The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-05

was a pretty good fort, and despairing
of capturing it, the Federal commander
decided to burn it. BY great bravery and
good luck, one of the Yankee soldiers
succeeded in getting close enough to an
clubhouse to set it on fire. The direction
of the wind was such that the main
building was sure to go in short time
and there was nothing left for the guer
rillas to do but to make a run for it.
Frank James was in command of this
little detachment and he told his men
that they must run out their horses,
which were hidden in the barn on the
other side of the house away from the
burning she'd and charge right through
the Federals.
The path to the stable was at such an
angle that it could be traversed without
danger from the Federars fire and at
the given word the seventeen men made
dash for their horses. They all reached
the barn in safety and in a jiffy they
were in their saddles and charging like
devils on the surprised Yankees, The.
Yankees had expected them 10 come 'ode
and surrender and they were not pre-
pared for such an exhibition of nerve.
They began to give way and before they
could be rallied by their officers the rebels
were right on them shooting with both
hands and dropping a man every shot.
aud almost before the Federals realized
what had happened, James and his little
band were flying down the road in safety
They lost two men killed and one wound
ed. but the wounded man was saved ana
carried TO a safe place by his friends
Pursuit was attempted, but there were
no better horses in Missouri than those
stolen by the guerrillas and James sue
ceeded in joining the main body before
he was overtaken.
Now that is the sort of thing that
happened again and again. No trained
troops could cope with such a force. Their
methods were too different to say nothing
Of their superior lighting capacity, for 1t
must be constantly kept in mind that
all of QuantreMs force was composed
Of picked men for this very kind of work
and desperate to a degree that is hard
to imagine in these days of peace. That
knowledge of the country and the people
was a great factor in the success of these
men. is shown by the fact that when
they made their famous raid into Ken
lucky they did not meet with the success
which had been theirs in Missouri, where
they were raised. In fact. they had
mighty hard time of it down that way
and they were glad enough to get back
TO Missouri. / have heard Frank James
say that lack of knowledge of the coun-
try was the principal cause for the failure
of that raid. James, himself, narrowly
escaped death, for he got Yankee bullet
in his mouth. He carried the battered
tooth in his head until few years ago
when it began to ache ana ne hao II
Dul1ed bv a dentist. He carried the tooth
with him for some time and was accus-
toned to show it to his friends, pointing
with great pride to streak OF YANKEE
lead that was still plainly visible on one
side of the molar
"Tt was on this trip that Frank James
made one of his most famous pistol shots.
LIa was on one side of the Kentucky
piver and a force of Federals was on
the other side. fight was in progress
and lanes. with a navy revolver. knock
cd one of the Yankees over, clear across
the stream. At this point 1t was over
| half a mile wide and that is pretty good
| sbootine on horseback with revolver
..Now that is the kind of man that Is
| Giving John Bull all the trouble in South
| AFRICA, leaving out, as | said once OF
| twice before, the personal equation SO
| for "a it refers to moral character. Inc
| roers are like the Missouri gurrlllas IN
| an the factors that go to render Irregular
and undisciplined forces able to cope
! Nth any trained troops. And to my nina
| +ho finest regulars in, Europe would nave
| mot the same fate, whether German
Erench or Russian. It's in the very nature
| ~ things and the sooner the haters OF
| r,rpIand quit banking on her apparent
| ,nobiiitv 10 lick the Beers as an evidence
| of ber military weakness, in case she mas
| trouble with any other people the sooner
thev will get down TO the true state OF
! affairs"