The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1901-01-19
Judge W. Y. Roberts Talks About
Prank James

AaAA
Office at The hands Of the state legisla-
ture ls little understood By people not
Of Missouri. James had encourage
nent to justify him IN starting IN the
race. It took the Influence OF the
beads Of the party from governor down
10 beat him.
The people Of our state know Of
frank James simply AZ = bandit who
robbed trains and banks and shot men.
The old democrats Of the noh ~''riyeF
eouuties," which have always domi-
mated The democratic party and,
lhroagh II, the state, take = dIffereAt
view of Frank James, and Of the fifteen
votes that we're cast for him In spite Of
the most bitter opposition, a majority
viii contend that be vas . patriot.
Several Of them served with him in the
armed forces Of the eo~nfedsraey, regu-
lar or irregular.
Among the members OF The house are
mea Who served with Price, Shelby,
.'BIls Anderson and QuAntrell. Csp-
tam W. +. Roberts. Of Booze county,
served with james under ..Bilrn Ander-
sou, who wAs as much a Of terror
10 The unionists IN Eastern Missouri as
Quaatrsn was la Western Missouri.
cAptaia Roberts was not regularly .
member Of AndersOn's band Of maraud'
ere. but was, during the latter part OF
the Wal, . member Of the secret ser
vice. He earned . commission Of
colonel from General Kirby Smith, yet
was never known as colonel for il was
not until years after the war vas over
that be dared show the commission.
81 knew Frank James," Captain
Roberts said, sand came IN contact
with himIa great deal. We were with
Price togsther early in the war, and
want to say TO you that Frank James
was . heightened gentleman. When
be VA ordered to do anything we
knew Il wal done. He went rs q
private. but was soon advanced 10
lieutenant. Then be was with ''Bilr"
Andersoa for = long time. didn't see
much Of him after the CentraliA fight.
] hadn't Q him but two or three
times since until | came over here this
week. Tue lsst,.,time | saw him before
was al Moberly soon after he sur
rendered. I was introduced a. judge,
bot be jus, grabbed both my hands and
ssid: why, tins is Captain Roberts,
and shook both my hands At once"
The old mans eyes glistened and he
began to pace sround the loom. The
boiIes James nad gwen him pleased
him more than the highest appoint:
meni In the gift Of the governor could
have done. A ~byslander asked for the
story Of the Centralia fight. 1t has
been told many times, bat the old leg
islstor bad q version Of his own.
"BIl Anderson" he said, 'with the
The james boys, the Youngers,
Thrakill and Tom Todd, q brother OF
Representative Todd, OF Vernon
ooaBty, went TO Centralia and stopped
q train, took OF sixteen men in the
uniform Of union soldiers and shot
them to death. That was some of Bill
Anderson's dolngs. Frank James
didn't approve OF such things, though
be did participate. They burned the
depot and rode away. At that time l
was buying supplies and getting them
10 Price when I could and when they
burned the depot they burned $500
worth Of boots that / had bought for
the rebels. They didn't know it was
Prices army they we're robbing.
"Thsy saved q few pairs Of boots.
Each man picking out 4 pair and filled
tho boots with whisky from q couple Of
barrels there were 10 the depot ut the
time and hung them over their saddles
when they went away. 1t wa n way
Of getting whisky that | guess not
many people ever had to resort to.
Of course the Centralia fight made
more fighting. Johnson came after
Bill Anderson with 800 union soldiers.
Anderson had 200 men mounted aud
waited till about fifty Of Johnson's men
bad dismounted and then charged.
No, q man who bad dismounted lived
TO got to his horse. They we're all
shot down. The mounted men Of
johnson Q command fed and a running
light was kept up all the way 10 Stur-
geon, more than twenty miles. Arch
Clemens followed them within a
quarter Of . mile Of the town. 1t was
a terrible butebery, but Johnson came
after them flying the black Gag. That
has been denied, but | know 4, was
true.
81 gathered up some Of the badly
wounded and had Conk Murray taken
10 my own house. I kept him 10 an
attic until Frank James came and got
him. You see | could mix around with
everybody because j wasn't suspected.
| vas buying and selling cattle and
hogs and sometimes supplies like those
boots Bill Anderson's men burned up.
II the officers wanted information they
would send me to buy stock where 1t
was 10 be lgot and I would take the
stock to st. Louis and make my report
10 the head of the secret service there.
Sometimes had to pay too much for
cattle because | had to get them and |
only made ei4 during the whole sea.
sou Of 1854, but 1 got the information.
"Jsmes was driven to ~outlawry.
jesse was ready to surrender, and
heClurg's men came after him and be
pad to stand of = whole force Of them
They were killing our men after they
surrendered. Cole Younger had gone
back 70 the old Younger farm near
Oassville aud was blowing with an old
vnka m oxon whan tn aol