The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-14
FRANK JAMES IN A
SoUTHERNER'S EYES


City Starr
The sentiment still existing among
the old southern people in Missouri
which encouraged Frank James to ask
for an office at the hands of the state
legislature is little understood by peO-
pie not of Missouri. James had encOur-
a gement to justify him in starting in
the race. 1t took the influence Of the
heads of the party from governor down
to beat him.
The people of other states know of
Frank James simply as a bandit who
robbed trains and banks and shot men.
The old Democrats of the rich river
counties" which have always dOmi-
mated the Democratic party and,
through it, the state, take different
view of Frank James. and of the fifteen
votes that were cast for him in spite or
the most bitter opposition, majority
VIII contend that he was a patriot Sev-
eral of them served win him IN the
armed forces Of the confederacy, reg
ular or Irregular
Among the members Of the house
are men who served with fIice. Shelby,
Bill Anderson and Q-antrelL cap
tain w. r. Roberts of Boone county
served with James under Bill Ander-
son. who was as much a cause of ter
rOT to the unionists in eastern missouri
as Quantrell Was in western missouri
Captain Roberts was not regularly q
member IF AGderscI's hand OF ma
RAIDERS. but was. during the latter part
of the war. member of the secret
service He earned a commission Of
colonel from General Kirby Smith, yet
was never known as colonel for 1t was
not until years after the war was over
that he dared show the commission.
Il knew Frank James WE'LL Cap
tain Roberts said. and came IN con-
3 l. a 10Y ~
with Price together early in the war,
and l want TO say to you that Frank
James was a heightened gentleman.
When he was ordered To do anything
we knew it was done. He went IN as
private but was soon advanced to
lieutenant. Then he was with Bill
Anderson for d long time. 1 didn't see
much of him but two or three times
since until I came over here this
week. The last time 1 saw him before
was at Moberly soon after he sur
rendered. I was introduced as judge,
but he just grabbed both my hands
and said. Why, this is Captain Ro5-
erts' and shook both hands at once.
The old mans eyes glistened and he
began to pace around the room The
notice James had given him pleased
him more than the highest appoint
ment i'm the gift of the governor could
have done. A bystander asked for the
story of the Centralia fight IT has
been told many times, but the OLD
legislator had a version Of his own
Bill Anderson he said, with the
James BOYS. the Youngers, Thrailkill
and Tom Todd, brother of Represen-
tative Todd of Vernon county. went
TO Centraha and stopped a train, took
off sixteen men in the uniform OF
union soldiers and shot them to death.
That was some of Bill AndeTsOn's do
inEs Frank James didn't approve Of
"a did TnaFffeinarn
They burned the depot and rode away
At that time I WIS buying supplies
and getting them to Price when 1
could and when they burned the depot
they burned $500 worth OF boots that I
had bought for the rebels. They didn't
know it was Prices army they were
Tobbing.
They saved a few pairs Of boots
Each man picked out pair and nlled
the boots with whisky from a couple
Of barrels there were IN the depot at
the time and hung them over their
saddles when they went away. It was
one way of getting whisky that / guess
not many people ever had to resort to-
Of course the CeutTalia Tight made
more fighting. johnson came after Bill
Anderson with 800 union soldiers. An
dersOn had 200 men mounted and wait
ed till about fifty OF Johnson q men
had dismoUnted and then charged.
Not "a man who had dismounted lived
to get to his horse. Ihey were all
shot down. The mounted men Of
JOhusOn'S command fled and run
ming fight was kept up all the way to
Sturgeon. more than twelve miles.
Arch Clemens followed them within a
quarter of a mile of the town. 1t was
a terrible butchery. but Johnson came
after them flying the black flag. That
has been denied but / know 1t was
true.
I gathered up some of the badly
wounded and had Conk Murray taken
to nv own house. I kept him in an
attic till Frank James came and got
him. You see ] could mix around with
everybody because / WASH suspected.
I was buying and selling cattle and
npgs and sometimes supplies ike those
boots Bill Anderson's men burned up
If the officers wanted Information they
would send me to buy stock where 1t
was TO be got and I would take the
stock TO St Louis and make my report
to the head of the secret service there
Sometimes I had to pay too much Tor
cattle. because 1 had to get them, and
] only made S14 during the whole sea
son OF 1864 but / got the information
James was driven to OutlaWry. Jesse
was ready to surrender and McClurg )
men came after him and he had TO
stand off a whole force of them They
we're killing our men after they sur
rendered. Cole Younger had gone back
to the old Younger farm near Cassviile
and was blowing with an old rundown
yoke of oxen when the soldiers drove
him to outIawry by trying 10 murder
him. No. sir: if it hadn't been for the
persecution after the war, Frank James
would have been one OF the foremost
Citizens Of Missouri. He was man of
fine intellect and high sense Of honor,
but they drove him to do things he
done [ don [ KNOW
whether ne robbed trains or not, but I
know he was always an honorable gen
tleman and a good soldier.
Captain Roberts is 10 years old and
he speaks for a class OF men who are