train
robberies have been committed Of late
years in the close vicinity Of Kansas CITY,
Mo. Isolated cases OF this crime have oe-
Cured at various points throughout the
Western country. usually remote troEa
large towns. bat no less than five slca
rooceries were committed on different
railroads within a few miles Of a city Of
a0,eCu people in the short space Of two
years, and IN no case has any offender
been punished. Such state Of things is
so surprising thai the phenomenon de-
serves investigation, and a resent trial
enables the inquirer 20 complete inter-
esting study OF criminal conditions.
"A few weeks ago Jesse James. jr>. son
OF the notorious outlaw. was arrested as
the leader in an attempt 10 rob a train
near Kansas City. The evidence against
him seemed strong. and the prosecuting
attorney made out a case which warrant
ed. IL II did not compel, his conviction.
But. instead OF finding him guilty, or even
disagreeing, the jury acquitted him.
reaching that conclusion almost immedi-
ateiy after the judge had concluded his
charge. E4Sht other men accused Of com
pltcity IN one or another of the recent
train robberies were under Indictment.
The prosecutor at once announced that it
would be useless 10 pat the county 10 the
expense of trying them. as 1t would clear
ly be impossible 10 secure conviction.
Where Train Robbers Go Free.
In other words, here is large city Of
the West in which public sentiment IS
such that men cannot be punished for the
crime OF train robbery. There is no rea-
son 10 suppose that this would be true OF
St. Louis, st. Paul or Omaha How does
it happen TO be the fact In Kansas City?
THE answer 10 this question shows how
deep is the impression made upon COM
munity by the conditions OF its early his
tory, and how long that impression lasts.
Kansas City is on the boundary line be-
tween the states OF Missouri and Kansas.
IL is in that region where border ruffian
ousrages' were so frequent during the
struggle whether Kansas should be a free
or slave state before the civil war and
where lawlessness was SO rampant during
the reconstruction period which followed
this war. 1t the bitterness of the
guerrilla warfare which had prevailed that
led to the outrages OF the original James
gang Of outlaws through the 'ias: ii is
lingering admiration for the original
James gang that has fosiered the recent
train robberies in Western Missouri.
The James brothers joined the Missouri
bushwhackers' early in the civil war and
We're engaged in some of the worst OF
the massacres along the border. With
Quanfreli-that theatrical warrior. whose
standard was black flag, crossed by his
name in white letters-they raided Law
renee. Kan. and shot down unarmed men
and women. They had leading part in
the Centralia massacre. where twenty
eight unarmed Federal soldiers were
stood in line to be killed.
They Love the Pistol.
when the war ended they found them
selves prescribed. Had they been peace
able they could possibly have remained
undts;urbed among their kin and friends
in Western Missouri; but they had become
too much accustomed to the pistol and too
fond Of its use. During the bitterness of
the reconstruction period they were I'm
constant trouble, and finally they became
outlaws pure and simple Train rotbiug
was their invention and il became their
pet crime Nest OF the farmers in the
counties around Kansas City were strong
Southern sympathizers. Taey had endured
many had been wantonly murdered; all
had suffered Punishment under Gen.
Ewing's famous order No. IL They
deeply resented the misrule OF the recon-
structed government, which was largely
controlled by the lowest element OF
whites, and looked OH the James brothers
as their fellows, who had been driven
into outiawry by an unrighteous political
machine.
The brothers were remarkable horse
men and unerring shots. They had I'M
limited daring. and a certain kind OF gem
crosby with other mems money. These