The Last Train Robbery and the Decline of the James Gang

The James gang was in decline after the Minnesota debacle. Frank had gone the straight and narrow and wasn't interested in outlawing any longer. Jesse had to put together a new crew including a horse thief, an alcoholic gunfighter and some slow-witted farmers (as the account reads)

These tracks were robbed not once, but TWICE by the James Gang. On October 8, 1879, the Chicago & St. Louis Train was held up and robbed. It was supposed to be a lucrative day--$60,000 in loot. But they only found $6000 in the bank. The Daily Evening Herald from Stockton, California covered the trial on October 7, 1881. (Ironically or not--just 1 month after the 2nd Glendale train robbery). Apparently even back in the Wild West days, preparing for trials took a couple of years.

Ironically, that is not the only similarity in the court system past to present. One bandit--Tucker Basham pled guilty and received 10 years, only to be pardoned a year later as the major witness in the State's case against outlaw William Ryan.

After Tucker Basham's testimony, his house was burned down. The unidentified perps did remove his household belongings from the house before torching it. Here is an excerpt from that account. "There is no positive clue as to the identity of the scoundrels, who perpetrated the dastardly deed. But the officers feel positive that they will be able to capture the right parties." Sounds just like law enforcement press conferences today.

What really caught my attention was a completely different story underneath the dastardly deed paragraph. The story is titled, He Should Have Procured the License. "Mary L. Noffsker is the name of a young woman living on the east side who created a sensation last night by trying to commit suicide in her wedding dress."  But then the story is cut off. We don't find out HOW she tried to kill herself or WHY she tried. The title of the story is quite insensitive even by journalists' standards.

I've spent all this time writing about the first Glendale train robbery and not about the LAST train robbery--also near Glendale, MO. The Blue Cut train robbery is the one fictionalized in the famous songs. The last train robbery was even more of a bust than the 1st--only $3000 in loot.

The governor of Missouri put a $10,000 bounty on Jesse's head. Lawlessness was no longer tolerated in the West and anti-Union sentiment which fueled Jesse's supporters was fading. Only 7 months later, Jesse would be assassinated by one of his trusted insiders--Bob Ford.

 After the railroad scenic vistas of Gad's Hill, Glendale was a bit disappointing visually. Until I spotted some animal bones on the tracks.

 

black gold on the tracks.
actually I think it is tar, but looked sparkly

lock of hair left on tracks

The Most Daring Robbery on Record

 How the Robbers Swooped Down on the Train and Carried Off Pockets of Plunder--headline from St. Louis Dispatch February 2, 1874.

The James & Younger gang put a flag in the middle of the tracks and started a brush fire to get the train to stop. After looting the safe, the robbers inspected the passengers. Anyone found with unworked hands was robbed of money and jewelry. One person suspected of being a Pinkerton agent was strip searched. Two bankers were led outside and forced to strip to their underwear. As the outlaws galloped off, Jesse tossed the engineer a piece of paper. It was a newspaper article Jesse wrote himself--what we would call a press release today.

"The most daring robbery on record. The southbound train on the Iron Mountain Railroad was robbed this evening five heavily armed men and robbed of _______dollars. The robbers arrived at the station a few minutes before the train arrived and arrested the Agent, put him under guard and then threw the train switch. The robbers are all large men, none of them under six feed tall. They were all masked and started in a southerly direction after they robbed the train, all mounted on fine blooded horses."

Here's the part I really like--"There is a hell of excitement in this part of the country."

 Not only was Jesse a thief and murderer, he was a good PR marketer. He understood the fine-art of spin.

In media lingo--he had the boiler plate bio--describing who he was and how he did things without giving away too much info. He knew his audience demographic who enjoyed reading about adventure and pitched them an engaging concept story. Most importantly, he made the journalist's job easier by writing the story for him. I can't help but smile reading details about large masked men mounted on fine horses. And the account of only robbing the upper class--thus perpetuating the Robin Hood myth. The plunder totaled around $12,000--not bad for a few hours of work in 1874. That roughly equates to about $250,000 today. 

Gad's Hill is 6 miles outside of Piedmont, MO. Unlike some of the other locations,  this was very rural and remote. No cell service. At first I just saw the road sign and while it is strange, it doesn't provide a lot of creative filming opportunities. So I was super excited when I saw stairs leading down to the tracks. The desolate landscape...silent but for the rustling wind, insects and ghost sounds of a train engine.

Devoid of human presence--just the flag billowing in the breeze

lock of my hair left on the tracks

The Last Ride of Jesse James--Muscle Shoals, Alabama

no one like this was hanging out on a shoal or anywhere else

 When I think about the name Muscle Shoals, I envision guys in muscle T's lifting weights on a board walk, spitting tobacco in-between sets listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd singing Sweet Home Alabama. Or a guy taking his python for a walk along the shoal. As if Venice Beach was transplanted to Northern Alabama. (I had no idea what a shoal was--google says it is similar to a sandbar).

