The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-07-19
BOYS HUNT FOR JESSE JAMES.


I The young man who was industrious OF
shining in such light would be freak.
! indeed. have never know such ono.
and am glad Of It, He would be as uncon-
genial and out of place as a revtsified
Dodo.
The glory promised an easy purchase.
for knew very well there was about as
| much chance of our coming upon Jesse
James as OF meeting Sultan Snladin. II
was winning bluff for fame, with pic
mic and frollc thrown in. But few miles
out and the glamor began to wear off. Az
we rode along over the dusty road. barred
from talking by order OF the captain, un-
comfortable thoughts came to mind and
stayed there. There was that loaded gun.
getting heavier and heavier and more
awkward to carry. Any sudden ia r. or en-
tanglement might make the thing go off.
My mare was a nervous. spoiled pet liza
able to shy suddenly a. anything or moth
Ing, and cause Just such jar Even
worse were the loaded guns carried by the
other fellows. furnishing an ever present
possibility of somebody or somebody's
horse getting load OF buckshot In his
anatomy at close range. Again, there
were those loaded shells jolting around
loose. In my coat-tail pockets, Suppose
the Jolting and friction exploded them?
Whoo- wee! Angels and saints who guard
youth and manly beauty think of the
mutilatlon! Finally, thoughts would come
Of what might happen II the improba BILE
came to pass and we should blunder upon
Jesse James. Such az we were to come
face to face with that terrible desperado:
that unexcelled horseman; that dead
shot! II is difficult for the present gen
GRAFTON to realize what portentous fig
ure Jesse James was In the prime of his
evil career. For nearly twenty years he
rode triumphant and immune. 1t would
have been the real chance and scare of
n,,r Ii,,ac had NO ,af hlr,, = lo,,
and 1t is safe to say that as we rode
along sweating and dusty. beginning to
feel the chatting of hard, hot leather. most
OF my companions felt as did. and would
have been glad of an excuse to return
home.
On we rode. everybody thinking hard,
and perspiring, until shutdown. when we
halted at the ford OF the Big Blue. on the
Hickman's Mil Road. Nine of the party
were detailed to go on and take station
or the high ground across the stream a
nile or so to the south The captain, a
young physician, and the writer remained
in the creek bottom at the roadside near
the ford Night was coming on. and that
heavily tlmbered, gloomy place grew
strongly suggest tive Of lurking robbers and
outlaws Though ! said nothing about 1t.
/ did not Ike the positionAof our post at
ALL We were infthe curve Of big bend
of the Blue, with the ford at the extreme
convexity. The creek banks We're precip!-
tous, very bad jumprg-ofr places, and the
water swimming deep everywhere save
right at the crossing. To the north the
only way out was by the road. n narrow,
dark canyon, between forest walls, To the
south the only open way was by the mar
row ford, and a desperate or two in the
bushes or behind rocks, on the other side
could easily make crossing an lmpossi-
bilty. 1t was a place where regiment
could have been massacred by dozen
men properly posted, believe ] have In
me some Of the qualities which go to
make great mmander-I have such
goodaeye fora safe line of retreat and a
safe Mace handy to get toin the event Of
a, defeat, The military instinct told me ne
plainly how faulty was our position.
Notwithstanding these evident disad-
vantages' ne captain STAYED right there.
Ws se d or ho an /, Es With him
them on oats brought along In q sack
built FIRE, and supped finely on fried
bacon F. not eoree. chesse, and era kers,
to time In wagons loaded with produce
for next days s. market IN the city. We
where he was from. where he was going,
and whom he had met. The farmers wnra
alarmed at being halted that way by men
the country full of tales Of hghwayren
astt was, BY and by we heard some one
coming from the, north. We heard him
as being something about "swe eli ARTS
and wives being the Joy of our lives"
BY" He was. a lone horseman. and We
nailed him, The sudden stop caused him
to reel In his saddle and fall In heap to
the ground, As he gave no signs of COM
ing to after the shock of the fall, we car
| rled him over close to the fire to get
better look at him, and there VIZ. discny-
| cred by the looks and smell OF MIN tie
real secret of his MISUNDERSTANDING He
| was thoroughly and completely drunk,
collapsed beyond the chance of rousing
| for long time,
The captain stood looking on, in the
position of rest on arms" according to
the obsolete Upton's tactics, With his gun
stock upward, the muzsle resting g., on !, the na
pened one of those things which ALWAYS
Will happen with firearms. The gun Went
| dropped 1t as If it was hot, capefed extra