Details of the Bloody Affair at Winston, Missouri

 From New York newspaper dated Monday July 18, 1861--

"One of the most daring robberies recorded in the annals...The scene of the bandits bloody work was between Winston and Gallatin, Mo. "

...."The robbers were masked to the extent of having false whiskers and mustaches, but did not have false faces. "

This account is from the Gallatin Missouri paper. 

..."as the train left Winston at 9:30pm, three armed men stepped onto the front end of the smoking car. They fired through the glass in the car door, three men disguised with heavy black whiskers entered the car and fired through the windows in the front end of the car. While thus terrifying the passengers they ordered 'hands up'. Conductor Westfall was in the middle of the car, taking up tickets and was shot in the back."

TWO mentions of WHISKERS!!

restored train station depot, Winston, MO

..."Everything looks as it was the work of the James boys or their gang. Westfall was the conductor on the trian which carried the Pinkerton detectives to Mrs. Samuels (James brothers' mother) the time her boy was killed and she lost her arm by the explosion of the shell which the detectives threw into her house. The James boys swore they would kill him, and they or their gang have done it."

"Tuesday, Mrs. Samuels, the mother of the James boys, was in Kansas City. She talked freely with the reporters about the robbery. She says Frank and Jesse James are both dead and could have had nothing to do with the robbery unless their ghosts were there."







Two deaths an the take was under $4000. I had a difficult time finding this location, because Winston isn't much of a town anymore. It has a population of 259. It was pouring down rain and the GPS coordinates took me to the post office which also served as the town hall and police station. It was closed. Just when I was about to give up, I drove around the corner and saw the station house. Filmed in my car during the heavy downpour.

 It is interesting that the townsfolk decided to restore the station and celebrate Jesse James days each summer including re-enactments. I left my hair offering in the windowsill of the station house. 

1971 James Brothers re-enactment

1991 James Brothers re-enactment

First Successful Daylight Bank Robbery (during peacetime) & a Dose of Dark Tourism with Good Coffee and Yoga

Main Street, town square. Terrific coffee shop called
Hammerhand and a yoga/massage studio, Serenity on the Square.
I took advantage of both.

A part of me has always liked dark tourist sites, before dark tourism even became a thing and Netflix made it into a series. One aspect that fascinates me is what motivates people to visit sites of death and destruction. There's not a simple answer, but a spectrum that ranges from a need to memorialize to prurient entertainment. Of course, proprietors of such venues are motivated by money.

While the majority of my stops were to places that did not recognize the James' brothers nefarious acts, a few did. The Clay County Savings Bank in Liberty, Missouri is now a museum dedicated to tours with the mission of "historical education." In Liberty's defense, the site does bring in a lot of tourist dollars, boosting the economy in this small mideastern town.

The booty gathered during the robbery including gold, silver, paper currency and government bonds totaled $60,000 would be worth over $1.8 million today. Not a bad take even divided by 12.

This is an account from the Tribune February 14, 1866.

Our usually quiet city was startled last Tuesday by one of the most cold-blooded murders and heavy robberies on record. It appears that in the afternoon some ten or twelve persons rode into town and 2 of them went into the Clay County Savings Bank, and asked the clerk, MR. WILLIAM BIRD, to change a 10 dollar bill, and as he started to do so, they drew their revolvers on him and his father, MR. GREENUP BIRD, the cashier, and made them stand quiet while they proceeded to rob the bank. 

After having obtained what they supposed was all, they put the clerk and cashier in the vault, and no doubt thought they had locked the door, and went out with their stolen treasure, mounted their horses and were joined by the balance of their gang and commenced shooting. MR. S. H. HOLMES had 2 shots fired at him and young GEORGE WYMORE, aged about 19 years, son of WM. H. WYMORE, one of the most peaceable and promising young men in the county was shot and killed while standing on the opposite side of the street at the corner of the old Green house. The killing was a deliberate murder without any provocation whatever.

The town was soon all excitement, and as many as could procure arms and horses, went in pursuit, but up to this writing, nothing is known of the result. Our citizens exhibited a commendable willingness to do all they could to assist in the capture of the robbers and their booty.

Thus has our city and people been grossly outraged by a band of thieves and murderers, and that, too, when the people thought they were in possession of permanent peace; and a worthy young man murdered, one of our most successful and ably managed monied institutions, and many private individuals, have been heavy losers. We hope to God, the villains may be overhauled, and brought to the end of a rope. Indeed, we can not believe they will escape.