Although I didn't see any muscle guys or muscle cars or pythons or even a shoal for that matter, Muscle Shoals was a highlight of the week-long road trip. I stopped and took a tour of the famous Muscle Shoals Music Studio, where so many gold records were recorded, including Lynryd Skynryd's Muscle Shoals Album. Sweet Home Alabama isn't on it, but the original Freebird is. One of the session musicians was there when I visited. He hijacked our tour and told lots of stories about the musicians, making history come alive. A documentary about the studio came out in 2013, putting Muscle Shoals back on the map. The film is available on Netflix and you can watch the trailer here

Cher and the crew outside of the studio. Her 3614 Jackson Highway
album released in 1969 was a commercial failure. She sings
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

The Rolling Stones recording at the studio. Brown Sugar
was one of the songs from their session

After all the musical excitement, the Jesse James site was a bit underwhelming, but the weather cooperated--giving me ominous storm clouds for my photos.

Ruins of a Bible Church across from the Jesse James robbery site.
Storm clouds added to the apocalyptic atmosphere.

Site of the robbery is now a bank

site of the robbery--front of the bank

Jesse James' final robbery occurred on March 11, 1881. "It was a rainy, windy Friday when Alexander Smith from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers returned from Florence, Alabama with $5240.18. The money was payroll for laborers in the blue Water Camp on the nearby Tennessee River." (I appreciate the precision of the monetary amount).  "When Smith stopped between Shoal Creek and the camp to open a gate, Jesse James, Wood Hite and Whiskey Head Ryan brandished their weapons and quickly unarmed Smith. They took the payroll out of the inner pocket of his coat, and the goal and silver coins in a bag hanging from the pommel of his saddle. The gang forced Smith to ride nearly 20 miles in a rainstorm before releasing him and generously allowed him to keep his horse, his own money and his gold watch." The dispatched posse lost the James' gang tracks because of torrential downpours.

How serendipitous that Divine Providence produced storm clouds and torrential downpours for my evening in Muscle Shoals.

No surprise that "Whiskey Head" was the one who got caught after eating a dozen oysters and drinking a bottle of extremely potent Tennessee Whiskey. A drunken brawl led to the local lawman discovering the large amount of gold he carried and Whiskey Head was arrested. I question Jesse's judgment in hiring anyone with the name Whiskey Head, but as usual Jesse escaped, leaving Nashville with his family and traveling to Missouri.

my lock of hair--
buried next to the tree at the former robbery site

Rampage in Russellville

I was looking forward to seeing this mural in person while filming in Russellville. I confess that quite a few of these small towns are blurring together in my mind. Many have the Main Street with a town square and a bank in the center.

I find it very odd that the bank would feature this mural commemorating the bank robbery of 1868.   What bank wants to boast that they've been robbed? Notice in the picturesque mural that everyone is frozen, looking stunned. It does not portray the chaotic blood bath recorded in the newspaper.  At the former bank site, I found a big hole of debris, surrounded by a chain link fence and covered with black plastic tarp. I do not know what happened to the mural, but suspect that the library has it safely archived.

ironic juxtaposition of the sign and rubble

more ironic juxtaposition with Crazy Ray's Gun & Pawn Shop

Call me crazy, but does it seem wise to have a gun store next to a bank, especially one that was robbed at gunpoint? Also I keep coming back to opioid addiction. Although Kentucky's death rate by opioid overdose is much lower than West Virginia, it is considerably higher than many other states. Despite having a small population of 7000 people, the town has a major drug and alcohol rehab treatment facility center. Guns, opioid addicts and a vault full of money--seems like a volatile combination. But the town's resolution-- demolishing the bank.

per capita drug death rate in KY--23.6 vs WV--43 in 2016
probably higher now

the town square across from Crazy Ray's Gun & Pawnshop
and pile of rubble formerly known as the bank

On March 20, 1868, six men rode up on horseback to the bank. One was stationed by the back door. Jesse, Frank and Cole Younger went into the bank. Younger asked to change a 50 dollar bill. The clerk named Long said it was counterfeit. Younger didn't like the answer and pulled a gun on Long (as did Jesse & Frank), demanding Long hand over all the money in the bank. Long made a run for it to the back door. Jarrette (the back door bandit) shot Long and the bullet grazed his scalp. Long got up and continued to run. Two other bandits shot at him, but missed. Meanwhile Frank, Jesse & Cole had two other clerks held at gunpoint and forced them to put all the money into wheat sacks. I find this detail fascinating. What is the significance of wheat sacks??? As the outlaws made their getaway with $12,000 in loot,  a "young citizen" named O.C. Matt Owens ran after them with a rifle. He was shot and lived. 

note that this illustration shows a more chaotic scene with
gun shots and fleeing, terrified townspeople. 

