, 1901-01-10
FOR FRANK JAMES
WELL KNOWN MIssoURIAN
SPEAKS GOOD WORDS FOR
THE E~x-BANDIT.
There Are Men Who Believe That a
Life of LawIessness Was OnIy
Thing Left for the GuerriIIas kfter
the Civil War-James Boys Were
Driven to a Life Of Outlawry.

Jefferson City, Mo-, Jan. S.-The SEN
timent still existing among the old
southern people in Missouri which ei.-
couraged Frank James to ask for an
office at the hands of the state legisla.
ture is little understood by people not
oil Missouri. James had encourage
ment 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 DONNA
ted the democratic party and, through
it, the state, take a different view of
Frank James, and of the fifteen votes
that We're cast for him in spite of the
most bitter opposition, a majority will
contend that he was a patriot. Sever.
al of them served with him in the
armed forces OF the Confederacy, ECU
lar or irregular.
Among the members of the house are
men who served with Price, Shelby,
Bill" Anderson and Quantrell. Cap.
tain w. F. Roberts of Boone county
served with James under "Bill' Ander.
son, who was as much a cause Of ter
ror to the unionists in eastern Nilsson.
ri as Quantrell was in western Nilsson.
ri Captain Roberts was not regular.
ly a member of Anderson's band of
marauders, but was, during the latter
part Of the war. a member of the Sc.
cret service. He earned a commission
or colonel from General Kirby Smith,
yet was never known as colonel, for It
vas not until years after the war was
oN err that he dared show the commits.
sion.
Knew James Well.
Il knew Frank James WE'LL" CAPTAIN
Roberts said, and came in contac,
with him a great deal. We were with
Price together early in the war, and I
want to say to you that Frank James
was a heightened gentleman. When he
was ordered to do anything we knew
1t was done. He went in as a private,
but was soon advanced to lieutenant.
Then he was with bill" Anderson for
a long time. l didn't see much Of him
after the C%entralia fight. l hadn't seen
him but two or three times since until
l came over here this week. The last
time saw him before was at Moberly
loon after he surrendered. I was in
troduced as judge, and he just grabbed
both my hands and said: Why, this
is Captain Roberts, and shook both
hands at once"
The old mans eyes glistened n he
began to pace around the room. The
notice James had given him pleased
him more than the highest appoint
ment in the gift of the governor could
have done. A bystander asked for the
story Of the Centralia fight. 1t has
been told many times, but the old leg.
islator had a version of his own.
Bill" Anderson" he said, with the
James Boys. the Yourgers. Thrailkill
and Tom Todd. a brother of Represen.
tative TODD Of Vernon county, went to
Centralia and stopped a train, took of
sixteen men in the uniform of union
soldiers and shot them to death. That
was some Of bill" A~nderson's doings
Frank James didn't approve of such
doings. though he did participate. They
burned the depot and rode away. Al
that time I was buying supplies and
getting them to Price when could and
when they burned the depot they burn
ed $500 worth Of boots that I hat
bought for the rebels. They didn,
know II was Prices army they wer,
robbing.