The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1916-05-05
REAL STORY OF
THE JAMES GANG
To Be Told by Jim Cummins, Survi-
wing Member, In Book to Be
Published After His Death.

The recent death of Cole Younger,
one Of the last surviving members
of the famous Jesse James gang,
caused the Kansas City Star to inter-
view James Cummins, said to now
be the surviving member of the ia
nous band of outlaws who terrorized
the middle west just after the civil
war. Cummins, though said in the
Kansas City paper to have been born
in Missouri, is said by others to have
come from Rockcastle county, Ken
lucky, or that his father came from
there. He is writing a book of his
"reminiscences which will be published
after his death. The Kansas City
paper had the following about the
aged bandit:
Cummins is almost the last of the
original Jesse James gang. Cummins
is 90 years old and lives in the Con-
federate home in Higginsville, Mo.
Cummins was born in the same
neighborhood with Jesse and Frank
James in Clay county, Missouri, and
they were playmates. He and Jesse
enlisted together in the war under
the black flag of Bill Anderson, the
land pirate ofthe border, who used
to hang festoons of human ears on
his bride rein. Every time Bill An
derson killed a man he cut off his
ears and hung them to his horses
bride. He killed more than a dozen
in dow in on6
than a dozen in Centralia.
Cummins and Jesse James were
rough riders together through the
gether for fifteen years thereafter.
Cummins was the bearcat of the
James gang. He could shoot
straighter and ride faster than the
best of them. Jesse James used to
call Cummins the cold fox" he was
so sly. Jesse said he was the best
woodsman he ever knew, and Frank
James said not long before he died:
"Jim Cummins had better wood
sense than any other man / ever
knew. He was the best man l ever
knew to guide party through an
unknown country, just by sense of
direction. You couldn't lose him.
He would find his way anywhere"
Cummins never knew fear. His
nerve was somewhat marvellous.
1t is not known how many rob-
berries he was in nor how many men
he killed or helped kill, but he was
probably in nearly all the jobs pulled
off ythe James gang. His shrewd-
ness is shown inthe fact that, al
though reward of $4,000 simply for
his arrest hung over his head for
years and hundreds of detectives
hunted for him far and near. he was
never arrested, was never behind the
bars and now spending the closing
years of his turbulent life in the
peace and quietude of the Confed-
crate home and is writing a book.
"Why should Jim Cummins write
a book"
That's just what l asked him, and
here is the answer"
mot for money, because this book
of mine is not going to be seen by
anyone until after l am dead. l am
writing it so that the truth about
James gang may be known at last.
The truth has never been told. l am
going to tell it and tell it ALL"
"Why don't you tell it all in a
book before you die?" That sort
a book would sell, and you would
make some money. Don't you need
money!"
"Need money? Look at my clothes,
mister. Pm shabby. Yes, | need
money, ned it bad, but darn't tell
the truth while Pm living, they'd
they'd lock me up if l did. Why, |
know things that I could get $4,000
today for telling, but in wouldn't be
healthy for me if l told. When l am
dead they can't hurt me-"
And so, pray as you may, you can't
get Jim to tell that he was ever in
any particular robbery or in any par
ticular killing, but he will tell you
about fleeing across the country with
four or five thousand dollars in his
saddle bags as his share ofthe loot,
and how he lived high in New York
and Washington between robberies,
but no particulars that would give
the law hold on him. =
Another reason, why | want to
to tear the mask off of Frank and
Jesse James. Posing as heroes. Bah F!
They were just common, ordinary
fODDefS, TRAITORS anu uOuUle CTOSSeIS.
Heroes? Not on your life. | know
| rode with them, camped with them
slept with them, went into the jaws
of death and the fumes of hell with
them. l knew Frank and Jesse James
better than any man that ever lived,
and / tell you they were just plain
robbing crooks, without honor.
| Frank posed for years as the best
of the two. After Jesse was killed
Frank went on permanent exhibition
as race track starter at fairs, as
doorkeeper for the toughest theatel
in St. Louis, posing as the victim OF
his brother, Jesse. He let the whole
world say and believe that Jesse was
the worst of the two. He never
opened his mouth to correct it.
knew them and tell you that both
of them were bad enough, but Jesse
was the better of the two.
81 remember one time, after the
Glendale train robbery near Kansas
City in 1879, Jesse James, Dick Lid.
dell, Bill Ryan and myself crossed
the river at Leavenworth and rode
down to Nashville and / went out to