An excerpt from the Nashville Banner on 3/22/1868, "They rode splendid horses and were as completely armed and equipped as the most daring and accomplished highwayman could desire. Five miles from Russellville, the trail was lost in the woods."  The journalist is clearly in awe of the outlaws; hence cultivating the notorious celebrity of the James brothers. 

photo of bank circa 1860's

my lock of hair--
after photographing, I threw it over the fence
and into the pile of building rubble

Exhuming the Dead--Did Jesse Fake His Own Death & Live in Texas Until Age 103?

I stumbled across a highway sign for the Jesse James Wax Museum in Sullivan, MO. The  website promises to definitively answer the question on whether Jesse faked his own death or indeed was shot by Bob Ford and buried. The museum screens a film supposedly showing the REAL Jesse James who died in Granbury, Texas in 1951 at the age the age of 104. His grave marker can be seen here.  I thought all of this was a bunch of nonsense, but the folks in Granbury and elsewhere are convinced otherwise.

Jesse James in his coffin--if he's faking it, he is a pro

Dead, Not Sleeping Peacefully

Of course I had to stop at the museum to watch the film and tour the wax museum. No photos are allowed, so I hid out of the surveillance camera's sites to take a few. The admission price is pretty steep--$18 and unless you like looking at guns or really cheesy dioramas, it's not worth the money. However for the purposes of my project, I chalked it upon to a research expense. 

Back to the controversy over whether he faked his own death. I knew that his remains had been excavated in 1995. Even the New York Times covered it. Since DNA testing was not available in 1951, when the Granbury Jesse James died, I assumed that after the 1995 test, the controversy would be settled once and for all. But the dispute continued. I found this op ed from 1998 in the NY Times from the researcher Peter Starrs who conducted the DNA test, saying that it proved 97% accuracy. Which seems definitive. However, the debate continues. Here is a genealogy forum article that debunks Starr's methodology. As of 2012, the brouhaha continues.

If he did fake his own death, it would have been his most daring escape and certainly adds to his legend. As for the DNA debacle/debate, it reminds me of current celebrity paternity tests (Kardashian, Mick Jagger) which are typically financially motivated. But Jesse didn't leave behind a fortune, so the fracas is all about inheriting the outlaw legacy.

Cave Mummies & Other Haunts

Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is one of the highlights of the Jesse James' adventure thus far.  As the largest underground cave network in the U.S., it boasts 412 miles of caverns. About 15 miles are open to the public through guided tours. I took a 2 mile, 2-hour guided historical tour and another 2-hour tour the next day focusing on geological formations. The video shows the cave entrance where immediately the temperature drops 35 degrees.

 

The cave is considered one of the world's largest haunted places and with so many unexplored sections, it is easily conceivable how people could get lost or bury bodies without detection. In the 19th century when the cave was privately owned, preserved bodies were discovered and flocks of tourists came to see the cave mummies. Many accounts tell of apparitions appearing, shoving people, blowing out lanterns and/or emitting strange noises. The only shoves I received were from the 69 other people on my tour. Lots of strange noises from complaining teenagers (I'm cold. How much longer?) and the many Captain Obviouses (It's dark. Look at that rock. There's stairs.)

In 1838 when the cave changed ownership, a young slave Stephen Bishop (aged 16) became a tour guide. He was the first man to map the cave system, discovering many new areas of the caverns, including the underground water system and the "eye-less" fish and crawfish native to the cave. He was a very popular tour guide and saved his tips from touring. When he gained his freedom, he bought a piece of land close to Mammoth Cave and built a homestead.

apparitional light

The James' Brothers official and unofficial visit to Mammoth Cave occurred in 1880. There were 15 in their party including a Mr. Roundtree from Lebanon, Kentucky and his "comely" daughter Lizzie. No one knew the identity of Frank and Jesse. On the 3rd day of their visit,  they took a full day excursion in the caves with a guide named Garvin. Here is an excerpt from the Glasgow Times account.

"When they stopped in the part of the cave known as Bandit's Hall, someone asked the guide if there had ever been any REAL bandits in the hall. Frank James stood up and made his little speech. 'Folks, there's bandits in the hall now. I'm Frank James and the gentleman sitting over there with Miss Roundtree is my brother Jesse. We've been together for three days now and I thought we ought to be a little better acquainted...' And he sat down. The members of the party thought it was a good joke and shouted, 'Hold on to your wallets, we're being held up.'"

The next day Frank and Jesse held up two stage coaches on their way to Cave City, relieving the passengers of their money, and jewelry, then departed on horseback. The accounts say that they stopped in the hotel in Cave City and Jesse returned Lizzie Roundtree's jewelry, but probably not all her rings, since his wife Zee was wearing one on the day of Jesse's murder. Accounts say that the outlaws hid in Mammoth Cave, as well as Outlaw Cave in Cave City, while alluding the law.