An interesting tidbit is that a few days after the robbery, the family of George Wymore received a letter of apology from Jesse James saying that it was not the robbers' intention to kill anyone. Like that is supposed to bring grieving parents a modicum of comfort????



In all my excitement, I forgot to leave a hair offering. Such a shame, because it would have been perfect to leave it in the bank vault. I did pick up a copy of this book in the gift shop. It was a disappointing read, despite the feminine perspective.

Dancing Bear Cottage combined with Murder & Bank Robbery in Richmond

 

Dancing Bear Cottage, Corder, Missouri

Outside of Kansas City, lodgings were sparse. I found this lovely airbnb in Corder, Missouri. The cottage is rustic and cozy on a beautiful property filled with lots of animals. Peacocks, Hammie the pig, cats, geese, chickens and horses all greeted me. This was a highlight of the trip. It's exhausting driving to four or five sites each day and locating suitable filming locations. The towns start to blur together. These were the last two days of good weather, before it rained the rest of the trip. 

 

Dancing Farm Cottage, Pond view at sunset

Dancing Farm Cottage, Pond view at sunset

May 23rd, 1867 Twelve Members of the James-Younger Gang robbed the Hughes & Wasson Bank of Richmond, Missouri, making off with $4000. Three Men were shot and killed. 

an article in the New York Herald, May 24, 1867

Some highlights from the 1881 Ray County history book account of the robbery. 

"Four of the party entered the bank with pistols presented, demanding the money therein. The other six remained outside and kept up a continuous fire upon citizens who dared show themselves on the streets." 

"The robber who remained on his horse took a stand in the middle of the street. He was mounted on a very fine and well-trained horse. Having wound the bridle-reins around the bow of his saddle in such a manner as to give greater tension to one rein than to the other, the horse continued to move around in a circle, thus enabling his rider to see about him in every direction."

That last section cracked me up. Lots of detail about the horse. What about the robbery??

Frank Griffin who is the hero albeit dead hero of the story was firing upon the gunman with the finely trained horse. When the gunman "discovered Griffin's head from behind the tree, he fired at it with unerring aim. The ball penetrated the brain and Griffin instantly expired."

No specific details are given about the three folks that were shot by the James brothers. 

View from courthouse, former bank site

view of courthouse, former bank site

statue of soldier on courthouse lawn

The town celebrates every year with outlaw days where they recreate the James Gang robbery. 

Last year, one of the re-enactors was hit with a blank in the leg. In a Kansas City newspaper article, "An ambulance took the performer to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment of a moderate leg injury, Carter said. No one else was injured. The rest of the fall festival’s activities continued as scheduled." 

This year all activities are cancelled due to covid19. 

my hair offering on the courthouse lawn

Second Daylight Bank Robbery in History

Lexington, Missouri is best known for two historic large battles in the Civil War in 1861 & 1864 respectively. Two months after the war ended, some of Quantrill's Raiders decided to turn themselves in at Lexington. While riding into town waving a white flag, they were fired upon by Union soldiers. One of the riders--Jesse James was shot and severely injured in the right lung. 

Two years later he returned with the James Younger gang to rob the bank of Missouri. This was most likely not a coincidence.

On October 30th, 1866, the James brothers walked inside the bank, asking to change a bill. When the bank clerk refused, pistols were drawn. The bank clerk did not give up the vault key and the robbers ransacked the bank making off with $2000.

A posse was organized by former guerillas and friends of the outlaws. Unsurprisingly, the posse turned up nothing, most likely not putting much effort into the chase. 

Today the site is still a bank--Bank Midwest. The 2 blocks surrounding the bank include a realty storefront, an antiques store, a gun store, a church and a McDonalds.

If you are into military history, 7/8 MUST SEE things to do include visiting battlefields, seeing a canonball lodged into the courthouse and a sword. I skipped the tours. The most interesting part of this site was the juxtaposition between the gun store, bank and McDonalds. Probably the irony was lost on most residents. 

This Madonna of the Trail statue is one of twelve that is placed throughout the National Old Trails Road from Maryland to California honoring early women pioneers. A refreshing feminist icon.

I thought it was fitting to leave my hair offering in front of the church at the Santa Fe Trail marker.